Creatine is the most commonly used sports supplement after protein and has been used since the early 90s to help improve athletic performance. Creatine helps the body produce fuel, namely ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate), which supplies the fuel for cellular functions. ATP depletes rapidly and creatine doesn't increase ATP but it accelerates the rate at which ATP is replaced so you can work out harder and longer.
Creatine is commonly found in meat and fish and is made from three amino acids - Arginine, Glycine and Methionine. Our liver actually combines these three amino acids and make creatine. Two to three pounds of raw meat or fish contains 5 grams of creatine. Heat degrades creatine, so unless you like eating sushi or sashimi, you're not getting a lot of creatine from your diet.
You'll often hear about creatine retaining water or people complaining of bloating and for good reason. Water is stored inside the muscle cell as opposed to subcutaneously (under the skin) which makes people appear puffy. Water in muscle increases hydration in cells which help repair themselves quicker. That means getting one extra rep or going one second faster, a which often makes a big difference in athletic performance.
Despite any controversy that you may have heard regarding kidney failure, muscle cramps and dehydration, creatine is the most commonly researched nutrition supplement. To date, there has been no substantiated evidence confirming any of these side effects.
The most common strategy involves a loading phase where a user will take up to five servings of 5 grams of creatine monohydrate for the first few days, followed by regular maintenance of two servings per day. Loading isn't absolutely necessary and there are newer types of creatine on the market such as Purple-K and Con-Cret that claim no loading required or bloating.
There's no evidence to suggest that you should cycle creatine on and off, however, the general rule of thumb is to take it for two months followed by one month off. If you've been using creatine for a while, you'll know that creatine cycles vary amongst users. Experiment and see what works best for you.
At AstroNutrition, you can find many creatine products from the standard creatine monohydrate, Purple-K (PH buffered with no loading phase), Con-Cret (the new kid on the block and over 50 times stronger than regular creatine).
Chester Ku-Lea is a health nutrition consultant and is the owner of AstroNutrition.com - a provider of premium health nutrition and sports supplements. Check out our blog at AstroNutrition.com/blog. | 
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