Supplements: Muscle/Strength/Power/Recovery

This category is often filled with products that offer high promise and little delivery. Only a scant few actually warrant consumption by most fitness enthusiasts, with creatine and glutamine topping this short list. Both have been research-tested as well as anecdotally shown to improve performance and recovery.

What is Creatine?

Creatine is made up of the three amino acids:arginine, glycine and methionine. Our body produces creatine in the liver and at any given time the average person has about 120 grams of creatine stored in their body. Creatine is an essential, natural substance required for energy metabolism, muscular movement and human existence. Creatine is as essential to life as protein, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins and minerals.
Creatine deficiencies have been associated with certain physical-muscular disorders that can be fatal in humans and animals.

The human body synthesizes creatine from 3 amino acids: glycine, arginine, and methionine.

These amino acids are components of protein. In humans, the enzymes involved in the synthesis of creatine are located in the liver, pancreas and kidneys. Creatine can be produced in any of these organs and then transported into the muscle via the bloodstream. Approximately 95% of the total creatine pool is stored in skeletal muscle tissue. The remaining 5% can be found in the heart, brain and testes. As stated earlier, it is estimated that a 70 kg (154 lbs.)
male will have a total creatine pool of approximately 140 grams in his body. The total creatine pool in humans refers to the combined amount of creatine in its free form and phosphocreatine form. In skeletal muscle tissue, phosphocreatine accounts for two-thirds of the total creatine pool, with free form creatine making up the balance. In the absence of exogenous (from the diet) creatine, the rate of creatine excreted in the form of creatinine has been estimated to be around 1.6% per day in humans. Thus, with a bodyweight of 70kg (154 lbs.) and a total creatine pool of 140 grams, a human will lose approximately 2 grams of creatine per day from normal everyday activity. This turnover of creatine will increase with greater physical activity and must be replaced by the diet or the body's own natural production. Dietary creatine is found mostly in meat, fish and other animal products. Plants contain only trace amounts. The average daily diet of meats and vegetables contains an estimated creatine level of 1 gram. As only some of the daily requirement of creatine can be attained from diet, the body must synthesize the rest. A vegetarian's daily requirement for creatine can only be achieved by endogenous (from within the body) synthesis via the enzyme GAMT. The effect of aging on the level of free form creatine and phosphocreatine has been studied by Moller and colleagues at the Karolinska Institute in
Stockholm. Interestingly, there were no differences in the total creatine levels between a group of elderly (aged 52 to 79) and young (aged 18 to 36). But the
study did reveal that the younger participants had higher phosphocreatine levels than did the older group. Such differences can be attributed to the greater
level of activity in the younger group.

Creatine provides energy for your muscles

In your body you have an energy containingcompound called ATP (adenosine tri-phosphate). What is important to knowabout ATP is that the body can very quickly get energy from a ATP reaction. You have other sources of energy such as carbohydrates and fat - but they take
longer to convert into a useable energy source. When you are doing an intense quick burst activity such as lifting a weight or sprinting, your muscles use ATP
for a quick burst of energy. In order for ATP to release its energy it must give up a phosphate molecule and become ADP (adenosine di-phosphate).
Unfortunately, we do not have an endless supply of ATP. In fact, your muscles only contain enough ATP to last about 10-15 seconds at maximum exertion. Here is where the creatine comes in to play. When creatine enters the muscles it bonds with a phosphate and becomes creatine phosphate (CP). CP is able to react with the ADP in your body and turn "useless" ADP back into the "super useful" energy source - ATP. More ATP in your body means more fuel for your muscles.

This is the process by which creatine provides more energy for your muscles.

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Glutamine (Amino Acid)

Glutamine is not found in food. It is primarily a brain fuel which can take the place of glucose. It is particularly abundant in the substania nigra and thalamus of the brain, as well as in the blood, where its concentration is three to four times greater than all other amino acids. It is 10 to 15 times more concentrated in the cerebrospinal fluid than in the blood. In fasting or starvation states, when glycogen stores have been exhausted, large amounts of glutamine (and alanine) are released from muscle tissue and serve to shuttle amino acid nitrogen and carbon to other tissues. The carbon may be converted to glucose by the liver and made available for energy production.
Glutamine also performs a major role in DNA synthesis. An influx of large amounts of glutamine may stimulate muscle protein synthesis. 60 per cent of the ammonia produced in the kidney tabules to buffer excessive urinary acidity comes from the breakdown of glutamine.

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