Creatine supplements are athletic aids used to increase high intensity athletic performance. Creatine is often taken by athletes to help as a supplement for those wishing to gain muscle mass. Short term creatine use can increase maximum power and performance in high-intensity anaerobic repetitive work. Ingesting creatine can increase the level of phosphocreatine in the muscles up to 20% however has no effect on aerobic exercise. Some studys suggest that muscle mass increase is due to the greater water retention inside the muscle cells. Other studies show that creatine can increases the activity of cells, which make muscle hypertrophy possible. Creatine supplements appear to increase the number of myonuclei that cells donate to the damaged fibre muscles which increases the potential growth of those fibres.
Creatine is not considered doping and is not banned by the majority of sport-governing bodies. Although muscle cramping is assosiated with creatine supplements, this may be due to dehydration and extra water intake should be consumed when taking the supplement. Because of the toxicity of the supplement kidney damage and kidney cysts can occur as a result of consuming the supplement. A disadvantage of taking creatine supplements is that it is alleged to include muscle, ligament and tendon strains. This is because the explosive energy production of muscle cells caused
from the supplement can be to powerful for the attaching ligaments and their attached tendons as well as their connective tissues. No long term effects of creatine are apparent, as most creatine studies have only lasted eight to twelve weeks.
