CREATINE: Wbat muscles are made of

Creatine is one of the most plentiful and important protein substances in the body. It is the major substrate for phosphocreatine, which fuels our muscle contractions, so it is logical that competitive athletes are now trying it.

Most of us carry about 120-140 grams of creatine in our musculrs, but the nutrient is not essential to our diet. Vegetarians take in essentially no creatine, yet they are rarely deficient, manufacturing it from the dietary amino acids arginine, glycine and methionine.

A PROVEN PERFORMANCE ENHANCER

The value of creatine seems to be in enhancing short-term athletic performance, such as sprints, bursts of cycling and weight lifting. Doses of 20-25 grams have been used in most studies. Creatine appears to work by helping to keep our supplies of immediate energy high. It also prevents plasma levels of ammonia from climbing, which otherwise would slow athletic performance. There is no evidence that creatine improves our long-term stamina. But it does allow weight lifters to increase muscle mass by about 1.8 kilograms, according to a Swedish sports physiologist.

ITS MEDICAL VALUE

Therapeutically, creatine appears to be useful in treating and preventing disturbances in the heart’s rhythm. For fifty people who were undergoing an operation to replace a heart valve, supplementation reduced arrhythmias by 75 per cent. People with chronic heart failure have also used the supplement, in a daily dosage of 20 grams, to increase their exercise capacity, Other research suggests it may have some anticancer activity.

SUPPLEMENT SUGGESTIONS

The effective dosage for creatine appears to be about 20 grams per day, which can be expensive. It’s not clear that smaller doses are of any benefit. Its full use, then, may be limited to elite athletes, heavy-duty weight trainers and people with certain heart conditions. The 20 gram dosage appears to be very safe and without side effects.

A dose in that range is best taken in powder form (sold at health food stores). Four teaspoons (that’s 20 grams) are ecommended as a dose before a workout.