Creatine?

[Al]

i find taking supplements in general wheather they be steroids, portein, creatine ect is giving up and saying your body is not good enough, the only supplements i rock is a multi vitamin (strong formula) and some fish oil fer good fats and brain function.....not that much is going on up there anyways

Agree to a certain point, but can't swallow the comparison between steroids and protein or creatine. You're right that the underlying message that supplement companies push is that "You can't do it alone, you need to take our XYZ supplement" when in reality a healthy balanced diet is all you need. Personally I like the convenience of a protein shake when I can't stomach a lunch, and have found that fish oils help my joints. Steroids? No thanks, that's a different story all together.

[BrandontheCanadian]

i totally agree, and i also dont think there similar i was just grouping them in there as a supplement

[Cookie]

Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine
Issue: Volume 19(5), September 2009, pg. 399-404

Three Weeks of Creatine Monohydrate Supplementation Affects Dihydrotestosterone to Testosterone Ratio in College-Aged Rugby Players

Abstract

Objective: This study investigated resting concentrations of selected androgens after 3 weeks of creatine supplementation in male rugby players. It was hypothesized that the ratio of dihydrotestosterone (DHT, a biologically more active androgen) to testosterone (T) would change with creatine supplementation.

Design: Double-blind placebo-controlled crossover study with a 6-week washout period.

Setting: Rugby Institute in South Africa.

Participants: College-aged rugby players (n = 20) volunteered for the study, which took place during the competitive season.

Interventions: Subjects loaded with creatine (25 g/day creatine with 25 g/day glucose) or placebo (50 g/day glucose) for 7 days followed by 14 days of maintenance (5 g/day creatine with 25 g/day glucose or 30 g/day glucose placebo).

Main Outcome Measures: Serum T and DHT were measured and ratio calculated at baseline and after 7 days and 21 days of creatine supplementation (or placebo). Body composition measurements were taken at each time point.

Results: After 7 days of creatine loading, or a further 14 days of creatine maintenance dose, serum T levels did not change. However, levels of DHT increased by 56% after 7 days of creatine loading and remained 40% above baseline after 14 days maintenance (P < 0.001). The ratio of DHT:T also increased by 36% after 7 days creatine supplementation and remained elevated by 22% after the maintenance dose (P < 0.01).

Conclusions: Creatine supplementation may, in part, act through an increased rate of conversion of T to DHT. Further investigation is warranted as a result of the high frequency of individuals using creatine supplementation and the long-term safety of alterations in circulating androgen composition.

Statement of Clinical Relevance: Although creatine is a widely used ergogenic aid, the mechanisms of action are incompletely understood, particularly in relation to dihydrotestosterone, and therefore the long-term clinical safety cannot be guaranteed.

[derkaiser1989]

I've taken alot of this creatine from lots of diffrent companys and I honestly think its all in peoples head. As long as you have a healthy diet that will be enough. Save the money for something else

[Cookie]

I've taken alot of this creatine from lots of diffrent companys and I honestly think its all in peoples head. As long as you have a healthy diet that will be enough. Save the money for something else

Best creatine I ever tried was the original batch that was released in around 1990 by Tropicana, strength & muscle hardness quite evident with a few days of loading.

[samurai69]

I've taken alot of this creatine from lots of diffrent companys and I honestly think its all in peoples head. As long as you have a healthy diet that will be enough. Save the money for something else

Best creatine I ever tried was the original batch that was released in around 1990 by Tropicana, strength & muscle hardness quite evident with a few days of loading.

now you mention it,,,,,,that was deffo one of the best


there was one other, but i cant remember who it was from...........but that was good......deffinately saw strength gains

[Cookie]

Been messing around with some pre workout samples recently (way too strong to be of any use TBH) & yesterday had a panic when felt a twinge in calve whilst getting off bus, honest thought I had had another calf strain

Long story short, had noticed calves getting tighter again this past 5-7 days then it struck me, it had all happened during the time I had been messing with the samples which all had these new creatine mixes in them which I am now 100% convinced have a much more profound effect on muscle hydration levels than did regular creatine monohydrate.

[samurai69]

i think all creatines have a pronounced effect on hydration

i used to get serious cramps on creatine even with added load of water

[Cookie]

i think all creatines have a pronounced effect on hydration

i used to get serious cramps on creatine even with added load of water

Notorious for causing localised dehydration, things got that bad (IIRC) that the governing body of UK athletics wanted to ban the stuff years ago because of the amount of athletes getting hamstring injuries.

[Cookie]

http://www.jissn.com/content/4/1/6

[Melas Zomos]

amount of athletes getting hamstring injuries.

yeah, count me among that group...not once but twice. Hey, at least it was not three times
Not sure if the quality (chinese vs german) had anything to do with it?


Are you supplementing with it now?

[samurai69]

Best creatine I ever tried was the original batch that was released in around 1990 by Tropicana, strength & muscle hardness quite evident with a few days of loading

cant remember if it was tropicana, maybe twinlabs one from around that time but that first batch in those days was completely different to when i have taken it recently....even when i experimented with the higher doses a few months ago



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