Introduction

Creatine monohydrate is among the most popular, best-researched sports nutrition supplements in the world. So, if you only read about it in your friends at the gym or on some message boards, you may actually have quite a few misconceptions and beliefs about creatine that aren’t actually true.

This article will not present new theories of creatine and how it works but rather debunk some of the myths about the product, accompanied by facts. Through the use of this creatine fiction-to-fact conversion, you can be in a position to determine whether or not the supplement is going to be ideal for your fitness objectives.

Myth #1: Being a Natural Compound, It Does Not Cause Water Retention Like Creatine Monohydrate Does.

This is probably the most common myth about creatine ever to be created in the entire world of weight training. Some of the things they think that most creatine supplements do are simply bring in water into the muscles, which can, at times, make one look — swollen. Some people believe that any increase in strength or size that one experiences from the use of creatine is a result of water retention or cell swelling.

The Facts: One of creatine’s functions is to transport water into muscle cells or raise cell swelling or volumization, and this elevates strength and performance. Further, the studies prove creativity enhances lean body mass without simply causing the cells to swell or retain water. These changes have little to do with creatine’s performance enhancements in the gym and are negligible in comparison to any slight alteration in water balance and texture.

Myth #2: Creatine Damages the Kidneys

Creatine usage is also a topic that has been surrounded by a number of myths, including the fact that creatine use is bad for your kidneys or liver and that its chronic use will be toxic to your body. Occasionally, the public is concerned that the effort of filtering this supplement for several months or years may be detrimental to their health. However, there is still a lot of hype that hardly has any solid proof to support it.

The Facts: Creatine has been reported to be safe in a compound clinical study and in healthy individuals without kidney disease. Even in one study where subjects were given creatine supplements, researchers were able to administer them for as long as 5 years with no side effects. However, the truth is that creatine is as safe as it gets, and it has enjoyed one of the most documented and well-supported records of any supplement out there over several decades. If kidney disease does not run in your family, it does not necessarily mean that you can't be affected.

Myth #3: Creatine Only Enhances the Energy of the Sportsmen.

It has been stereotyped that creatine is acceptable to power-based athletes, such as those required in sprints, weight lifters, footballers, and wrestlers. The myth is that endurance athletes can not supplement with creatine due to the fact that the substance may slow them down.

The Facts: Surprisingly, creatine does seem to be effective for athletes who engage in power and strength exercises, but even endurance athletes can reap the benefits. In one meta-analysis performed for the identification of the impact of creatine supplementation on performance in runners, it was discovered that supplementing creatine with sprint training enhances performance. The fact is that creatine is effective in any sport since it can contribute to higher increases in strength, higher values of the capacity to perform repetitive high-intensity tasks, lower fatigue levels, and better workout recovery.

Myth #4: Creatine Leads to Hair Loss or Reasons for Hair Loss

There are those, especially body-builders, who completely steer clear of creatine since they have heard that it contributes to early balding or even the balding process associated with the genetic condition of male-pattern baldness. If you are experiencing hair loss after you begin to supplement your diet with creatine, it is all too simple to draw this conclusion.

The Facts: Up to the present, there is no concrete research evidence that people using creatine suffer from fast hair loss or even baldness. The only study that I came across that seems to corroborate the idea is a very small sample study indicating that creatine increases DHT level – a hormone associated with baldness – but the results were not statistically significant. But it is far from settled. So don’t worry too much about creatine damaging your hair because, in fact, it doesn’t if you’re not suffering from a certain type of hereditary hair loss in men.

The Bottom Line

Consequently, let us hope that this knowledge of the common myths regarding creatine, supported by scientific data, can help resolve some of the misunderstandings regarding this popular supplement. As you can observe, creatine shows no side effects in most individuals and has greater strength, power, and muscle building. A slight water weight may be gained in the earlier phase, but true lean tissue gains will be realized if one is training hard. It is for this reason that one cannot afford to be discouraged by the fiction and hearsay surrounding creatine. The research done shows that the research is positive in a near-unanimous fashion. To get the best quality creatine, visit Genetic Nutrition.

 

FAQs

1. Is creatine toxic to the liver?

Yet, no studies indicate that creatine is toxic to a healthy liver. It must not be taken by a patient with liver issues without consulting a doctor first. However, for the general population of athletes using creatine, it is well understood that it is quite liver-friendly with minimal side effects.

2. Do you need to worry that when you stop taking creatine, you will be back where you started and not gain any more strength?

Do not think that when you stop taking creatine, you will lose all your performance and muscles that you have gained. However, these benefits may be reduced over several weeks to come depending on the particular product advertised. Cycling on and off creatine is to ensure it works optimally. Cycling on and off creatine is usual to make it most effective.

3. Does creatine have a negative effect if one takes it before the cardio session?

On the contrary, some studies reported that creatine improved interval running performance and the period it took to reclaim normal energy expenditure. It also increases the capacity of high-intensity cardio and recovery from the session. So, if you wish, consume your creatine before HIIT or cardio classes but not during intense resistance training.

4. Have some organizations banned creatine due to misunderstandings about this supplement?

No. Such big athletic bodies as the NCAA and the International Olympic Committee no longer frown on the use of creatine. They removed creatine from the list of banned substances since it has been proven to be safe and is mostly used by athletes.

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