Creatine is a molecule that is present in our body naturally. It is synthesized from several amino acids , which are components of proteins , so creatine has a protein origin. We also obtain creatine from foods of animal origin, mainly meat and fish.
Creatine has a structural function (it is part of the musculoskeletal system), and is also used as an energy source. Most of the creatine we have is stored in the muscles, since that is where it will perform some of its most interesting functions. The body is capable of synthesizing part of the total creatine that we need for our daily life, approximately half of the requirements. We take the rest of the necessary amount through food, as long as we follow a balanced and complete diet.
However, creatine is also used as a nutritional supplement or ergogenic aid . Furthermore, its use has become widespread in recent years because it is not considered a doping substance. Ergogenic aids are substances, products, situations, or even tools, that are used to improve the ability or performance of the athlete. This capacity can take the form of muscular strength, power, resistance to exhaustion, recovery capacity after exercise, or an improvement in the quality of general physical and sporting performance.
Effects of creatine
There are multiple and varied types of ergogenic aids, and their beneficial effects are not always proven. In the case of creatine, we are faced with an ergogenic nutritional substance , which provides an improvement in sports performance proven in certain situations, as we will see later, although there are still many studies pending to be carried out and, especially, pending to be evaluated. the absence of long-term side effects.
There is some controversy about the actual beneficial effect that creatine has on athletic performance. Muscles obtain the energy they need to perform their contractions and cause movement through a molecule called ATP (Adenosine triphosphate). ATP is known as the energy currency par excellence, since its metabolization is practically the only way – or the most physiological and common – that exists to obtain energy in the cells. Through the presence of creatine, this process is greatly facilitated because it helps in the synthesis of ATP by the cell. More clearly, we can say that creatine causes an improvement in the production of the energy molecule ATP. This results in better muscle mobility and an increase in tone and strength , in addition to prolonging the time before fatigue occurs, so muscle performance improves.
In addition, creatine produces an increase in muscle mass itself , due to its structural function, so the ability of the fibers to contract will be greater the larger and more developed they are. But regarding this issue there is also a conflict, since it seems that part of this muscle increase is not such, but rather an increase in the water deposit retained by the muscle.
