North Carolina State University Athletics
NC State Sports Medicine: The Creatine Hype
6/24/2002 12:00:00 AM | Pack Athletics
June 24, 2002
By Charlie Rozanski
In the athletic community creatine supplementation has become a serious nutritional topic. In this column we will attempt to answer some of the most commonly asked questions about this supplement.
What is creatine?
Creatine is a substance that naturally occurs within our bodies and is also found naturally in food sources.
Where is it found naturally?
Creatine is naturally absorbed when we eat meat and fish products. In addition, our body is able to manufacture creatine from the amino acids argine and glycine.
How much creatine do I need?
It is estimated that the daily requirement of creatine is two grams. The average daily intake of creatine is estimated to be one gram. Therefore, the body must use the amino acids to make up for the shortfall.
What does this substance creatine do in the body?
In very simple terms, creatine helps muscles recover more quickly from brief, intense exercise. The body breaks down the energy compound ATP to perform this high intensity activity. Its energy spent, ATP, now becomes ADP, and requires the presence of creatine to restore it to its energy ready ATP state. It is now available for use by the working muscle again. A simpler analogy is ATP is a fully charged battery and ADP is a battery that has discharged, and the creatine becomes the charger that will re-charge the battery to a working state.
How long does this mechanism occur?
This cycle only occurs in the first few seconds of exercise, so after a short period of time the endurance metabolism takes over, utilizing carbohydrates, proteins and fat to make the ATP.
So what's the problem?
While it appears that creatine does have some positive effects on an athlete's ability to perform, there are many unanswered questions. Does the supplementation shut down the body's natural ability to produce these substances, and if it does, what will happen when you stop taking the supplement? Will the body resume its normal conversion and production? What are the long-term effects on the kidneys and the liver as they process the megadoses of this supplement? Do you lose the positive gains as soon as you stop taking creatine - and it appears that you do lose these gains over time. Must you take the supplementation for the rest of your career to maintain your performance levels?
In addition to these long-term effects, athletes often develop diarrhea and some form of dehydration unless they compensate for this intake of creatine with a two- or three-fold increase in their fluid intake.
So does NC State use creatine?
No. Because there are many questions about the body's ability to regulate itself after creatine supplementation stops, we believe that the benefits of creatine (and there are some short-term benefits) do not outweigh the potential health risks. More research is certainly needed on this supplement before a definitive answer can be given. In the meantime, a properly constructed strength and conditioning program, augmented with a well thought out nutritional plan, combined with hard work and discipline, is NC State's approach.
Charlie Rozanski is the Director of Sports Medicine at NC State. In coming weeks, he'll be writing more informative columns about the common medical issues and injuries that Wolfpack athletes face during their careers.
