The highly competitive attitude of athletes today motivates many athletes to work hard to improve their ability. When their ability has peaked and a performance plateau is reached many turn to supplements to help them reach the next level.In recent years creatine seems to have become the supplement of choice. Creatine is a compound that is made in the human body and supplies energy to our muscles. Chemically it is called methylguanid-acetic acid and it is formed from the amino acids methoinine and glycine when they are combined through a chemical process (Phillips 49). It is found in abundance in foods such as meat and fish. In 1993 a creatine supplement especially designed for strength and endurance became available in the United States (Phillips 50).Creatine is used as a kind of energy source in our bodies. Although the human body produces creatine and it is found in many foods that we eat, many athletes still feel the desire for this supplement. The biggest reason for this may be that animal muscle seems to be the richest source of creatine, to get the type of results that one can get from using a supplement of creatine, a diet would have to consist of ten pounds of raw steak a day for five days (Phillips).To understand why supplementing creatine may improve strength and ability then it is important to understand the role it plays in the body. Creatine exists in two forms in the muscle; it exists as creatine and as creatine phosphate. The latter of these makes up two-thirds of the creatine supply. When muscles contract, they use a sort of fuel call adenosine triphosphate or ATP, which provides energy by releasing one of its phosphate molecules. Since there is only enough ATP in the muscle to provide energy for about ten seconds, more must be produced and this is where creatine plays a role. Creatine gives up one of its phosphate molecules to adenosine diphosphate (ADP) which in turn creates ATP to be burned as fuel. The more creatine there is in the body then the better the systems ability to create ATP and the better the ability to train muscles to their maximum potential (Sahelian).Although athletes are experimenting with many different supplements, creatine seems to have become the most popular. It is believed to achieve the best results by many users. Despite the fact that little is known about the long term effects that supplementing with large doses of creatine may have on the body (Sahelian) a great many athletes seem to have few concerns about this.Creatine supplementation might be compared to Steroids which were widely used in the 1980?s to increase body mass and strength. However, users were unaware at the time that these drugs would later be found to have numerous psychological and physiological effects, such as increased aggressive behavior and cancer of the liver (Microsoft). The discovery of the health risks associated with steroids brought about laws to make these drugs illegal and significantly reduced the number of athletes utilizing them. With steroids no longer being a safe option for performance enhancement, athletes began to look elsewhere for substances that might bring about similar results.In recent years creatine has become more popular among body builders, high school and college athletes, and even Olympic competitors. According to Arnold Schwarzenegger, former Mr. Universe, creatine has come to be regarded as a necessity by most bodybuilders (Schwarzenegger 765).Despite the opinion of various experts some athletes still swear by the supplement. Take Mark McGuire for example who, in 1998, broke the home run record previously held by Roger Maris (Verducci 30). He uses creatine in addition to other supplements. Although he has been criticized by many sports writers for this he continues to utilize the supplement.The first documented use of creatine by athletes was in 1992 at the Olympics in Barcelona. British track and field competitors were monitored with their supplements and creatine was given credit for powering several of the British athletes who were successful in winning gold medals. Shortly after this many Unites States Champion athletes started using creatine (Phillips).Though this was the first study involving athletes, the history of creatine has been documented for nearly 80 years. Since the first studies, which were conducted in the 1920?s, there has been other documentation that seems to concur with and elaborate on those findings.A 1993 study published in the Scandinavians Journal of Medicine demonstrated that creatine supplementation can significantly increase body mass, in less than one week, and that it was responsible for improved performance in high intensity intermittent exercise (Phillips 51).Many studies found creatine to be effective. One such study showed that athletes who utilized the creatine supplement were able to continue improving stamina in various exercises from thirty minutes to about thirty-seven minutes. Those in the study who were not supplementing with creatine did not show similar improvement (Dreyfuss).Dr. Ray Sahelian, who has written books on both mental and physical health, indicates that creatine is a good muscle builder to take at the start of an exercise program because it seems to increase muscle mass quickly and encourages individuals to maintain a workout program. He also points out that he isn?t aware of any other supplement that works as well as creatine at adding muscle mass (Sahelian).Even Dr. Sahelian, who seems to support the use of creatine, warns that side effects could involve anything from nausea and dizziness to diarrhea and muscle cramping. He points out that sprains and strains can also occur when athletes rapidly increase their workout regimen before their tendons and ligaments have adapted to increase the muscle size (Sahelian).Perhaps even more startling than these side effects is that creatine use can put strain on the kidneys and liver. Dr. Sahelian explains that creatine is converted to creatinine within the body and in high doses it can actually act as a toxin. He recommends that anyone with kidney disease not take creatine and he discourages any regular high dose use of creatine with anyone. He recommends a dosage of no more than three grams per day and encourages users to take a week off per month and a month off for every three to four months of use (Sahelian).Some studies support the advantages of creatine and acknowledge the results but still caution about potential side effects. Creatine supplementation can affect water and electrolyte balance and experts recommend that extra caution to consume a balanced diet be taken when supplementing with creatine. This diet should include plenty of minerals as well as plenty of water (Schwarzennegger 765).Other studies simply document effects of creatine that different people may perceive to be negative or positive depending on their own goals and expectations. An example of this is the weight gain that creatine generally causes. People who take creatine may gain an average of one to four pounds.In view of the information that is currently available about creatine it would appear that the advantages might outweigh the disadvantages. The documented research that reveals the improvement of performance, the prompt addition of lean muscle mass and the quick recovery after workouts seems quite clear.While there are contradicting opinions that must be considered that indicate there may be harmful side effects, it appears that this is the exception rather than the rule. In addition, it also seems that these negative effects are more likely to occur in those who take excessive doses or have pre-existing health problems, such as kidney disease. Since long term effects of creatine are not yet known the choice of whether or not to use creatine must be based on what information is available today. The majority of today?s research points to positive short term results but can only speculate what may be discovered in the future.Any athlete who is considering the use of creatine should not be discouraged from doing so if he or she is in good health. It is important that he or she remember that the long-term effects are not known and there are potential dangers no matter how small. Every precaution should be taken to supplement as safely as possible. The bottom line is that if athletes are in good health, follow instructions on the package of the creatine supplement they have purchased, and are aware of what precautions should be taken, then creatine will likely have more benefits than harmful effects.Works CitedDreyfuss, Ira. ?Creatine May Enhance Performance.? CBS Sportsline. 2 March 2000. 13 September 2001. wysiwyg://132http://secul.sportsline.com.Microsoft Encyclopedia Encarta 2000. Microsoft Corporation 1993-1999.Phillips, Bill. Sports Supplement Review, Third Issue. Golden, CO: Mile High Publishers, 1996.Sahelian, Ray. ?Creatine Monohydrate, Creatine Studies, Creatine Side Effects?. Ray Sahelian, M.D. 2001. 24 September 2001. http://www.raysahelian.com/creatine.htmlSchwarzenegger, Arnold. The New Encyclopedia of Modern Body Building. New York:Fireside, 1998.Verducci, Tom. ?Making His Mark?. Sports Illustrated 14 Sept.1998: 30+
