The advantages of creatine for
The advantages of creatine forTHE ADVANTAGES OF CREATINE FOR ENHANCING
ATHLETIC PREFORMANCE.
OUTLINE
I. General information of Creatine
A. The Discovery of Creatine
1. French scientist named Chevreul (1832)
2. Creatine the Greek word for flesh
B. Compound naturally made in our bodies
1. "Methylguanido-acid"
2. three amino acids
a. Argntine, methioine, and glycogen
II. how Creatine works
A. where Creatine is located
1. located in the kidneys
2. Creatine is converted into "phosphocreatine"
B. how ATP and ADP connect with Creatine
1. Creatine recycles ADP to make ATP
2. last 10 to 15 seconds
III. prove that Creatine helps in enhancing athletic performance
A. daily amount of Creatine per person
1. 2 grams on average
2. Creatine deficiency-not creating enough Creatine on your own
B. How do dietaries supplements Creatine work?
1. three theories
a. adding more Creatine to your diet will give you better results
i. having the adequate amount of Creatine
ii. having the optimal amount of Creatine
b. having a mutating effect
i. enlarging cells
ii. drug like effect
aa. muscle metabolism
bb. performance
c. making up for the deficiency- replenishing the body with Creatine
IV. use of Creatine by athletes A. Rumors of Creatine uses (1970's)
1. USSR
2. Bulgaria
B. First documented use of Creatine
1. 1992 Olympics in Barcelona
a. British athletes (track/field)
i. Linford Christie
ii. Sally Gunnele
iii. Colin Jackson
C. U.S. athletes began using Creatine
1. � of major league baseball
2. � of professional hockey and basketball
3. 50% of NFL players take Creatine
V. scientific studies on Creatine
A. first study ever on Creatine
1. Bodybuilding effects (1926)
a. Indicated Creatine promoted weight gain
b. Muscle growth
B. article publication in 1981
1. patients suffering from Gyrate Atrophy
2. patients supplemented with Creatine
3. the results with the use of Creatine
a. improved their body weight
b. increased their bodyweight by 10%
C. article publication in 1993
1. demonstrated Creatine increased body mass
2. improved performance in high-intensity workouts
VI. more facts that Creatine
A. Creatine has been proven to work in the real world
B. goals of bodybuilders and most athletes
1. force muscle growth
a. by increasing force of contraction
b. by increasing time muscle is under tension
c. by increasing frequency of exercise
2. Creatine helps in all 3 ways
a. helps build mass to increase force of contraction
b. provides energy to increase tension time
c. speeds recovery to increase frequency of exercise
C. my personal benefits
If, about 5 years ago, you were to tell an athlete there was a supplement (not a anabolic steroids or other bodybuilding drug) that would help bodybuilders and athletes pack on as much as 10 rock-hard pounds of muscular bodyweight (which could lead to better performance for athletes) in less then 2 weeks; increase their bench press by 25 lbs. (which also would help in enhancing performance) in a mere 10 days; "get a pump like you were loaded on Dianabol"(Phillips 48) (a pump that last for hours and hours which helps in muscle development); and, all the while, help you run faster, jump higher, recover from exercise more quickly, they would probably tell you to get lost. Well all these facts and more have now been proven to be effective on athletes, "Creatine is the safest, most effective supplement out on the market today."(48) Most importantly the effect it has on athletes in today's standards on enhancing athletic performance.
In 1832, a French scientist named Chevreul, identified a naturally occurring organic compound in meat and than was later found to be manufactured by the liver, kidneys and pancreas using three amino acids. The scientist named the compound Creatine after the Greek word for flesh.
Creatine is a compound that is naturally made in our bodies to supply energy to our muscles. Chemically, it is called Methylguanido-acid. Creatine is formed from the three amino acids argentine, methionine, and glycogen that goes through a chemical process that is not worth explaining.
Creatine is manufactured in the liver and may be produced in the pancreas and kidneys. It is transported through the blood and taken up by muscle cell, where it is converted into Creatine phosphate; also called phosphocreatine. This reaction involves the enzyme Creatine kinase that helps bond Creatine to a high-energy phosphate group.
Once Creatine is bound to a phosphate group, it is permanently stored in a cell as phosphocreatine until it is used to produce chemical energy called adenosine trihosphate (ATP). When this takes place, Creatine can be convert ADP back to ATP. When muscles are used to lift weight, run or perform any type of work the ATP is broken down to ADP (adenosine diphoshate) and energy is released. The amount of ATP stored in the muscles will only fuel a maximum effort such as lifting a weight for 10 to 15 seconds. After that, the muscle must rely on Creatine Phosphate to restock its supply of ATP. Increasing the muscles supply of Creatine phosphate helps increase the rate in which the body can supply ATP. This increases the muscle capacity to do work and improves the energy level of the muscles.
Typically, the average person metabolizes about two grams of Creatine per day, and the body normally synthesizes that same amount; thus, you generally maintain a Creatine balance, (Bamberger 59) but "it is not uncommon for an athlete to have what is called Creatine deficiency."(Phillips 15) which is not being able to create enough Creatine on your own. In these cases through a more balanced diet or by supplementing Creatine in their diet they regain the balance. This leads to a point that proves in one way how Creatine has an advantage on enhancing athlete's performance. You see there are three theories today that all answer the questions "How do dietary supplements work?"(13) The first theory is… when you have an adequate amount of a substance that your body needs. Take Creatine for example, "a human body normally only needs two grams a day."(What is the deal) That is the adequate amount or the minimum your body needs to stay healthy, but lets say you stored five grams of Creatine, which is the maximum your muscles could hold to give you a more optimal amount. The reason why an athlete would need more Creatine is that daily exercise on an athlete; it makes him consume more body resources than the average person. So, adding more Creatine to your diet would give you better results. The second theory states that "not all but most supplements have a mutating effect."(Phillips 15) 1. "By volumizing your cells to hold more resources then normal."(15) 2. "Create a drug like effect on cellular processes."(15) With this scenario, the dietary supplement can exert a positive effect on muscle metabolism and/or performance. The third theory and most important relating to my paper states that a supplement might help you build muscle, enhance athlete performance and improve your health by simply making up for the deficiency. This has basically been what most dietitians, nutritionists, doctors, etc. have viewed supplements as-a means of protecting your body against vitamin and mineral deficiencies and so on. Supplements have been widely used for decades as a means of preventing serious, even fatal diseases, which are caused by nutrient deficiencies. Thus, proving my topic by adding more Creatine to the bodies of an athlete can enhance performance by replenishing the body with the most needed resources.
It is rumored that athletes in the former USSR and Bulgaria may have been using Creatine to enhance athletic performance since the early 1970's. While this may be true, the documented use of Creatine supplementation by athletes was with British track and field competitors who competed in the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. Creatine was given credit for powering several of the British athletes who won gold medals. The London Times reported (August 7, 1992) that Linford Christie, the 100meter gold medallist, supplemented with Creatine before the 1992 Olympics, and a European magazine called Bodybuilding Monthly reported that Sally Gunnele, the 400 meter gold medallist, also used Creatine. The London Times also reported that Colin Jackson, the champion British 110-meter hurdler, used Creatine before the Olympics. (Bamberger 61)
Shortly thereafter, U.S. champion athletes began using Creatine. Since then, scientists have elucidated more secrets on how to best utilize Creatine for optimal benefit. Now, champion athletes and bodybuilders around the world swear by Creatine's effects.
Now in the 90's Creatine has major use in all sport categories,
"At least one quarter of all major leaguers now use the substance. That number is at least as high in professional hockey and basketball, and perhaps 50% of NFL Players take Creatine. Among Olympic Sprinters, cyclists and weightlifters, those who do not use Creatine are harder to find than those who do. Bodybuilders live on the stuff. Boxers, too. Innumerable ordinary weekend athletes use it. It's everywhere." (Bamberger 62)
The first scientific study that I could find which indicated Creatine may have "bodybuilding effects" was published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry 67 (1926): 29-41. That's right-over 70 years ago, researchers already had some indication that Creatine promoted weight gain and improved nitrogen balance, which is often associated with muscle growth.
In 1981, an article published in the New England Journal of Medicine by Dr. l. Sipila. Reported that supplementation with Creatine in a group of patients suffering from a condition called Gyrate Atrophy (a genetic ailment of the eyes caused by a metabolic inability to efficiently metabolize ornithine and synthesize Creatine). Improved the test subject's strength, increased their bodyweight by ten percent, and partially reversed the Type II muscle fiber atrophy associated with this disease.(Silila 867) One athlete in this group of test subjects improved his best time in the 100-meter sprint by two seconds.
In 1993, a study peer reviewed and published in Scandinavian Journal of Medicine, Science and sports (Balsom 143) demonstrated that Creatine supplementation could significantly increase body mass (in only one week) and that it was responsible for improved performance in high-intensity intermittent exercise.
Over the past 4 years, at least 20 separate university studies have demonstrated that Creatine monohydrate supplementation increases athletic performance; strength; recuperation; speed in the 100-, 200-, and 400-meter sprints. A lot of factual, scientifically proven data shows Creatine monohydrate works. It produces fast and significant results even in the most rigorous trials. (Casey 31)
The goal of the bodybuilder and most athletes is to use progressive resistance exercise to force the muscles to adapt and grow in size and strength. This increased workload or progressive resistance can be achieved in several ways: by increasing the force of contraction through increased resistance such as when lifting a heavier weight, by increasing the duration of time that the muscle is under tension or contracted, and by increasing the frequency of exercise.
Creatine helps in all three ways: it helps build lean body mass which allows still greater force to be used; provides energy so the duration of exercise or work can be lengthened; and speeds recovery, so exercise frequency can be increased. I have also personally benefited from the use of Creatine. I have benefited from all of the above, but have also gained more personal respect and confidence for myself from the results I have accomplished with the use of Creatine.
ABSTRACT
Creatine is a compound that is naturally made in our bodies to supply energy to our muscles.
It is transported through the blood and taken up by the muscle cells, where it is converted into Creatine phosphate; also called "phosphocreatine." This reaction involves the enzyme Creatine kinase that helps bond Creatine to a high-energy phosphate group. Increasing the muscles supply of Creatine phosphate helps increase the rate in which the body can supply ATP.
Creatine was given credit for powering several of the British athletes who won gold medals. Shortly thereafter, U.S. champion athletes began using Creatine. Now champion athletes and bodybuilders around the world swear by Creatine's effects.
WORK CITED
Balsom, P. "Creatine Supplementation and Dynamic High-IntensitIntermittent Exercise." Scandinavian Journal of Medicine, Science and sports 3 (1993): 143-149.
Bamberger, Michael. "The Magic Potion." Sports Illustrated 4 (1998): 58-61.
Carlson, Mike. "Creatine Safety Record." Men's Fitness 10 (1999): 40-42.
Carson, Mike. "The Creatine Carb Connection" Men's fitness 10 (1999): 43-44.
Casey, A. "Creatine Supplementation Favurably Affects Performance and Muscle Metabolism During Maximal Intensity Exercise in Human." American journal of Physiology 271 (1996): 31-37.
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Gutfeld,G. "Stir Up some Muscle: Creatine Supplements." Men's Health 12 (1997): 90-95.
McDonald, Katrin. "Decode Your Diet" Men's Health 14 (1999): 76.
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Address. http://www.powersupplement.com/creatine.htm
Sandorfi, C. "Garden: Variety Muscle." Muscle Fitness 18 (1999): 73-75.
Silila, I. "Supplementary Creatine as a Treatment for Gyrate Atrophy of the Choroid and Retina." New England journal of Medicine 304 (1981): 867-870.