Creatine Monohydrate is one of the most controversial dietary supplements on the market. Traditionally thought of solely as a sports supplement, in recent years, we have learned that creatine’s benefits far exceed this. This video is about creatine supplements, who can benefit from them, what to be careful of, and, most importantly, how to safely take them.

Videos Mentioned: 🎥
How Much Protein Do You Really Need? https://youtu.be/jwwE_DTfDLA

📚Get your FREE Recipe e-book here. https://marialuceydietitian.ck.page/d817c4c81d

Read the full article and access all references here: https://www.marialuceydietitian.com/dietician-nutrition/creatine-benefits-vs-side-effects/

🛍️ Shop My Amazon Favourites: https://www.amazon.com/shop/marialuceyrd_dietitian?ref=ac_inf_tb_vh

KEEP IN TOUCH:
🌍 My website - https://www.marialuceydietitian.com/
📸 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/marialuceyrd_dietitian/
🔵 Facebook - @marialuceyrd
📧 Email info@marialuceyrd.com

DISCLAIMERS & DISCLOSURES 🤍
This content is for educational and entertainment purposes only. Always speak to a healthcare provider about your unique health needs. Please use this video (as with all of my videos) as educational, not as unique recommendations. This description contains affiliate links.

⏰TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 Introduction
00:52 What Is Creatine?
01:03 Is creatine a steroid?
01:17 Creatine For Vegetarians and Vegans
01:38 Best Foods For Creatine
02:12 How Does Creatine Work?
02:44 Does Creatine Build Muscle?
03:00 Who Should Take Creatine?
03:12 Creatine and Exercise Performance
03:27 Creatine For Recovery
04:23 Creatine and Mental Health and Mood
04:49 Creatine and Memory
05:01 Creatine Supplements During Menopause
05:31 Creatine Supplements In Aging
06:28 Creatine Supplements in Pregnancy
06:57 How To Take Creatine Supplements
07:10 Best Creatine Supplement
07:44 Creatine Loading Phase
08:12 Creatine Maintenance Dose
08:31 Is Too Much Creatine Harmful?
08:46 Best Time To Take Creatine
08:58 Safety Of Creatine Supplements
09:18 Weight Gain & Creatine Supplements

Video Script: Full script available on my website

My first point is that you do not need to go straight to a checkout to buy creatine. You will be perfectly healthy without it. It is a “nice to have” in my books in terms of its benefits for exercise performance. Yes, there are now benefits beyond this, such as mood, cognitive function, and memory, but nailing the basics of a well-balanced diet can be hard enough for many of us; we don’t need to complicate it any further.

What is Creatine?
Creatine is an amino acid derivative made within our body. It is found naturally in our muscles and a small amount in the brain. We can also get creatine through our food.

It is not a steroid.

In simple terms, creatine is an energy source for the body;

The goal of taking a creatine supplement is to get your creatine stores as close to 100% saturation as possible. For most omnivores, creatine stores sit at around 60-80% full, and women tend to fall on the lower side of this range as they tend to have diets typically lower in meat than men. Vegetarians and vegans sit at stores of around 55-60%.

Supplementing with creatine can increase the creatine stores we have in our bodies by up to 40%.

As I said, creatine is found in food, particularly meat, fish, and dairy. However, the amount of creatine we eat in food isn’t as much as you would think. One of the best sources of creatine is red meat, but you would need to eat approximately 1.3kg of beef to get the same amount of creatine as one scoop of powder.

Creatine supplements are among the most popular and widely researched dietary supplements on the market. So, unlike many other supplements, they are not just a product of marketing and influencer hype.

How does Creatine Work?
As I mentioned, creatine is an energy source for the body as it helps make adenosine triphosphate (ATP).

ATP provides immediate and short bursts of energy – so it’s useful for explosive movements such as sprinting, & power-lifting

The body doesn’t store much ATP, and when it’s depleted, it takes time to build back up. But having good stores of Creatine is like a shortcut that boosts ATP without that waiting around lag time.

So, to clear up a major misconception about creatine, creatine itself does not make you more muscular. Instead, it helps provide your muscles with the energy to do more work, which can translate into being able to lift that little bit heavier and get in that extra set in the gym, which you may not have been otherwise able to do. And there is a lot of evidence to support creatine doing this.

When To Consider Taking Creatine Supplements
Scenario 1: To Enhance Exercise Performance:
There is good evidence for creatine supplementation if you are looking to: