Creatine under the microscope: synthesis, benefits, dosage and side effects

Creatine monohydrate is undoubtedly one of the most popular supplements in strength sports. It is appreciated not only by bodybuilders, for whom it can provide energy during training even in demanding diets, but also by top powerlifters demanding maximum performance or "ordinary" recreational exercisers.

But have you ever wondered how creatine actually works, what are its most important benefits and what all it actually affects our body? To bring you the most important information about creatine, we bring you today's article.

Creatine can be created by the body itself

Although this information is not very well known, it is absolutely necessary for the continuation of this article. At the very beginning of this rather complex process are two amino acids - glycine and arginine. Through the action of an enzyme called AGAT (Arginine-Glycine Amidinotransferase), these two amino acids are made into ornithine and guanidoacetate. The latter, through the action of other enzymes, accepts the methyl group and at the end of this process stands S-Adenosylhomocysteine and creatine.

But the natural synthesis of creatine in the body has a minor deficiency. Our body uses up a lot of creatine in order to make it. some research up to 50% of all the methyl groups available to it. Also, when creatine is supplemented, the production of its own precursors for creatine formation is suppressed and thus the body "saves" (if you can call it that) methyl groups that it can use for other vital processes that require methylation. Examples of such processes are the synthesis of nucleic acids (RNA and DNA), adrenaline and noradrenaline.

How does creatine work?

To understand how creatine works in the body in general, it is necessary to define a few basic terms. The first, and most important, is ATP (adenosine triphosphate), which is the source of energy for the working muscle. The three phosphates contained in this compound are linked together by what is called The two phosphates are linked by macroergic phosphate bonds which, when broken down by water, release a large amount of energy and ATP becomes ADP (adenosine diphosphate). Once this energy source is depleted during intense training, phosphorylated creatine comes next, from which the phosphate group binds to ADP and ATP is formed again.

The benefits of this supplement are actually proven by scientific studies

With the previous paragraph, we are already slowly but surely getting to the main benefits of creatine supplementation that absolutely everyone can benefit from. Among the most important ones are:

1. It can prevent hepatic steatosis

The liver is an organ that has the ability to accumulate (store) certain substances, including fats. This occurs with excessive overeating, excess heavy metals in the body, but surprisingly also with such anorexia. A scientific study conducted however, has shown in the bodies of rats ingesting increased amounts of fat along with creatine a reduction in the risk of lipid deposition in the liver. While there are no studies yet that have achieved similar results in humans, this fact is certainly worth noting.

2. Increases strength

It is the increase in strength that is one of the most attractive benefits why athletes reach for this supplement. Although dozens and hundreds of scientific studies have been conducted focusing on this topic, there is no point in citing more of them here as they are very easy to trace.

For example, in the following research two groups of athletes were compared. The first one took only a protein and carbohydrate drink, the second one also took creatine. As you can see in the results, the creatine supplemented group performed better when trying to improve the one rep max for that exercise.

3. Reduces the rate of muscle damage

Hand in hand with better recovery per se goes a reduction in the rate of muscle damage. This has again been demonstrated by one of the scientific researchthat examined creatine supplementation in athletes participating in popular and extreme competition Iron Man.

A group of 4 athletes were exposed to 20g of creatine supplementation per day for 5 days before the race, the other group received 50g of maltodextrin. The group taking creatine showed a decrease in creatine kinase, lactate, oxaloacetate and other significant factors affecting muscle fatigue.

4. Other benefits of creatine in points

• In vegetarians, it has improved both short- and long-term memory (study)
• Sprinters who took creatine performed better (study)
• Creatine supplementation can prevent excess DNA oxidation that occurs due to oxidative stress (study)

How and when to dose creatine?

When it comes to creatine dosing, we have written on this topic as well a separate detailed article, so if you are interested in this issue in detail, it will definitely help you. Generally speaking, however, there are two basic ways in which creatine can be taken.

Dosing without a saturation phase

The first way of taking creatine is not really anything specialIt involves the constant use of 5g of this supplement per day. Given the effects of creatine described above, it is logical that it is best to take this dose before training.

Dosage with saturation phase

The second option is to take creatine with a saturation phase. In this case, for the first week you take 25g of creatine divided into five daily dosesThe next weeks you reduce the dose to 5-10g and take it once/twice a day. But for a more detailed description, see the dosing article mentioned above.

What to mix creatine with?

We have also written a separate article on how to mix creatine with what is good to mix creatine with for maximum effect. From my experience so far, the best combination is with lukewarm water, which is recommended by many foreign websites.

Most of the time it is recommended to combine creatine with juice, for example.the effect on insulin secretion will improve the incorporation of creatine into the muscles, but this has its own negatives. One of them is, for example, the poorer digestion of the carbohydrates contained in the juice, because salivary amylase does not work to break them down, and you're also taking in an unnecessarily large amount of sugar at five times a day.

A supplement shrouded in many myths about side effects

When I did an article some time ago about The 7 most common myths about creatine, I realized that there are really dozens of different myths about what all taking creatine supposedly causes. And that's why in this article I'd like to set the record straight on these side effect fallacies.

1. Does it cause cramps?

It doesn't. And how could it? A cramp is usually caused either by inadequate blood supply to the muscle or by a build-up of waste products. And creatine neither restricts blood flow through the muscle nor does it restrict waste removal. Again, for added credibility, we can also mention the scientific studythat found no difference in the incidence of cramping between athletes taking creatine and athletes not taking it.

2. Does it damage the kidneys?

It doesn't. Again, there are countless scientific studies that have addressed this issue. And always without any results showing liver or kidney damage. V the first one tested urine samples from athletes (both male and female) who had taken creatine for a period of time (10 monthsto 5 years) and no elevated creatinine or albumin levels were found. This suggests that creatine does not damage either the kidneys or the liver.

The second study looked at American football players who took 14g of creatine a day for 3 years. As in the previous study, no negative effect on the liver or kidneys was observed in any of them.

3. Are revolutionary forms better?

Along with the growing popularity of creatine, various "revolutionary" forms have of course started to appear, for example due to a differentpH, they pass better through the digestive tract and the absorption is much better than the "backward and outdated" monohydrate. However, in reality scientific research have again shown that there is no significant difference between these forms. At least in terms of usability. In terms of price, of course, you will pay extra for the "improved" forms.

So which creatine to choose?

From my experience so far , I can only recommend creatine monohydrate. This is because it is the most effective, proven and cheapest form of creatine you can find on the market. But under all conditions, it should be 100% creatine that contains no unnecessary additives, dyes, preservatives, or anything like that. If you don't know what creatine to choose, I can definitely recommend our ranking of the best creatinesthat will definitely help you choose the perfect supplement.

TIP: A selection of the best creatines on the market 2025!

Well, that's it from us for this (perhaps a little more comprehensive) article in our supplements under the microscope series. If you have any questions or just need some help with your selection, definitely feel free to ask in the comments and we'll be happy to answer.

Previous installments:

• Citrulline under the microscope.
• Joint nutrition under the microscope: benefits, dosage and personal experience
• Glutamine under the microscope: proper dosage, effects and our experience
• BCAAs under the microscope: Benefits, proper dosage and side effects
• Whey Protein Under the Spotlight: Manufacturing processes, protein breakdown and benefits
• Pre-workouts under the microscope: Uses, active ingredients and negative effects
• Omega 3 under the microscope: Proper dosage and healthbenefits
• Magnesium under the microscope: Benefits, dosage and its best forms
• Vitamin D3: Benefits, proper dosage and best form
• EAAs under the microscope: proper dosage, effects and supplement reviews

Everything you need to know about creatine (video):