What happens when you start taking creatine?
Most creatine goes to your skeletal muscles, which convert creatine into a compound of creatine and phosphoric acid (phosphocreatine or creatine phosphate). Phosphocreatine then helps create adenosine triphosphate (ATP). ATP is a source of energy that your cells use when you exercise. So, creatine helps maintain a continuous energy supply to your muscles during intense lifting or exercise.
In addition to providing more energy and helping to increase muscle growth, creatine helps:
- Speed up muscle recovery. When you exercise, you create micro-tears in your muscle fibers. As you recover, the micro-tears in your muscle fibers heal, and your muscles get stronger. Creatine helps activate satellite cells in your muscles, which help the micro-tears heal.
- Increase anabolic hormones. Anabolic hormones contribute to growth and tissue repair. They include insulin, human growth hormone (hGH), estrogen and testosterone.
- Boost water content in muscle cells. Better cell hydration may increase muscle growth and reduce dehydration and muscle cramps.
Creatine can also increase the amount of phosphocreatine in your brain, which may help with your memory.
(Source: Cleveland Clinic link below)
What is creatine? Potential benefits and risks of this popular supplement | Harvard Health
Everything You Need to Know About Creatine | healthline
How to Get the Most Out of Creatine | Dr. Gabrielle Lyon, MD with Darren Candow, PhD
Creatine, Protein, or EAAs? What You Actually Need for Muscle Growth
Sarcopenia refers to the progressive loss of muscle mass and muscle function and is a contributing factor for cachexia, bone loss, and frailty. Resistance training produces several physiological adaptations which improve aging musculoskeletal health, such as increased muscle and bone mass and strength. The combination of creatine supplementation and resistance training may further lead to greater physiological benefits. We performed meta-analyses which indicate creatine supplementation combined with resistance training has a positive effect on aging muscle mass and upper body strength compared to resistance training alone. Creatine also shows promise for improving bone mineral density and indices of bone biology. The combination of creatine supplementation and resistance training could be an effective intervention to improve aging musculoskeletal health. (link above)