The Effects of Creatine on the Body

Creatine is a muscle-based enzyme involved in the production of energy. Doctors have used it to treat certain medical conditions, and athletes have used it to enhance performance. Users have experienced serious side effects.

Identification

• Creatine is an enzyme stored in muscle tissue and used in those cells to produce energy and help cause growth. The body can produce it naturally in the liver, kidney and pancreas by synthesizing the amino acids arginine, glycine and methionine. Humans can also ingest it by eating meat or fish.

Mechanism of Action

• Muscle tissues use adenosine triphosphate (ATP) for energy by breaking it down into either adenosine diphospahte or adenosine monophosphate and phosphate, and using the energy released by the phosphate bond to power muscle cells. The human body continually recycles ATP for fuel, converting a body weight amount from ATP to ADP and AMP and back each day. Creatine enhances this process by binding to free phosphates to form phosphocreatine, and then donating a phosphate group to ADP, thus enabling resynthesis of ATP, and quickly providing more energy to muscle tissues.

Medical Uses

• According to the pharmaceutical information website Rx List, creatine has been shown to increase strength and endurance in patients with heart failure and with muscle wasting diseases, such as muscular dystrophy, Lou Gehrig's Disease, multiple sclerosis and AIDS. Creatine might also slow the effects of Parkinson's disease and the ocular disorder gyrate atrophy.

  Experiments have been conducted to test creatine's effects on those suffering from rheumatoid arthritis, but these have proven inconclusive or ineffective. According to the BBC, researchers have shown that creatine boosts mental performance in memory and computational tasks, such as those found on IQ tests, by supplying the brain with more energy.

Athletic Effects

• According to "Muscle and Fitness" author Jim Stoppani, in the 1992 Olympics, British sprinter Linford Christie admitted using creatine during his training, and in 1993, the supplement company Experimental and Applied Sciences (EAS) released Phosphagen, the first creatine supplement. Since then, athletes in many sports have used this legal supplement to enhance their training and stimulate muscle growth. As creatine provides more energy to muscle tissues, athletes can train longer at higher intensities, which yields strength and muscle gains over time.

Contraindications

• According to the pharmaceutical information website Drugs, patients taking certain prescription nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAID) should not take this drug. Creatine is thought to put extra stress on the kidneys, and many of these NSAID's will exacerbate that effect. Experts also advise pregnant or breast-feeding women against taking creatine, as it is not known if mothers can transmit creatine to infants.

Side Effects

• Creatine can cause allergic reactions that include hives, swelling in the lips, tongue, or face, labored breathing and closing of the throat. The site Drugs reports that users have experienced serious side effects, including kidney problems that result in the decreased production of urine.