What is creatine?
Creatine is an organic compound - known since 1832 - which is made of protein fragments. It is made of three amino acids - arginine, glycine and methionine.
Mainly creatine is found in muscle tissue (definitely more than 90%). It is also present in the brain, heart, liver, kidneys and testes - but much smaller quantities.
This organic compound is responsible for several processes in our body.
It is mainly responsible for the storage of appropriately large amounts of ATP energy. In addition, creatine is responsible for inhibiting myostatin (a protein that limits muscle growth) and stimulates protein synthesis.
Moreover, you'll find plenty of supplement companies touting the advantages of "cutting-edge" creatine forms over creatine monohydrate. New research is uncovering the promises (and pitfalls) of so-called "advanced" forms of creatine, such as creatine hydrochloride (HCl), creatine nitrate, buffered creatine, and creatine ethyl ester, but do they hold a candle to the monohydrate form?
A Breakdown Of Commonly Used Creatine Forms:
Creatine hydrochloride (HCL) is creatine bound with hydrochloric acid. Although creatine HCL does dissolve in water more easily than creatine monohydrate (it’s more water soluble), studies have shown that it isn’t any more effective than good ol’ creatine monohydrate for increasing strength.
Creatine ethyl ester, or CEE, is a form of creatine monohydrate that has undergone a process called esterification to make it more absorbable by the body. That said, a direct comparison between CEE and creatine monohydrate shows that CEE can’t even duplicate, let alone surpass, the results seen with creatine monohydrate supplementation.
Creatine nitrate is creatine bound with chemicals called nitrates. Some unpublished research indicated that it was more water soluble than creatine monohydrate, but no more beneficial, and there’s been little interest in it since then.
Creatine citrate is creatine bound to citric acid. It’s also more water soluble than creatine monohydrate, but no more effective.
Creatine pyruvate is creatine bound with pyruvic acid. It can produce slightly higher blood levels of creatine, but doesn’t increase muscle absorption of creatine or performance any more than creatine monohydrate.
Whilst many newer forms of creatine FAIL to compete with creatine monohydrate, this new form to be discussed below, not only competes, but completely trumps creatine monohydrate in so many ways that will blow you away.
Medical Disclaimer: Consult with a physician before using creatine supplements, especially if you have pre-existing health issues that may alter the pharmacokinetics of creatine and its primary byproduct, creatinine. A pertinent example is renal impairment, which can lead to an accumulation of creatinine in the blood and kidneys. Note that this does not mean creatine is bad for the kidneys. Rather, taking creatine supplements may be unsafe if your kidneys aren't functioning correctly.
Creatine Monohydrate: The Basics
How can creatine be supplemented? Monohydrate is the most frequently chosen product. Not only because of its numerous advantages but also because of its favorable price.
Creatine is a natural compound made up of the amino acids L-arginine, glycine, and methionine.
Creatine monohydrate is creatine with one molecule of water attached to it (“mono” meaning one and “hydrate” meaning a molecule with water attached to it).
Our bodies can produce creatine naturally, but they can also absorb and store creatine found in various foods like meat, eggs, and fish.
What should you know about it?
Monohydrate is formed by combining water molecules with creatine. The functioning of this supplement is based on desired pro anabolic reactions. Systematic use of creatine monohydrate leads to an increased amount of ATP, which results in greater strength and muscle mass.
It’s important to mention that creatine monohydrate influences the formation of protein molecules, which begin to affect the structure of fibres responsible for building muscles. As a result, they are not only bigger but also denser.
What else can you expect?
Regular supplementation with creatine monohydrate leads to greater body efficiency. The organism is much less susceptible to fatigue. As a consequence, you can complete a given training unit in 100%, which contributes to faster results. This is possible because the supplement influences the maintenance of appropriate pH levels in cells.
But there are MANY drawbacks associated with Creatine Monohydrate.
Here are some of the major pitfalls associated with Creatine Monohydrate:
- Water retention
- Poor absorption
- Non-responders
So could you just imagine how extremely powerful it would be for a form of creatine to overcome these pitfalls/drawbacks?
Well, ladies and gentlemen, allow us to introduce CreGAAtine®.
What is CreGAAtine®?
CreGAAtine is a unique creatine proprietary blend that contains creatine precursor GAA – Guanidinoacetic acid. CreGAAtine is a safe, patented, and doping-free verified, new form of creatine on the market. It has Award-winning research results as documented in the European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism (ESPEN).
Why CreGAAtine Over The Old School Classic, Creatine Monohydrate?
In order for us to demonstrate why we think this form of Creatine is so much better than creatine monohydrate, let’s do a head to head comparison:
1. Regular creatine increases muscle creatine levels by about 2%. CreGAAtine leads to an increase of 16.9%, which is 8.5 times more than creatine monohydrate alone (R).
2. CreGAAtine leads to real results and does not hold you back with excessive water retention in the muscles. This is especially important in sports disciplines where body mass is an important category.
3. CreGAAtine fills your cells with extra creatine by using additional pathways of entry into the cell. Your cells will be pleasantly surprised and work better due to improved bioenergetics (R).
4. CreGAAtine leads to 3.9 times more creatine in the gray matter of the brain and 1.9 times more in the white matter. This boost should improve your memory, perception, learning and concentration (R).
5. Packages of large volumes lead to the fact that creatine, due to the absorption of moisture, turns into an inactive form - creatinine. CreGAAtine's premium ingredients are protected in pharmaceutical grade triple-layer pouches.
How To Dose CreGAAtine?
Stir the contents of the sachet in a glass of lukewarm water and drink immediately. The recommended dosage is 2 sachets per day, one sachet twice a day with meals. If the recommended dosage is followed, there is no need to take a break in supplementation.
No known safety concerns
In a randomized double-blind controlled trial examining the GAA-creatine
formulation, no side effects were reported. Total plasma homocysteine levels remained in the physiological range, as well as the tissue choline levels (R).
Administration of sole GAA appears to be safe in terms of GAA brain accumulation and DNA methylation following its intake (R). Many creatine-based supplementson the market contain some contaminants, which surely implies their low quality.
CreGAAtine has been certified by Informed Sport which guarantees that
each batch we release to the market is free of banned substances.
Are you ready to make the switch to the latest and most cutting edge creatine on the market?