There are constantly new forms of creatine on the market but still it is creatine monohydrate that once again proves to be the best in studies.
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What is creatine?
In 1832, creatine also known as acetic acid methylguanidine discovered by Michel Chevreul Euguene. The drug is named after the Greek word meaning kreas meat.
Chemically creatine nitrogenous organic acid that helps to deliver energy to cells in the body, primarily skeletal muscle. It is naturally produced in the body by the kidneys and liver by combining the three amino acids glycine, arginine and methionine. This happens by guanidino group of arginine to glycine transport and this forms guanidinoacetate. Furthermore, it transported one methylgruppe from S-adenosylmethionine to guandinoacetate and this makes the creation of creatine. We are approx. 95% of the amount of creatine in the human body located in skjelettmuskelatur. The remaining 5% is found in the brain, liver, kidneys and testes.
ATP
ATP is the abbreviation for adenosine triphosphate is a molecule. This molecule is all living organisms rely on when they use it to receive and transmit energy. It releases energy when it is broken down to ADP (adenosine diphosphate). The concentration of ATP in skjelettmuskelatur is usually 2-5 mm. This is enough to provide a muscle contraction which lasts a few seconds. When there occurs an increased energy resyntiseres ATP from ADP using phosphocreatine through a reaction with the enzyme creatine kinase. There is therefore an increased intake of creatine increases the amount of phosphocreatine in the musculature, which ensures that the muscle can resyntisere ATP from ADP and meet the increased energy demand.
Over the years there have been a number of new forms of creatine on the market and the most popular have been creatine monohydrate, creatine ethyl ester (CEE) and credit-Alkalyn.
Creatine monohydrate
Creatine monohydrate was the first thing that came to market and in a study conducted by Harris, Soderlund and Hultman from 1992 showed that by taking 5 grams of creatine monohydrate 4-6 times a day for several days, then increase the total creatine concentration in average of 25 mmol / kg. 30% of this increase was in the form of phosphocreatine.
Creatine ethyl ester
Creatine ethyl ester is creatine with an ethyl group attached. When creatine ethyl ester (CEE) came on the market was the argument that creatine monohydrate was quickly converted to creatinine which is a natural byproduct of creatine phosphate, whereas CEE was this malicious conversion in equal measure. A study wanted to examine whether this was true. It was used two products containing CEE and one product of creatine monohydrate of (Creapure). Each product was incubated in 900 ml of a solution with pH 1HCL (hydrochloric acid) at 37 º + / - 1 ° C. After 30 minutes it was only 73% and 62% available creatine of the two CEE products, while from creatine monohydrate product was 99% again. These reductions of creatine from CEE products was followed by an increase of creatinine production.
CEE's plea for better absorption and availability proved not to vote when one by associating creatine with an ethyl group so that the degradation of creatine to creatinine were accelerated.
Kre-Alkalyn
Kre-Alkalyn is creatine monohydrate added alkyliske salts to give the product a higher pH value and thus increase the chance that creatine is not broken down to creatinine in stomach.
When Kre-Alkalyn came on the market claiming All American Pharmaceutical and Natural Foods Corp. that Kre-Alkalyn is a buffered creatine type was 100% stable and did not convert to creatinine in stomach Furthermore, they claimed that creatine monohydrate was very acid labile and over 90 % of creatine monohydrate was converted to creatinine. Dr Tallon and Dr Child wanted to investigate this and did a study. Each product was incubated in 900 ml of a solution with pH 1 HCL (hydrochloric acid) at 37 º + / - 1 ° C. It was conducted tests at 5 minutes, 30 minutes and 120 minutes to look at the levels of creatine and creatinine. Contrary to the claims of the manufacturers of Kre-Alkalyn Creatine monohydrate then turned out to be very stable in the acidic environment of a conversion to creatinine at 1%. Kre-Alkalyn however proved to have a 35% greater conversion to creatinine than creatine monohydrate.
Study comparing creatine monohydrate and credit Alkalyn
In 2012 it published a study in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition where they had compared to creatine monohydrate with credit Alkalyn.
The study was conducted by Jagim with more and had a total of 36 trained participants. Participants who ingested creatine monohydrate was asked to take 4 x 5 g creatine monohydrate for 7 days followed by a maintenance dose of 5 g thereafter. Participants who took credit Alkalyn could either take 1.5 g credit-Alkalyn for 28 days or follow the same dose as monohydrate group.
1.5 g credit Alkalyn daily for 28 days or 4 x 5 g credit Alkalyn for 7 days followed by 5 g daily for 21 proved to be better than creatine monohydrate. This was true both when compared body composition, strength and endurance increase and there was no findings to indicate that credit-Alkalyn had fewer side effects than monohydrate.
How much should I take?
One can choose to use the charging phase 5 gx 4 doses per day for 7 days or go straight to the maintenance dose of 5 grams. The latter will take longer to replenish stocks, but the chance of experiencing side effects in the form of diarrhea, cramps, dehydration etc are less at this dosen.Personlig I recommend 3-6 g of creatine monohydrate daily and it is the same when you take there on the day, just make sure to get it in you every day. It may also be advantageous to mix the creatine in lukewarm water then it is easier to dissolve and you need about 0.5 liters of water to dissolve 3-6 g creatine. Also be sure to drink enough water every day. Do you get headaches so you drink too little.
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