XL Creatine - Fact and Fiction
Essentials
Creatine Monohydrate is the most well known and well researched of all supplements. Creatine has appeared in the media time and time again; naturally there has been speculation over the effectiveness and safety of Creatine. Excel Labs wants to iron out some of the myths behind Creatine and detail some of the truths.


The Facts

Creatine Improves performance
The evidence for Creatine as a performance enhancing aid is unequivocal. Thousands of studies have been conducted using Creatine with a wide range of applications and benefits being shown. Specific to sport performance, Creatine has been shown to increase fat free mass, augment lean muscle accrual, improve exercise performance and increase strength. No other safe, legal and natural ingredient can boast these benefits.

Kreider et al, (1998). Effects of Creatine supplementation on body composition, strength and sprint performance. Med Sci Sport Exerc

Creatine helps improve ATP re-synthesis
ATP is the energy currency in the human body. There is only a minute amount of ATP stored in the muscle, enough for only seconds of exercise; therefore it must be re-synthesised to allow for continued movement. Studies show that Creatine Monohydrate helps to increase ATP re-synthesis in humans and therefore improves athletic performance.

Greenhaff et al, (1994). Effect of oral Creatine supplementation on skeletal muscle phosphoCreatine re-synthesis. Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism

Improved cognitive function
As little as 5g of Creatine per day has been shown to have a significant positive effect on both working memory and intelligence. ATP is the energy currency in the brain and Creatine increases the bodies ability to re-synthesize this and therefore influences brain performance.

Rae et al, (2007). Oral Creatine Monohydrate supplementation improves brain performance: a double-blind, placebo-controlled. Proceedings of the Royal Society

Increases glycogen storage
This is a novel finding and one that widens the range of uses for Creatine. Using Creatine allows for a greater amount of glycogen (our muscles energy reserve of carbohydrates) to be stored. Therefore Creatine can be beneficial for endurance athletes too!

Nelson et al, (2001). Muscle glycogen super compensation is enhanced by prior Creatine supplementation. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.


The Fiction

Creatine damages the kidneys and liver
Major concern has been raised concerning kidney damage related to Creatine supplementation. This is due to the majority of Creatine that is ingested being removed from the blood by the kidneys. However, numerous studies have now shown to deleterious effect that creatine elicits no negative effects on the kidneys or liver or any markers of their function.

Mayhew et al (2002). Effects of long-term Creatine supplementation on liver and kidney functions in American college football players. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Meta.

Creatine causes cramping
Long-term studies show that daily doses of Creatine Monohydrate in the correct dose have absolutely no negative side effects and do not cause cramping. Some studies even show a reduced incidence of cramp in athletes using Creatine.

Greenwood et al, (2003). Cramping and injury incidence in collegiate football players are reduced by Creatine supplementation. Journal of Athletic Training Articles.
Supplemental Creatine stops our body being able to naturally produce Creatine.
Fortunately this is purely media hype and misinformation. When Creatine is supplemented, the body does not need to produce as much Creatine naturally and therefore downregulates this process which is actually metabolically beneficial. Once Creatine supplementation ceases, this process simply upregulates again.

Poortans, J.R., & Francaux, M. (2000). Adverse effects of Creatine supplementation: fact of fiction? Sports Med

Creatine is generally bad for your health
Studies show that Creatine has no negative effect on any clinical health markers.

Kreider et al, (2003). Long-term Creatine supplementation does not significantly affect clinical markers of health in athletes. Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry