The 7 most common myths about creatine

Creatine is without a doubt one of the most effective and most researched supplements of the entire fitness industrymind, so it is no wonder that everything possible and impossible has been written about its effects. But as the number of "expert" articles continues to grow, the number ofmyths that have become entrenched over time and are perceived as dogma by most of us.

In today's article we will therefore present the seven most common myths about creatine.

1. Creatine is bad for the liver and kidneys

I often wonder how many exercisers live under the assumption that creatine can pose some risk to their organs. But the truth is that creatine has no effect on the liver, kidneys, heart, nor does it affect bodily functions in any negative way.

V the following study 23 American football players were studied taking 14g of creatine per day for 3 years and no deleterious effect on the liver or kidneys was observed in any of the subjects. Organ problems may occur only in very rare cases in subjects susceptible to liver or kidney disease.

2. Creatine can be obtained from the normal diet

Of course, creatine can also be obtained from a normal diet. Its most important source is meat, which is the main reason why it has been vegetarians have been measured to have significantly lower creatine levels than meat eaters. To give you an idea , you can get 5g of creatine from 1.5kg of chicken, which is completely unrealistic for most exercisers.

Not to mention that eating that much meat already carries health risks. To achieve maximum results, it is a good idea to include creatine as a separate supplement in your training plan.

3. Saturation phase is important

Another common myth is that without a saturation phase, creatine won't work at all. In fact, many scientific studiesthat have shown that as little as 3g of creatine per day has the same effects on the body as higher doses.

So as we mentioned in our article oncreatine dosage, for maximum effect you will be happy with 5g of creatine per day for 2-4 months.

4. Creatine must be taken with juice

The myth that creatine should be taken with juice was popular especially a few years ago. However, the problem is that juices are mostly made up of fructose, which doesn't affect insulin secretion in the way that we need to incorporate creatine into muscle.

Another problem is that taking creatine with juice five times a day canyou can get into a caloric surplus which will lead to gaining unnecessary fat and waterlogging.

5. Creatine causes water retention and weight gain

Many exercisers' fantasies of gaining a few kilos of water and looking bloated after creatine are highly unrealistic. If we talk about other forms of creatine, these don't dehydrate at all, which is why they are very popular in terms of marketing.

However, even in the case of classic monohydrate, you don't have to be tooof water in your muscles if you stick strictly to your diet. The problem is, for example, that simple sugars hold more water in the body, soso if you take 30g of carbohydrates with each dose of creatine, you may end up with water retention.

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6. No matter which form of creatine I choose

Many people think that the form of creatine doesn't matter at all. When we focus on strength athletes, the most effective and best choice is creatine monohydrate, which has filled our ranking of the best creatines. It's been done a lot of professional research testing the other forms, but none of them have shown that, for example.For example, the higher pH forms of creatine have better usability than classic monohydrate.

If you are interested in the view of professional strength athlete Jirka Tkadlcik on creatine and the usability of different forms, do not hesitate to watch the following video:

7. Cycling creatine will improve results

The fact that cycling creatine will not improve your results is referenced by many internetHowever, there is a lack of credible scientific evidence on this topic.

On the other hand, it must be said that there is no reason to take creatine continuously for several years. There are other myths about the body stopping its own production by constant use of creatine, but even this has not been confirmed by relevant studies. Therefore, from my own experience, I would recommend everyone to cycle creatine. Not to improve results, but to avoid the potential risks that constant use of creatine may or may not entail.

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These seven myths about creatine are the most widespread, so we thought it would be a good idea to write an article about them. We draw not only from scientific studies, but also from our personal experience, which may differ from time to time with scientific findings. If you have any questions about creatine supplementation, feel free to ask us in the comments, or visit our articles we've dedicated to this supplement.

More interesting articles about creatine:

• What to combine creatine with for maximum effect?
• A test of the best creatine supplements
• When and how much creatine to take?
• How creatine works in the body, its benefits and side effects
• Creatine HCl: A revolutionary form of creatine to replace monohydrate?

Everything you need to know about creatine (video):