The Many Uses of Creatine
June 9, 2009
When people think of creatine, they immediately think of a supplement that is used by athletes to enhance their performance, increase their strength and build lean muscle. And while creatine is popular amongst athletes, this is not the only use for the supplement.
Research on creatine has shown that it can be used for more than increasing a person’s athletic and fitness ability. Because creatine works to build and strengthen muscles, it is believed that it can be used to treat neuromuscular diseases such as muscular dystrophy.
Also, this popular supplement can be given to the elderly who are facing muscular and neurological illnesses such as muscle atrophy, Parkinson’s disease, and other illnesses. Creatine is also used to reduce high cholesterol.
Now that you know some of the uses of creatine, you may be asking what it really is. Creatine occurs naturally in the body, and is produced by amino acids in the body, such as methionine, glycine, and arginine.
A person naturally produces about 120 grams of creatine and it is stored in the body in the form of creatine phosphate. Creatine can also come from certain types of foods.
Creatine is related to ATP. ATP, or adenosine triphosphate, is made by the body’s mitochondria. ATP is used by the body’s cells to create energy. When the cells encounter stress, they are unable to produce adequate amounts of ATP. This causes the cells to age and possibly become infected with disease.
In order to keep up with good health, the body must be able to avoid mitochondrial damage. The body also needs to be able to maintain a proper amount of ATP.
In order for a cell to function properly, it needs to produce ATP and have healthy mitochondria. Any change is a person’s ability to produce ATP can affect different tissue groups and brain function. Creatine has been proven effective in maintaining the body’s ATP levels.
Creatine does this by enabling the body to create energy. During ATP utilization, phosphates are lost and ATP is converted into ADP (adenosine diphosphate).
In order for the body to create energy, the phosphates must be regained so that ADP can convert into ATP again. Since creatine is stored in the body as a phosphate, it provides those missing phosphates to convert ADP back into ATP.
Creatine has been found effective amongst athletes because it creates quick bursts of ATP energy. It is essential for anaerobic exercises that are quick in performance and require immediate energy.
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