I’ve been talking A LOT lately about building and maintaining muscle mass, particularly as we age. We lose 6-10% of muscle mass per decade. I know this percentage is getting thrown around a lot lately, but the fact remains- use it or lose it.
In addition to movement, how else can we support our bodies to build and maintain muscle mass???
CREATINE SUPPLEMENTATION!!!
Creatine alters cellular processes that lead to increased muscle mass& strength 🤩
It may also enhance recovery, reduce the risk of injury and help individuals recover from injuries faster 🤯
Although creatine is a naturally occurring compound found mainly in skeletal muscle cells, when supplemented it is believed to enhance exercise capacity across all age ranges. Benefits have been reported in both men and women (however, the majority of studies have been done on men, surprise surprise). 🙄).
Creatine supplementation can increase muscle creatine by 20–40%.
Side note- Researchers have also concluded that creatine supplementation may be useful to help with acute and chronic neurodegenerative processes & diseases, training in the heat, cognitive processes &possibly even pregnancy.
(For the biochemistry enthusiasts interested in this fascinating & complex biochemical pathway please feel free to read the references linked below).
So, how exactly does creatine work??
The primary metabolic role of creatine is to make energy in the form of ATP- Adenosine Triphosphate.
The body needs to replenish about 1–3g of creatine per day to maintain normal creatine stores. About half of our daily need for creatine is obtained from our diet. (For example, 500g of uncooked beef and salmon provides about 1–2g of creatine).
In a “normal” diet that contains 1–2 g/day of creatine, muscle creatine stores are at about 60–80% saturated.
How can this be bumped up?? By dietary supplementation of creatine!
The most commonly studied form of creatine is creatine monohydrate. It is one of the world’s most tested supplements and has an outstanding safety profile.
In summary-
When you supplement creatine, you increase your stores of cellular creatine which helps your body produce ATP (energy). When you have more ATP, your body can perform better during exercise, grow more muscle, and recover faster (in a nutshell).
I’ve really only just scratched the surface of creatine but I hope this has helped provide some useful information for you! Do I think it’s worth it? Absolutely!
Use code MODERNMOVEMENT for 15% off at APTECH (my faves in the business of supplementation).
I’ve been using creatine for quite some time now and it’s the one supplement I will not give up!
References
Kreider, R., Kalman, D. (2017). Safety and efficacy of creatine supplementation in exercise, sport, and medicine. International Society of Sports Nutrition Click here to read the study
dos Santos, E. E. P., de Araújo, R. C. (2021). Efficacy of Creatine Supplementation Combined with Resistance Training on Muscle Strength and Muscle Mass in Older Females: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Nutrients(Volume 13) Click here to read the study
