Pros and Cons of Creatine – Essay Tips

Whenever our body meets with an excessive workout, cycling or running our body needs sufficient amount of fuel. Proper nutrition with good hydration keeps our muscles working properly and we remain energetic throughout the day. If our body does not get enough nutrients, it can sabotage our health.

What is Creatine?

Creatine is a natural compound that is produced in the body from amino acids also known as the building blocks of protein. It is also known as performance-enhancing, that helps the muscle to stay strong. That is why it is the most common term among athletes. It can be consumed naturally from animal meat such as beef and fish.

However, nothing can be 100% efficient that is why we have assembled the pros and cons of Creatine to untangle all your queries!

Pros of Creatine:

1. Increases muscle size and strength
2. Improves brain functions
3. Fight for muscle loss in adults
4. Maintains a healthy level of sugar
5. Boost up energy during high training

Increases Muscle Size and Strength

Creatine supplements provide extra fuel to muscle expanding the time for the workout. The extra energy that is given by creatine increases the muscle size, power and strength. It also helps in muscle recovery and reduces fatigue. Creatine supplements increase the energy level by 5-15%.

This is highly effective for combat sports, powerlifting, bodybuilding, football, soccer, hockey etc. Even if you are hurt or have an injury, creatine supplements help to improve the ability for muscle making them capable of fighting against bruises and pain. 

Improves Brain Functions

Usage of creatine has shown great results for our brain as well. Creatine supplements increase the level in the brain by 5-15%. It takes place due to the rapid increase in oxygen delivery and energy to the brain. According to a study, it was found that taking 5 to 20 grams of supplements for 5 days to 6 weeks helps in increasing intelligence and short-term memory loss. Moreover, the increase in energy metabolism encourages the regeneration of brain cells which reduces the risk of neurodegenerative diseases.

Fight for the Muscle Loss in Adults

Sarcopenia is a kind of process in which muscles loss their strength due to ageing. 5-13% people of the community ageing above 60 years face this issue. It increases health risk, poor life and death risk. However, this supplement works for adults to have more energy as well as it increases muscles mass. In a test, the adults took these supplements for 2-3 weeks and there was a noticeable change in their weight and they had more lean muscle.

Maintains Healthy Level of Sugar

Diabetes is really common nowadays and not only in adults, but youngsters have been attacked by this disease. Studies have shown that creatine helps to get rid of high blood sugar level. People, who take creatine supplements daily, experience increase in a protein that transports glucose in the cells, and improves glycemic control.

Boost up Energy During High Training

We often feel tired and lethargic after a few minutes of workout. According to researches, taking high-intensity creatine supplements improve performance during exercise and workouts. It increases the production phosphocreatine in the body which plays a vital role in an essential element in energy production. This is the main reason that creatine supplements are most common in athletes.

Cons of Creatine

1. Can cause diarrhea
2. May cause abdominal bloating
3. Users may experience irregular heartbeats
4. Main reason of kidney diseases
5. Testicular cancer

Can Cause Diarrhea

Creatine sometimes stays in the body and is unable to digest. Many people experienced diarrhoea while they took 10 grams dose in a day. Creatine supplements draw water from our body which is soaked by muscle tissue. When creatine sits in our body, the water is accumulated by our intestine. This continuous water flux disturbs the digestion process in our body and causes diarrhoea.

May Cause Abdominal Bloating

As we know, our body sometimes takes time to adjust the doses of medicine. During the initial stages of taking supplements, many users experienced abdominal bloating. In the loading phase, our body increases in water absorption and muscles mass which results in bloating. During the loading phase, people consider 20-25 grams of supplements but after that phase, the intake is 3-5 grams.

Users May Experience Irregular Heartbeats

The irregular pattern of heartbeat is also known as arrhythmia. Very few numbers of users experienced irregular heartbeats after the use of creatine supplements. Heart palpitations are not a big issue until and unless you have already any underlying medical condition. This irregular heartbeat results in dehydration and electrolyte imbalance. You may stop the use of supplements if this issue occurs.

Main Reason of Kidney Diseases

Creatine supplements can result in the worst conditions of the kidney if you are already diagnosed with diabetes. People should simply avoid taking creatine. Our kidney naturally makes creatine and if the function is disturbed by giving our body more and creatine, the kidney may misbehave resulting in many kidney diseases. If the level of creatine increases, it is the clear indication that our kidney is suffering and will defiantly welcome many other issues.

Testicular Cancer

Men who take creatine supplements have been mostly diagnosed with testicular cancer. The additional ingredients in creatine like androgenic steroids, cause testicular cancer. The natural creatine act similar to artificial hormones, and some supplements contain impurities which are not labelled on the product box. FDA has also raised concerns over the use of creatine supplements as it increases cancer cells.

Conclusion

Whenever you consider the use of creatine supplements it is prescribed that you seek for your doctor’s advice. Never go for self-medication and make sure that you take the exact amount as advised by the doctor.

Disturbing the dose can be the cause of many diseases and as a result, you will have side effects. It can be a good source of carbohydrate if taken with all the precautions. Overdose cannot be handled by your muscle tissues. Make sure to drink lots of water to avoid the risk of stroke, irregular heartbeat or any other problem.