Creatine in Sports

The first weeks of my senior season of football were the toughest times I had ever had in my life. We had two practices a day. We had one practice early in the morning, and one late in the afternoon. Physically, I wasn't at a level like most of my teammates. I felt like I couldn't do anything on the high school level; plus I was being thrown around like a rag doll. I needed something that would help me reach my potential. That's when I tried creatine.

I started out taking small doses of creatine as an energy booster before practice, noticing that I wasn't getting tired and out of breath like I once was. I continued to use the supplement before I did any type of exercising activity, although I never exceeded the daily amount. I used the supplement for about three weeks, noticing muscle development and body fat loss all over my body. Gradually, I started reducing my dose each day until my supply was gone. In my short three weeks of taking creatine, I gained about 4-5 pounds of lean muscle. I was being noticed in practice and was getting more playing time in games. I was still unsure about what consequences I would have to face if I continued to use the substance. I needed to know more. Everything has a price; l wanted to figure out what mine could be.

It's been called the drug that separates the great from the greatest. It has helped athletes all over the world reach their potential. Creatine is an all natural food and supplement drug that works like anabolic steroids without the side effects. It has the capability to help produce muscle mass, energy, and speed all in one pill.

Over the past few years, creatine has become a controversial issue in the athletic world. A lot of research has been put into creatine although long-term effects are left unknown, leaving the controversial question of whether creatine should be legal or illegal.

Being a former user of creatine showed me how I could maximize my potential athletic ability, although leaving me cynical about harm to my body. I wanted to know more specifically how it works on the chemical level and major side effects and precautions I should take if I were going to continue using the supplement. The only way for my to find the answers to my questions was with research. I began interviewing people who knew more about creatine while at the same time I began my own research on the supplement from the sources I found on the Internet. Is it safe for me? That's what I was about to find out.

The people I interviewed gave me good background on how creatine is perceived in the world today. I first interviewed Chris Mumby who was very opinionated on his views of creatine. Chris Mumby works at HyVee and works out at the Fitness Loft at the University of Iowa Campus. According to Chris, creatine is harmless if used correctly. "In the three years I've taken it, nothing has happened," he stated. "I gained forty-five pounds in three years of lifting and taking creatine." Chris gave an example of it not being used correctly; explaining that fatal harm may be caused if used before an athletic event, which would require endurance. Using creatine before an athletic event my cause the athlete to suffer from dehydration, due to the retention of water in the muscles. This causes cramping if a sufficient amount of water isn't obtained. Many college athletes have reported taking the substance to help in training. "A lot of those athletes take it illegally without the coach's or trainer's permission, since it's banned across the nation in some top named universities, but it hasn't stopped many athletes from taking it. "They have their way to hide it like steroid-like an oil change." He explained to me that an oil change is where there is a tube inserted into the scrotum and a tube out of your scrotum 'which replaces your urine with clean unintoxicated urine. The procedure is done the night before the urinary analysis. Though it seems to be popular at universities, the oil change is a very painful procedure.

Chris hasn't had too many bad experiences with creatine. As he described, "The worst thing I had was a lack of hydration, which gave me cramps. I took care of that by drinking more water." Chris' overall opinion on creatine was basically that it's harmless if used right. One who sells it had more of a conservative response to the safety of use.

Adam Potratz works at the G.N.C. store in the Old Capital Mall and claims to know quite a bit about body supplements, specifically creatine. When asked his opinion on body supplements in general, Adam gave an answer of why other people use it "I really think that people are looking for a cheap, legal steroid. Vitamins too. They think that whatever they use will help them make their body the way they want it." Creatine is the biggest seller at the G.N.C. store although it is not cheap. "Twin Lab is the brand that is purchased most. G.N.C. brand sells too but not as much." explained Adam. "Companies jack up the prices since they know people will buy it anyway." A thirty-day supply of Twin Labs Creatine Monohydrate costs about $15. The next bought brand costs $14, while G.N.C.'s own brand runs around $12. Twin Lab been proven to work better than all the others," he added.

Other body supplements are beginning to take off. Androstenedione (Andro) and Amino Acids are beginning to sell a lot. Just like creatine, they are all natural supplements that are essential for working out but are more dangerous according to Adam. If abused, creatine could do damage to the liver and kidneys. Products like Andro could give the same kind of side effects as anabolic steroids would. But why is creatine chosen over all the others. "Because it is real safe (creatine) and an all natural substance that you have in your body. Most people understand that and come back for more. We restock our shelves every few hours."

According to Adam, creatine is used for more than just competitive athletics and weight lifting. "Some use it for energy when they work out, some for physical therapy. One used it because the doctor said it would help his arthritis," he stated.

Creatine has hit the world by storm. It is sold in mass quantities and has a vast variety of people purchasing it. According to my Uncle Dr. Ali Jalloh, creatine is all natural and pretty safe. "Creatine is the safest out of all the other sports supplements," said Dr. Ali Jalloh a Neuromuscular surgeon in Atlanta, Georgia.

Dr. Jalloh said that he would recommend creatine to anyone who is interested in muscle building, although he prefers the person to be in the mid-teen age range. "Muscles start growing and they have already reached puberty. I wouldn't recommend starting creatine