Creatine’s Effects on the Body of a Young Athlete

It has been said that Creatine taken by young athletes could be dangerous in the long run. The problem with these accusations is that they can not be proven because there is no long-term research on the supplement. The media has constantly labeled Creatine as a potentially dangerous supplement. Some examples of this media “bashing” are as follows. In December of 98 two wrestlers died of dehydration. Creatine was constantly blamed for the deaths of these two collegiate wrestlers because it had been reported that the two had been Creatine users for most of their wrestling careers. While the case is still under investigation it is also a fact that the two worked out in rubber suits and hadn’t eaten in days to cut weight which could very well of caused their deaths. Other injuries that are being blamed on Creatine include the rash of injuries at this year’s U.S. Open. These questions were opened in the tennis world when the number one player in the world, Pete Sampras was sidelined and seven men’s draw matches ended early.

The reason for all the media hype about the Creatine supplement is the lack of knowledge about it. One fact that nine out of ten people won’t know is that Creatine is in your body even though you have never taken the supplement. Creatine is in everything you eat from meat to chicken to fish. The only thing the supplement does is put magnified amounts into your system. Creatine comes in two forms liquid and powder. The powder form must be mixed with a liquid such as water or juice. The liquid form doesn’t need to be mixed with anything at all and comes in flavors. The most effective of the two in recent studies has the liquid form ahead of the powder.

During the first five days of use you must go through a loading period. The loading period is when you take three or four doses a day with a lot of water. With the liquid form however none of that is necessary because of the fact that it is a liquid the supplement gets to your blood faster. After the loading period is over you only need to take Creatine once a day a half an hour before you work out or lift and drink a lot of water while using it.

Creatine works great while working out or during practice but it has many helpful uses as well as the mentioned two. It can be used for helping out with muscular disease as well as just taking the average person and giving them a little more energy. By putting water into the muscles it could help to stop muscle disease like multiple sclerosis and muscular dystrophy because the water would stop the deterioration of the muscles. For the average person Creatine is good because it puts water into your muscles even if you don’t lift and will lead to the development of muscle from lifting something as simple as a grocery bag. As for working out and going to a sports practice Creatine is very helpful. According to the experts Creatine gives you the ability to work out longer and harder. One group of people that many find surprising that can be helped by Creatine is Vegetarians. Creatine is very useful for Vegetarians because Creatine is usually found in the red muscle tissue of animals. Vegetarians who cut red meat out of their diets will find out that the supplement will replace the Creatine that is not in their bodies because of the lack of red meat in their diet.

As well as reasons to not take Creatine there are many to take it. One reason to take Creatine is that no matter what you do it will help you if it is taken correctly. It’s when you don’t take it correctly that you experience some of the side effects like cramps and muscle pulls. All you have to do to avoid these things is to just drink a lot of water and don’t become dehydrated. Another reason to use Creatine is that there is no proof that says it is bad for you. In fact according to most of the evidence Creatine seems to be very safe. The reasons that it seems safe is that Creatine is found in most of the foods you eat and that if you choose to stop taking it will just slowly leave your body through natural ways. The Creatine if you decide to stop taking it will over time just go back down to the natural level that your body is used to because it will eventually be used up by your muscles, which will then be forced to rely on the amount brought into your body.

However, Creatine is not recommended for everyone. Creatine is not recommended for students in high school or anyone younger than the 9th grade. If high school athletes take it it should only be used while the student is in a sport and not be taken during the off season. The only reason for this is that because it is such a new supplement there is not a lot known about the long term affects, and people at a young age could be vulnerable to them if there are any long term affects.
But the number one question regarding this supplement is that “Is it safe.” Although there is no definite answer, according to every known study, the answer is that Creatine is safe. It is not a steroid. It is something that already exists in your body. Even though it is already in your body doesn’t mean that if it is taken improperly doesn’t mean that it can be dangerous. Creatine must always be taken in the doses instructed on the supplement.