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\n We may earn commission from the links on this page.<\/span>\n <\/p>\n Creatine is a rare thing in the world of workout supplements: it actually works, plus it’s cheap and safe. (Protein and caffeine are the only other common supplements you can think of.) If you’re trying to build muscle or lift the heaviest things around, you’ll want to get into the habit of taking creatine every day \u2014 but, of course, there are some caveats.<\/p>\n Creatine provides quick energy for short, intense bursts of power in your muscles. You may have heard of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which stores energy in our cells. (One main reason to eat food: to be able to make ATP.) When our muscles use ATP, it is split into ADP and free phosphate. Creatine can hold excess phosphate, and immediately stick that phosphate onto ADP so that it can become ATP again. <\/p>\n Creatine thus provides a very short-term energy supply, which we can use in between sprints or weightlifting sets. This means the more creatine you have in your muscles, the better you will be at activities that require short, intense use of muscles. Lifting weights is the main thing creatine helps with, but Runners may also benefit in some cases<\/a>.<\/p>\n If you can lift a little more weight, for a few more repetitions, you will eventually be able to get a little stronger. Creatine likely has some other effects that also help with muscle growth. Overall, it may provide small but non-zero increases in strength and muscle size for most people. For more basic information on creatine, see This summary of the evidence from Examine.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n nobody requirements<\/em> To supplement with creatine. You can function just fine without it, and you won’t suffer any major losses. It provides just a little encouragement for many of us. If your main sport is cardio, creatine will not help. If you lift weights or are trying to build muscle through strength training (for example, you’re into bodybuilding), this may help.<\/p>\n How much this helps will depend on how much creatine you already have. Our body produces abundant amounts of creatine on its own, and then we also get some through our diet, especially if you eat meat. Vegetarians and vegans usually have less creatine to begin with, so they benefit more. <\/p>\n And some of us are non-responders. “Some people walk around with full muscle creatine saturation, so they get no benefit from creatine supplementation,” says sports nutrition researcher and bodybuilder Eric Trexler. Writes on Stronger by Science<\/a>. “Actually, being a non-responder is great news. You were genetically pre-selected to win a lifetime supply of free creatine!”<\/p>\n As supplements go, creatine is pretty safe. It doesn’t have any scary side effects, and the most common downside that people notice is that it can cause gastrointestinal distress, especially in large doses and\/or on an empty stomach. Also, any supplement comes with the warning that no one at the FDA is verifying that they contain what they say they contain. <\/p>\n In terms of cost, creatine is also one of the cheaper supplements, especially if you buy it in powder form as creatine monohydrate. For example, it’s not too hard to find a package with 100+ servings for less than $25. If you prefer your creatine in capsule form, it may be a little more expensive. <\/p>\n One of the biggest concerns you’ll see people raising online is the idea that creatine can cause hair loss in men. It is based on the idea Research since 2009<\/a> It showed that athletes who were given creatine had higher levels of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) in their blood. DHT is linked to male-pattern hair loss, and when the research was first published it was unclear whether creatine had the potential to accelerate hair loss in men who were already sensitive to it. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n What do you think so far?
\nWhat does creatine do?<\/h2>\n
What is creatine for?<\/h2>\n
Disadvantages of using creatine<\/h2>\n
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