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Creatine, a nitrogenous organic acid, is a natural component of
skeletal muscle in vertebrates, including human beings. It helps to
supply energy to our muscle cells, and when taken as a dietary
supplement, increases the body’s capacity for work. As the creatine
supplement is popular among athletes that want to gain muscle mass and
improve their performance, there is an ongoing debate surrounding the
use of creatine supplements today. Even though sport-governing bodies
have not banned the supplement yet, some countries have placed a strict
ban on its use.
Creatine was first identified in 1832 by French scientist and
philosopher, Michel Eugene Chevreul, who named it after the Greek word
for flesh, kreas. Soon afterwards, a German scientist, Justus von
Liebig helped promote a commercially available extract of meat, on the
grounds that it would give the body strength for extra work. The secret
ingredient in this enigmatic meat extract was, of course, creatine!
This important acid can be found in our muscle tissues, supplying
much-needed energy for muscle contraction to our bodies. The acid finds
a way in each time we consume meat or fish; in fact, almost half of the
creatine stored in our bodies originates from food.
Creatine functions as part of a coordination based on
arginine/phosphoarginine and operating in lots of invertebrates. By the
presence of this energy shuttle, the ATP/ADP ratio is kept high. This
ensures that the level of free ATP energy stays on top, while also
minifying the loss of adenosine nucleotides; thus also preventing
cellular dysfunction.
The human body mainly synthesizes creatine in the liver, using parts
from three amino acids, namely arginine, glycine, and methionine.
Ninety five percent of this creatine is later stored in our skeletal
muscles, while the brain, the heart, and the testes get to keep the
remaining five percent. It’s important to note that genetic deficiences
in the creatine biosynthetic pathway may often result in severe
neurologic imperfections.
The endogenic synthesis of creatine in the human liver is adequate for
normal functioning of the human body. In other words, vegetarians do
not suffer from creatine deficiency even though vegetables do not
contain creatine. However, scientific studies show us that an addition
of creatine intake to a vegetarian diet does indeed enhance physical
performance. Chemical synthesis with plant-derived amino acids is the
method employed in obtaining vegetarian creatine; in fact it is the
only method we know of at this time.
Scientists continue to investigate the benefits of creatine
supplementation in treating muscular, neurological, and neuromuscular
diseases. Studies have already revealed that creatine is effective in
extending the lives of mice with the degenerative neural disease:
amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; and can cause modest improvements in the
power output of people with a range of neuromuscular disorders.
In the human body, creatine is broken down to creatinine, before taking
the exit route which eliminates the acid through the kidneys. Creatine
also acts as a means of diagnosis as doctors and health facilities
determine kidney functioning by routinely measuring blood creatinine.
As an e.g. renal failure is indicated by high creatinine serum levels.
Leaving out the cases of creatine abuse, studies have shown that
short-term creatine supplementation in healthy individuals, increasing
the activity of myogenic cells, is actually quite safe. Yet, there is
still a debate over the incidence of muscle cramping which may result
as a side-effect of creatine use. Moreover, scientific research has
also revealed that creatine supplementation increases both total and
fat-free body mass.
Following the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, creatine received great mass
media attention when it was discovered that a number of the athletes
had used it as a supplement. The Times in August of that same year
reported that the 100 meters gold medal, Linford Christie, had utilized
it as a dietary supplement prior to the Olympics, while an article
appearing in Bodybuilding Monthly labeled the 400-meter hurdle gold
medalist’s victory as a product of creatine use. It was further brought
to public attention that quite a few medal-winning British rowers had
used creatine while preparing for the Barcelona games.
This media attention, which generated in 1992, is still in full-swing,
what with the controversy surrounding the usage and banning of creatine
as a supplement, and the worldwide attention the debate has awakened. |