Creatine in Sports.

One of the primary things athletes will do is put supplements into their body. These supplements range from protein shakes to illegal anabolic steroids. Some sports supplements are incredibly safe and effective, yet others work for a while and then fizzle out, while others still work well but do more damage than good in the long run. In the past, athletes had to turn to such things as anabolic steroids or blood doping (the process of taking out blood and adding oxygen to it and putting it back into your body in order to increase a persons endurance); however, these procedures have many downsides. Mainly, they are illegal and the athletes may be suspended from playing their perspective sport for using them, also they have many long term and short-term side effects. Athletes want every advantage they can receive and it is becoming harder and harder to compete at a higher level not using any supplements. One of the most popular and effective sports supplements on the market today is Creatine Monohydrate. A supplement company called Experimental and Applied Sciences first introduced creatine in 1993. Since that time it has become one of the most demanded and controversial items on the market.

Creatine is a nutrient that is found in many foods. It is most highly concentrated in lean red meat. A half-pound of red meat contains about two grams of creatine. Every human body also produces creatine in very small amounts, though some people produce more than others. Creatine is necessary for proper cell functions and cell reproduction; it is also a primary storage for energy in muscles. When athletes are exercising their muscles demand energy. The energy that the muscle gets is called adenosine triphosphate (ATP). As the muscles keep contracting, the ATP is turned into adenosine diphosphate (ADP). ADP causes your muscles to fatigue. Creatine Phosphate helps to convert ADP into ATP when the ATP is gone. In doing this, athletes have better endurance during their workout or event. Creatine producers and users claim it to have many advantages, such as increased endurance, increased overall work potential, increased speed of muscular action, and the potential to further increase muscle mass. Creatine also accelerates protein synthesis. If all this were true, it would be easy to see why athletes are turning to Creatine for an edge on their competition.
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But are these claims real? Is their scientific proof of what Creatine does? Since creatine came onto the supplement market it has been tested extensively. Research in human sports science indicates that supplementing a normal diet with creatine will increase the creatine content in the muscles. Since studies on creatine loading have only been going on for less than a decade, it is still unknown what long-term effects will have. Several small short-term side effects include dehydration, diarrhea and muscle cramping. Also, Creatine might not be able to help a person in their sport. For example, creatine does ...

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