Creatine
CreatineCreatine has been around forever because it is in everything that we eat, such as steak, chicken, and fish. It has been around in supplement form since the early 90’s. Various professional, high school and collegiate athletes in the United States and all over the world use Creatine. Some big names in sports that are Creatine users include the likes of Shannon Sharpe of the Denver Broncos. (Behind the Lines: Espn). Others are Pete Sampras and the entire University of Nebraska Football Team. (http://www.espn.go.com/tennis/usopen99/news/1999/0907/44778.html). As well as those three examples, others that use Creatine are seventy five percent of the Denver Broncos and sixty percent of all major league baseball players, including Mark McGuire and Brady Anderson. Bodybuilders around the world also use the supplement because it has no proven side affects if it is used properly. (Power Supplements: http://www.powersupplements.com/creatine.html).
Creatine is a compound that can be made in our bodies or taken as a dietary supplement. The formal name for Creatine is methyl guanidine-acetic acid. Creatine is made up of three amino acids, Arginine, Glycine, and Methionine. The liver has the ability to combine the three and make Creatine. Creatine works because of a compound in our bodies called ATP. ATP is an energy-containing compound. The most important thing about ATP is that the body can get energy quickly from an ATP reaction. When the ATP is broken down into ADP it releases the energy that enable your muscles to contract. Now since after this reaction the ADP is left useless. This is where the Creatine comes in. The Creatine Phosphate is used to convert the useless ADP into the energy source ATP. When you put more ATP in your muscles that means you have more energy in your muscles.
It has been said that Creatine taken by young athletes could be dangerous in the long run. The problem with these accusations is that they can not be proven because there is no long-term research on the supplement. The media has constantly labeled Creatine as a potentially dangerous supplement. Some examples of this media “bashing” are as follows. In December of 98 two wrestlers died of dehydration. Creatine was constantly blamed for the deaths of these two collegiate wrestlers because it had been reported that the two had been Creatine users for most of their wrestling careers. While the case is still under investigation it is also a fact that the two worked out in rubber suits and hadn’t eaten in days to cut weight which could very well of caused their deaths. (Behind the Lines: ESPN). Other injuries that are being blamed on Creatine include the rash of injuries at this year’s U.S. Open. These questions were opened in the tennis world when the number one player in the world, Pete...
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