Creatine
Uploaded by tommy53565 on Jan 16, 2002
Creatine should be allowed for use by teenagers because it is a natural substance in the body. Research has shown no side affects in taking creatine. Creatine may improve your performance in athletics. In the paragraphs that follow I will try to show you why I believe creatine is a safe substance to take.
What is Creatine? Creatine is a simple amino acid molecule we all have in our body. “Creatine is made up of the three amino acids: arginine, glycine, and methionine. Our body produces creatine (it is made in the liver) and we also can get creatine from our diet. At any given time the average person has about 120 grams of creatine stored in their body.”(creatine-only.com) “Our body makes one gram each day from protein. We also eat about one gram of creatine each day from meats such as beef, chicken, or fish.”(Nucare) So by taking a creatine supplement you can put more creatine in your body that you can use as energy.
So what does creatine do for you? This is only in theory because we know little about what actually goes on inside the body.
1) Creatine provides additional energy for your muscles: In your body you have a compound called ATP. Think of ATP as an energy containing compound. The body can very quickly get energy from an ATP containing compound. The body has other sources of energy but they take longer to convert into a useable energy source. When you are doing an intense quick burst activity, your muscles need a quick source of energy. That immediate energy comes from ATP. Unfortunately, we do not have an endless supply of ATP. In fact, our muscles only contain enough ATP to last about 10-15 seconds of maximum exertion. When ATP is used, it becomes ADP a useless product. Where creatine comes in is that the majority of creatine that is stored in the muscles bonds with abundant phosphorus stores in the muscles and is converted into Creatine Phosphate. The CP is able to react with the ADP in your body and turn “useless” ADP back into the “super useful” energy source - ATP. More ATP in your body means more fuel for your muscles.
2) Volumization of your muscles: It is the process of pulling fluid into the muscle cells and thus increasing the volume of the muscles. Creatine has shown to pull water into your muscle cells,...