An insight on Creatine

From athletes, to body builders, every one’s talking about Creatine. There‘s a lot of buzz around Creatin. So what exactly is Creatine? What is it useful for? For whom is it beneficial? What are the sources of Creatine and what is the ideal requirement? Read further, to know more about Creatine and its manifold benefits.

Creatine is a nitrogenous organic acid and is a natural component of our skeletal muscle. It was first discovered by Michel- Eugene- Chevreul, when he separated a component from the skeletal muscle and named it Creatine (Greek for flesh) in the year 1835. It is naturally produced in the body, from the amino acids in the kidney and liver. It is said that almost 95 % of Creatine is located in the skeletal muscle and a small amount of it is located in the brain and heart.

Creatine is very popular among body builders and athletes, especially those involved in high intensity, short duration sports like weight lifting and high jumps. It is believed to increase lean muscle mass, thereby increasing performance. This energy boosting quality in Creatine is the main reason why athletes take Creatine supplements before an event. It gives a sudden spurt of energy. A clinical study also claims that Creatine is beneficial to heart patients when taken for a short duration along with standard medication. This could be primarily because, it improves muscle strength. It can also be used to cure muscular dystrophy according to a study. A clinical study says that people with Parkinson’s disease can benefit by using a small amount of Creatine, where it increases the ability to exercise.

Creatine can naturally be sourced from meat such as chicken and fish. Cow’s milk is also supposed to contai
Creatine. Strict vegetarians have to solely depend on their body’s ability to synthesize Creatine from basic components. But when intake of Creatine is restricted, the body can produce its own Creatine through the amino acids that are available during digestion of food. The ideal requirement of Creatine would depend on your activity. For example for a ideal person, leading a normal life, a person would need Creatine that is equivalent to about 5 gms of Creatine monohydrate powder for one week.. This amount may be higher for those involved in athletics and body building. If you are looking for cholesterol reduction, you could take about 20-25 gms of cretin monohydrate powder daily for 5 days.

There are a number of Creatine supplements that are available in the market. These are available in the form of liquids, tablets, capsules, energy bars, fruit flavored chews and mixes. There are a number of websites, that offer to sell these online,

However make sure you contact your physician before taking Creatine supplements.