What is the FINAL word on Creatine & and why is it in Sarcomere's Prevail?

A Position Statement and Review of the Literature

The following nine points related to the use of creatine as a nutritional supplement constitute the Position Statement of the Society. They have been approved by the Research Committee of the Society.

1. Creatine monohydrate is the most effective ergogenic nutritional supplement currently available to athletes in terms of increasing high-intensity exercise capacity and lean body mass during training.
2. Creatine monohydrate supplementation is not only safe, but possibly beneficial in regard to preventing injury and/or management of select medical conditions when taken within recommended guidelines.
3. There is no scientific evidence that the short- or long-term use of creatine monohydrate has any detrimental effects on otherwise healthy individuals.
4. If proper precautions and supervision are provided, supplementation in young athletes is acceptable and may provide a nutritional alternative to potentially dangerous anabolic drugs.
5. At present, creatine monohydrate is the most extensively studied and clinically effective form of creatine for use in nutritional supplements in terms of muscle uptake and ability to increase high-intensity exercise capacity.
6. The addition of carbohydrate or carbohydrate and protein to a creatine supplement appears to increase muscular retention of creatine, although the effect on performance measures may not be greater than using creatine monohydrate alone.
7. The quickest method of increasing muscle creatine stores appears to be to consume 0.3 grams/kg/day of creatine monohydrate for at least 3 days followed by 3-5 g/d thereafter to maintain elevated stores. Ingesting smaller amounts of creatine monohydrate (e.g., 2-3 g/d) will increase muscle creatine stores over a 3-4 week period, however, the performance effects of this method of supplementation are less supported.
8. Creatine products are readily available as a dietary supplement and are regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Specifically, in 1994, U.S. President Bill Clinton signed into law the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA). DSHEA allows manufacturers/companies/brands to make structure-function claims; however, the law strictly prohibits disease claims for dietary supplements.
9. Creatine monohydrate has been reported to have a number of potentially beneficial uses in several clinical populations, and further research is warranted in these areas.

The following literature review has been prepared by the authors in support of the aforementioned position statement.

Creatine Supplementation and Exercise: A Review of the Literature

The use of creatine as a sport supplement has been surrounded by both controversy and fallacy since it gained widespread popularity in the early 1990's. Anecdotal and media reports have often claimed that creatine usage is a dangerous and unnecessary practice; often linking creatine use to anabolic steroid abuse.Many athletes and experts in the field have reported that creatine supplementation is not only beneficial for athletic performance and various medical conditions but is also clinically safe. Although creatine has recently been accepted as a safe and useful ergogenic aid, several myths have been purported about creatine supplementation which include:

1. All weight gained during supplementation is due to water retention.
2. Creatine supplementation causes renal distress.
3. Creatine supplementation causes cramping, dehydration, and/or altered electrolyte status.
4. Long-term effects of creatine supplementation are completely unknown.
5. Newer creatine formulations are more beneficial than creatine monohydrate (CM) and cause fewer side effects.
6. It's unethical and/or illegal to use creatine supplements.
   

While these myths have been refuted through scientific investigation, the general public is still primarily exposed to the mass media which may or may not have accurate information. Due to this confounding information, combined with the fact that creatine has become one of the most popular nutritional supplements on the market, it is important to examine the primary literature on supplemental creatine ingestion in humans. The purpose of this review is to determine the present state of knowledge concerning creatine supplementation, so that reasonable guidelines may be established and unfounded fears diminished in regard to its use.

References

1. Crowe, M. J., J. N. Weatherson, and B. F. Bowden. Effects of dietary leucine supplementation on exercise performance. Eur J Appl Physiol. 97:664-672, 2006.
2. Matsumoto, K., M. Mizuno, T. Mizuno, B. Dilling-Hansen, A. Lahoz, V. Bertelsen, H. Munster, H. Jordening, K. Hamada, and T. Doi. Branched-chain amino acids and arginine supplementation attenuates skeletal muscle proteolysis induced by moderate exercise in young individuals. Int J Sports Med. 28:531-538, 2007.
3. Zoeller RF, Stout JR, O'Kroy J A, Torok DJ, Mielke M. Effects of 28 days of beta-alanine and creatine monohydrate supplementation on aerobic power, ventilatory and lactate thresholds, and time to exhaustion. Amino Acids 2006.
4. Lee SY, Kim YC. Effect of beta-alanine administration on carbon tetrachloride-induced acute hepatotoxicity. Amino Acids 2006.
5. Parildar-Karpuzoglu H, Dogru-Abbasoglu S, Balkan J, Aykac-Toker G, Uysal M. Decreases in taurine levels induced by beta-alanine treatment did not affect the susceptibility of tissues to lipid peroxidation. Amino Acids 2006.