What Happens to Your Body On Creatine?

A step-by-step journey inside your body after taking creatine. Learn what happens to your body when you take creatine and find out exactly how to use creatine for muscle growth. Questions like how much creatine you should take, what creatine is best, and what are the side effects of creatine will all be answered in this video.

Creatine is one of the most popular supplements for building muscle and increasing athletic performance. Research shows that “45 to 75% of athletes like powerlifters, boxers, and weightlifters use creatine (1) So what actually happens to your body when you take creatine? Is it safe long term and what kind of effects can you expect both the good and the bad. Well, today we're going to take a journey inside the body to see exactly what happens after creatine is consumed. 

And first, you should know that less than 200 years ago we didn't even know what creatine was. It wasn't until 1832 that it was discovered by a French Scientist (*) that successfully extracted it from beef. It was only then that we started to learn that this molecule is very common and it gets produced by mammals from the amino acids glycine, methionine, and arginine. Specifically, your body primarily produces creatine out of these amino acids in the liver, although it’s also synthesized to a lesser extent in the kidneys and pancreas. Research shows that a 70 kilogram or 155-pound man with an average physique, naturally has about 120 grams of creatine stored in his body without any supplementation. (2) About 90-95% of this creatine is located within his muscle cells, where the creatine can quickly be used to provide benefits for energy production and athletic performance. the other 5 to 10 percent of creatine can be found all over the body in other cells and tissues including the brain. 

While your body creates about one to two grams of creatine per day on its own, you can also get more creatine from food or supplements. Especially red meat and fish score high in creatine because like I said 90 to 95 percent of creatine is found in human muscle and this is also true for animal muscle. One pound of beef or salmon provides about one to two grams of creatine and it's estimated that, on average, most people get about half of their daily creatine intake from animal meats. Since vegetarians and vegans don’t eat meat, they often have lower levels of creatine in their bodies. (2.5) This is because even though your body does create about one to two grams of creatine per day, on average, your body also releases about two grams of creatine per day in the form of creatinine. So, if you don’t eat meat products and you don’t supplement with creatine, you're unlikely to become deficient, but you can end up with lower levels of creatine in your muscles and circulatory system, and that will have a negative effect on your athletic performance. 

On the other hand, if you take in a surplus of creatine through supplementation or food the most significant impact that it'll have after entering your body will be enhanced energy production. You see muscle contractions require energy, which comes from the breakdown of adenosine triphosphate, also known as ATP. The amount of ATP found within a muscle is generally so low that it’s only enough to generate energy for a fraction of a second'. After it generates that energy it breaks down into ADP which can't be used for energy. At this point, your body will use a phosphate molecule to recycle this bi-product Adp, back into Atp so it can be used for energy again. And that’s exactly where creatine comes into play, most people don't know that creatine is actually turned into creatine phosphate inside the body. Creatine phosphate serves as the phosphate donor for the replenishment of ATP. In other words, creatine provides a buffer against muscle fatigue by assisting with the energy production process.

So the steps are first the creatine is ingested either through food or in a supplement form.  The creatine is converted into creatine phosphate and this leads to more creatine phosphate being stored in your muscle tissue. That extra phosphate becomes available for ATP recycling and ultimately leads to muscles being able to produce more energy for longer with less fatigue. It's thanks to this mechanism that creatine is so highly effective at increasing athletic performance and power output. 

In fact, in a large meta-analysis that included 22 studies on creatine (4) researchers found that it was able to significantly increase lifting performance. (6) The results showed that the average increase in weight lifting performance was 14 percent higher in the creatine group than in the placebo group. Other studies on creatine supplementation in relation to athletic performance, also demonstrated impressive results. (7) With short-term creatine supplementation leads to improved maximal power...

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REFERENCES:
1. “45 to 74% of powerlifters, boxers, weightlifters, and track and field athletes reportedly using the supplement”

2. Research indicates that a 70 kg male with an average physique has about 120 grams of creatine stored in their body
2.5. Consuming a LOV diet for 21 days was an effective procedure to decrease muscle creatine

3. “People who cannot produce endogenous creatine suffer from a form of mental retardation with autistic-like symptoms due to deficiencies in the enzymes of creatine synthesis”

4. Let’s look at a review paper by Rawson and Volek, which involving 22 studies on creatine.
“evaluate the effects of creatine supplementation on muscle strength and weightlifting performance when ingested concomitant with resistance training.”
“the average increase in weightlifting performance following creatine supplementation plus resistance training was 14% greater than the average increase in weightlifting performance following placebo ingestion during resistance training (26 vs. 12%).”

5. A review study by Kreider scientist Richard Kreider also looked at the effects of creatine supplementation on athletic performance, and it also saw impressive results.
“short-term creatine supplementation has been reported to improve maximal power/strength (5-15%), work performed during sets of maximal effort muscle contractions (5-15%), single-effort sprint performance (1-5%), and work performed during repetitive sprint performance (5-15%).”

6. Research shows supplementing with creatine can benefit the muscle cross-section area of a variety of individuals, including recreational and elite athletes, sedentary individuals, and the elderly.

7. Healthy males involved in a 6-week strength training regimen found that those who supplemented with creatine gained, on average, 2 kg more muscle mass than those who received a placebo

8. “Alzheimer’s disease Parkinson’s disease Huntington’s disease Ischemic stroke Epilepsy Brain or spinal cord injuries Motor neuron disease Memory and brain function in older adults”

9. “creatine supplementation gave a significant measurable boost to brain power”


10. "ability to remember long numbers improved from a number length of approximately seven digits, to an average of 8.5."


11. Three weeks of creatine supplementation increased levels of dihydrotestosterone (DHT), the primary androgen involved in male pattern baldness.

12. a number of studies have tested creatine’s effects on testosterone. Only two RCTs saw a significant increase in testosterone when supplementing with 20 g of creatine per day over 6 days and 7 days. [But] Ten RCTs have found no effect of creatine on testosterone.”

[jjjames]

This man shared far more about creatine than I was prepared to learn.

[fishman_tony]

I definitely can tell the difference when doing push ups after taking Creatine. I was 135 pounds 2 weeks ago. I'm now 142 pounds after daily push ups and creatine/protein shakes. Literally all it takes is consistency. Don't give up.

[antoinesa]

I think it's important to mention that creatine also increases your blood creatinine levels (a biological marker used by healthcare professionals to assess renal function), since creatine is metabolised into creatinine by your body. So if for any reason you have to do some bloodwork and your clinician worries about your creatinine being high, its normal if you're taking supplements and you should ask for a urine analysis instead in order to properly assess your renal function :)

[Overhemd]

Without exaggeration, this is by far the best science-related video I've ever seen on Youtube, let alone about creatine. Extensive but brief at the same time, nice pacing, nice narration and good visuals, not even to mention the surprisingly in-depth explanation of the theory. 10/10 thank you so much

[iblockpuncheswithmyface]

Supplement companies hate creatine, because it's cheap, and it works.

[silvershelbygt]

There are also studies that suggest taking creatine daily for men over 40 is extremely beneficial in joint health and reducing joint pain, to include reversing arthritis symptoms.

[dariusvalentin]

I CAN NOT BELIEVE THIS! IS THE MOST COMPLETE VIDEO I EVER SEEN UP TO THE IMPORTANT DETAILS ABOUT THE CREATIN/PROCESS /EFFECTS /SIDE EFFECTS! Respect and admiration! ❤ SUBSCRIBED

[MarcPlaysDrums]

Everything this guy is saying I can definitely attest to. I'm 56 and started using creatine as a pre work out and after about a week I noticed fatigue lessened and recovery was significantly faster. Also muscle growth and retention was definitely noticed. So much so that my fellow church members notice my change in physique. But, I slipped, life got busy and I stopped taking creatine(I just didn't have time to buy more) and after about a month I noticed the difference in recovery, muscle retention and even noticed energy and power behind the drum kit.

[harryenglander]

I’m 17, started taking creatine a few months ago. Went to the gym about 4/5 times a week and play football 3 times a week. When I tell you creatine does wonders, about a week after a loading phase not only me, but other people would mention how much wider and bulkier I was looking. Definitely increases self confidence too. For example, I was doing around 40 tricep dips maximum before creatine and after I could hit 70. Could be placebo taking place too but I noticed a physical change for sure. Would 100% recommend to anyone in a similar position to me.

[MegaBlizzard]

All these years and finally a Quality Video educating everyone on all levels!

[MarksTech]

its bonkers how quick creatine works. i just went back to the gym after being lazy for 5 years, and within 2 weeks, my muscles are not only looking more full and round, but my strength is shooting up basically every workout.

[TheJerzeeSure]

Thank you for hitting on the ATP energy cycle. You nailed it perfectly and did in seconds what took me a whole semester in AP Bio to memorize!!

[peterr]

Love this channel. Not just a fitness buff but he breaks down the science and facts step by step so you know exactly what things do to your body. Great!

[seriousilly]

THANK YOU for making great content with good clear information. pleasing visuals and thats straight to the point with no nonsense

[mustafaturk]

As an exercise science major that has not covered this yet in class, thank you for this video very informative

[richardmorriss]

Thank you. Finally an actual explanation and not just a surface level explanation.

[_busybee]

there can't be any video more detailed than this, great work bud.

[historymaker]

When I started taking creatine, in the first 5 days my belly swelled a little, I was always flatulence. But after two weeks the flatulence stopped and my intestines deflated. However, I gained 5 pounds in two weeks in water weight (I do drink a lot of water), but I was still fit. Although it still didn't show, my muscles had swollen and in just two weeks I weighed another 5 pounds! My workouts got better and longer over time.

[riveralvarez]

Your advices have led to the most effective exercises I have ever done (and most excruciating), but results speak for themselves. I did calisthenics and bodyweight exercises mostly, but I have found these extra tips of yours for some types of exercises to be far more effective and satisfying to me personally than any painful occasions before that in the gym. In the process I took a muscle gain plan from NextLevel Diet, and without any additional supplements needed, my muscles started to grow massively over the last two months. Thank you for all the work you have done over the years.