What Creatine Does to the Body

Summary

This video script delves into the world of creatine, a nitrogen-containing compound similar to protein, and its role in athletic performance. It clarifies misconceptions about creatine, explaining its natural occurrence in certain foods and its synthesis in the liver and kidneys. The script discusses the creatine phosphate energy system and its importance in high-intensity, short-duration exercises, and how supplementing with creatine can increase muscle creatine stores, potentially enhancing performance. It also addresses safety concerns, noting that while creatine may lead to minor side effects like weight gain or bloating, it does not adversely affect kidney health for most people.

Takeaways

• 📚 Creatine is a nitrogen-containing compound similar to protein, composed of three amino acids: arginine, glycine, and methionine.
• 🥩 Meat sources like beef and fish are natural dietary sources of creatine, providing about one to two grams per day for consumers.
• 🌿 Vegetarians and vegans typically have lower creatine levels in their skeletal muscles but can still synthesize creatine from amino acids and through supplementation.
• 🏋️‍♂️ Creatine is stored in skeletal muscles, with two-thirds as creatine phosphate, which plays a crucial role in high-intensity, short-duration activities.
• 🔋 The creatine phosphate energy system rapidly replenishes ATP (adenosine triphosphate) during intense muscle contractions by donating a phosphate group to ADP (adenosine diphosphate).
• 🚀 Supplementing with creatine can increase muscle creatine storage by 10 to 40 percent, improving performance in high-intensity, short-duration activities.
• 🥄 To increase creatine levels, a daily intake of five grams is recommended, which is challenging to achieve through diet alone and more convenient through supplementation.
• 🏃‍♂️ Higher resting creatine phosphate levels can extend the duration of high-intensity exercise, potentially leading to increased workloads and improved muscular adaptations over time.
• 💧 Creatine may cause weight gain due to increased water content in cells, but this is generally minor and varies between individuals.
• 🧬 Despite concerns, creatine supplementation has not been shown to have major long-term adverse effects on kidney health, as creatinine levels remain within normal limits.
• 🥇 Creatine supplementation is widely accepted as a safe and effective way to enhance athletic performance for activities lasting up to 10 seconds.

Q & A

What is creatine and what does it do in the body?

Creatine is a nitrogen-containing compound similar to protein, made up of three amino acids: arginine, glycine, and methionine. In the body, creatine serves as an important energy source, particularly for skeletal muscles. It is stored as creatine phosphate, which helps replenish ATP during high-intensity exercises, allowing for short bursts of energy.

How is creatine related to amino acids?

Creatine is composed of three amino acids: arginine, glycine, and methionine. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins, and some of them, like arginine and methionine, are essential, meaning they must be obtained through diet as the body cannot synthesize them on its own.

Can you get creatine from your diet?

Yes, creatine can be obtained from certain food sources, primarily meat products like beef and fish. Consumers of these meats can get approximately one to two grams of creatine per day, while vegetarians or vegans typically get negligible amounts.

How do the liver and kidneys contribute to creatine synthesis?

Even if an individual does not consume creatine through their diet, their body can synthesize creatine in the liver and kidneys from the three constituent amino acids. This ensures that the body has a source of creatine, as long as there is adequate protein intake.

What is the creatine phosphate energy system and why is it important?

The creatine phosphate energy system, also known as the ATP phosphocreatine system, is a rapid method the body uses to replenish ATP during high-intensity exercises. This system is crucial for activities lasting five to ten seconds, such as sprinting or heavy weight lifting, by converting creatine phosphate into ATP to provide immediate energy.

How does creatine supplementation work and what are the potential benefits?

Creatine supplementation involves taking about five grams per day to increase creatine muscle storage, which can improve athletic performance. This increase in creatine phosphate allows for higher intensity workouts and can lead to improved strength and muscle adaptations over time.

What are some reported side effects of creatine supplementation?

Some reported side effects of creatine supplementation include weight gain due to increased intracellular water content, muscle cramps, and gastrointestinal issues like nausea and upset stomach. However, these side effects vary from person to person and are generally minor for most individuals.

Is creatine supplementation safe for the kidneys?

Yes, creatine supplementation is considered safe for the kidneys. While creatine is converted to creatinine, a compound used to assess kidney health, studies have shown that creatine users maintain creatinine levels within normal limits and do not experience adverse effects on kidney function.

How does the body replenish creatine phosphate after high-intensity exercise?

After high-intensity exercise, the body replenishes creatine phosphate through oxidative phosphorylation, an energy system that utilizes oxygen. This process is efficient in restoring ATP levels and rephosphorylating creatine back into creatine phosphate, typically within one to two minutes of rest.

What is the role of creatine in muscle contraction and energy release?

During muscle contraction, ATP (adenosine triphosphate) is used, releasing energy and becoming ADP (adenosine diphosphate). Creatine phosphate donates a phosphate group to ADP, converting it back into ATP, which is then available for another round of muscle contraction, thus providing energy for high-intensity, short-duration activities.

How does creatine supplementation affect athletic performance?

Creatine supplementation does not directly increase one's maximum strength or speed. However, it can enhance the ability to maintain high-intensity exercise for slightly longer periods. This can lead to increased workloads per session, which over time, can result in improved muscular adaptations and strength gains.

Outlines

00:00

🤔 Understanding Creatine and Its Role

This paragraph introduces the topic of creatine, discussing its initial negative stigma and exploring its functions within the body. Creatine is described as a nitrogen-containing compound similar to protein, composed of three amino acids: arginine, glycine, and methionine. The video aims to clarify misconceptions about creatine by examining its role in energy production, particularly for skeletal muscles. It also addresses the question of whether creatine is necessary through diet or supplementation and its impact on athletic performance. The importance of creatine as an energy source for high-intensity exercises is highlighted, and a quiz question is posed to engage viewers about the essential versus non-essential nature of the amino acids that compose creatine.

05:02

🏋️‍♂️ Creatine's Effect on Athletic Performance

The second paragraph delves into how creatine aids in athletic performance, focusing on its role in energy production for skeletal muscle fibers. It explains the process of ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate) utilization during exercise and how creatine phosphate helps replenish ATP levels for high-intensity, short-duration activities. The paragraph also discusses the impact of creatine supplementation on creatine levels in the muscles and how this can potentially enhance performance by allowing for greater workloads at higher intensities. The video touches on the safety and side effects of creatine supplementation, including weight gain and potential gastrointestinal issues, but ultimately concludes that there is no significant evidence linking creatine to adverse long-term effects on kidney health.

10:04

🥩 Sources of Creatine and Dietary Considerations

This paragraph examines the sources of creatine, both through diet and the body's own synthesis. It highlights that creatine can be obtained from certain foods, such as beef and fish, and that those who follow a meat-free diet, like vegans or vegetarians, may have lower creatine levels in their skeletal muscles. However, it reassures that a creatine deficiency is unlikely as long as there is adequate protein intake, allowing the body to synthesize creatine in the liver and kidneys. The paragraph also addresses the topic of creatine supplementation as a means to increase creatine levels beyond what can be naturally obtained through diet, setting the stage for a discussion on the benefits of creatine for athletic performance and muscle enhancement.

15:06

💪 The Science Behind Creatine Supplementation

The final paragraph provides a comprehensive overview of the science behind creatine supplementation, discussing its effects on muscle contraction, energy production, and athletic performance. It explains the creatine phosphate energy system and its role in high-intensity, short-duration exercises. The paragraph also explores the potential benefits of increasing resting creatine phosphate levels through supplementation, such as improved performance and the ability to sustain higher intensities for slightly longer periods. Moreover, it addresses common concerns about the safety of creatine supplementation, particularly regarding kidney health, and concludes that there is no strong evidence to suggest significant long-term risks. The video ends with a call to action for viewers to learn more about Athletic Greens' AG1, a health supplement that can support energy levels and workout recovery.

Keywords

💡Creatine

Creatine is a nitrogen-containing compound similar to protein, made up of three amino acids: arginine, glycine, and methionine. In the video, creatine is highlighted as an important energy source, particularly for skeletal muscles. It is stored in the muscles and plays a crucial role in the creatine phosphate energy system, which is best suited for high-intensity, short-duration exercises. The video also discusses the potential benefits of creatine supplementation for increasing muscle creatine storage and improving athletic performance.

💡Amino Acids

Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins and are essential for various bodily functions. In the context of the video, three specific amino acids - arginine, glycine, and methionine - are mentioned as the components that synthesize creatine in the body. The video also touches on the difference between essential and non-essential amino acids, emphasizing that essential amino acids must be obtained through diet as the body cannot synthesize them on its own.

💡Creatine Phosphate

Creatine phosphate, also known as phosphocreatine, is a form of creatine found in muscles. The video explains that two-thirds of the creatine stored in skeletal muscles is in the form of creatine phosphate. This compound plays a critical role in the creatine phosphate energy system, where it donates a phosphate group to ADP (adenosine diphosphate) to rapidly form more ATP (adenosine triphosphate), thus providing energy for high-intensity, short-duration muscle contractions.

💡ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate)

ATP, or Adenosine Triphosphate, is the primary energy currency of cells. In the video, it is described as the energy source utilized by skeletal muscle fibers during contraction. The video details how ATP is burned through during exercise and how the creatine phosphate energy system helps to quickly replenish ATP levels by converting creatine phosphate into more ATP, which is essential for maintaining high-intensity exercise for brief periods.

💡Skeletal Muscles

Skeletal muscles are the muscles that are attached to bones and are responsible for voluntary movement. In the video, skeletal muscles are the focus of the discussion on creatine's function, as they are the primary site of creatine storage and utilization. The video explains how creatine and creatine phosphate contribute to the energy needs of these muscles, particularly during high-intensity, short-duration activities.

💡Supplementation

Supplementation refers to the act of adding nutrients or other substances to one's diet, typically in the form of pills, powders, or shakes, to enhance health or athletic performance. In the context of the video, creatine supplementation is discussed as a means to increase creatine levels in the muscles beyond what can be obtained naturally through diet. The video mentions that consuming five grams of creatine per day can increase muscle creatine storage and potentially improve athletic performance.

💡AG1 by Athletic Greens

AG1 by Athletic Greens is a health supplement that contains 75 whole food-sourced ingredients, including vitamins, minerals, superfoods, adaptogens, and probiotics. In the video, the speaker discusses their personal use of AG1 and how it has helped simplify their health routine by providing a variety of nutrients in a single daily scoop. The product is mentioned as a way to potentially support energy levels, exercise performance, and recovery.

💡Energy Systems

Energy systems in the video refer to the body's mechanisms for producing energy for muscle contraction and physical activity. Three main energy systems are mentioned: the creatine phosphate energy system for high-intensity, short-duration activities; glycolysis, an anaerobic process not requiring oxygen; and oxidative phosphorylation, which utilizes oxygen for more sustained energy production. Understanding these systems is crucial for comprehending how creatine functions within the body during exercise.

💡Muscle Cramps

Muscle cramps are involuntary contractions of the muscles that can be painful and are not necessarily related to creatine intake, as the video explains. While some people have reported experiencing muscle cramps with creatine supplementation, the data supporting a direct link is weak, and most people do not experience this side effect. It is one of the potential side effects discussed in the context of creatine safety and side effects.

💡Kidneys

The kidneys are vital organs that filter waste products from the blood, including creatinine, a byproduct of creatine metabolism. The video addresses concerns about the safety of creatine supplementation in relation to kidney health. It explains that while creatine does increase creatinine levels, studies have shown that these levels remain within normal limits and have not demonstrated any major adverse effects on kidney function with creatine supplementation.

💡Creatinine

Creatinine is a waste product formed from the breakdown of creatine and muscle tissue. In the video, it is mentioned as a marker for assessing kidney health and function, as creatinine is filtered out by the kidneys and excreted in urine. The discussion around creatinine focuses on addressing common misconceptions about creatine supplementation potentially harming the kidneys by increasing creatinine levels, with the conclusion that no significant evidence supports this concern.

Highlights

Creatine is a nitrogen-containing compound similar to protein, made up of three amino acids: arginine, glycine, and methionine.

Creatine was initially associated with a negative stigma, being compared to anabolic steroids.

Creatine is an important energy source, especially for skeletal muscles.

Individuals can obtain creatine through certain food sources like beef and fish, or synthesize it in the liver and kidneys if they consume adequate protein.

Vegetarians and vegans tend to have lower creatine levels in their skeletal muscles compared to those who consume meat.

Supplementation is a viable method to increase creatine levels beyond what is naturally obtained from diet.

Creatine phosphate energy system is best suited for high-intensity exercises lasting five to ten seconds, such as sprinting or high-intensity weight training.

Creatine phosphate helps replenish ATP levels in muscle cells during high-intensity contractions.

Supplementing with five grams of creatine per day can increase muscle creatine storage by 10 to 40 percent.

Creatine loading involves taking 20 grams per day for five to seven days to quickly increase creatine levels, followed by a maintenance dose of five grams.

Increased creatine levels can enhance the ability to maintain high-intensity exercise for a longer duration.

Creatine does not directly increase maximum strength or sprint speed but can improve performance by allowing for higher workloads at high intensity.

Creatine is generally safe, with reported side effects like weight gain and muscle cramps, but these are usually minor and variable among individuals.

Despite concerns, increased creatine intake has not been shown to have major long-term adverse effects on kidney health.

Creatine supplementation can be beneficial for individuals looking to improve their athletic performance in high-intensity, short-duration activities.

The video discusses the role of creatine in athletic performance and addresses common misconceptions and safety concerns.

The video introduces AG1 by Athletic Greens as a whole food source supplement that can support overall health and exercise performance.

Transcripts

Have you ever wondered about taking creatine and if it even works?

The first time I heard about creatine, I was back in high school and it actually had a

negative stigma attached to it.

There's this group of guys that are getting bigger and stronger and people are like whispering

behind their backs, "They're on the creatine."

Like it was some negative drug or anabolic steroid that they were taking.

So, we need to clear all this up and in today's video, we're going to do that by talking about

what creatine does inside of your body, what organs and tissues get involved.

Do you need to supplement it?

Can you get it from your diet?

And is it safe?

And of course, we'll talk about, does it increase athletic performance?

Does it make you bigger, faster, stronger, kind of like the best superhero of all time

which we clearly all know is Superman regardless of what anyone tells you but we can argue

about superheroes in the comments later because for now, we need to talk about what creatine

does inside of you.

So, let's jump right into this.

[Intro]

Creatine is a nitrogen containing compound similar to protein.

It's made up of three amino acids called arginine, glycine, and methionine.

Now, you may have heard of amino acids in the past.

Maybe you've had discussions around essential amino acids versus non-essential amino acids.

The Readers Digest version of that is that the essential amino acids we have to consume

in our diet because we can't synthesize those on our own like we can the non-essential amino

acids which brings us to a very nice video quiz question of the day.

Of the three amino acids that I mentioned that build creatine, glycine, arginine, and

methionine, which one of those are considered essential versus non-essential amino acids?

Go ahead and post that answer in the comments below.

We'll pin the correct answer at the top of the comments but coming back to creatine,

we're going to find that creatine is an important energy source especially for these amazing

structures that we refer to as the skeletal muscles but we have to figure out how do we

get it.

Is creatine one of those things that only avid gym goers get through supplementation

and the answer is no.

We can actually get creatine through certain sources or food sources.

Specifically things like beef and fishes.

So, those who consume those types of meat can get anywhere from like one to two grams

of creatine per day.

However, say we're dealing with somebody who's a non-meaty dirf, maybe vegan or vegetarian,

in those cases, they'll get negligible amounts, almost none at all.

So that would possibly beg the question, could you even develop say like a creatine deficiency

and be missing out on that potential energy source?

And luck, no, because remember, we said it's built up of those three amino acids and as

long as you're consuming those amino acids, in other words, getting adequate protein intake

from other sources, there's certain organs throughout the body that can synthesize creatine.

Two main ones, one of which being this amazing liver that you can see right here as well

as these cool little structures or organs we should say, the kidneys that we have on

the tray here.

These can also help synthesize the creatine.

Now, whether you consume the creatine in your diet or it's synthesized in the liver or the

kidneys, that creatine will then be transported throughout the bloodstream and taken up by

or at least the majority which will be taken up by again the skeletal muscles and I want

you to think about as the creatines going into the skeletal muscles it's kind of filling

them up like it's a little gas tank of creatine and a third of that creatine going into the

skeletal muscle will just stay as regular old creatine but about two thirds of it will

get phosphorated and become something called creatine phosphate also referred to by some

as phosphocreatine and that's going to be really important in just a second but I do

want to go back to this discussion about meat eaters versus non-meat eaters and comparing

the creatine levels in their skeletal muscles.

A lot of the research is pretty consistent in showing that those who do not consume meat,

although they wouldn't be like deficient in creatine, they still tend to have lower amounts,

lower overall amounts of creatine in the skeletal muscle as compared to those who do consume

meat but luckily, if you choose not to consume meat, you can get creatine through other sources

like through supplementation and isn't that kind of one of the main points of this video

to discuss does it make sense to increase the creatine levels more than what you could

get naturally in your diet through the use of a supplement.

And speaking of supplementing things in our diet, it can often be challenging to get every

vitamin, mineral, and nutrient just from the foods that you consume and so, often it makes

sense to get those ingredients from other sources and that's why I'm excited to talk

about AG1 by Athletic Greens.

AG1 contains 75 whole food sourced ingredients and contains vitamins, minerals, super foods,

adaptogens, and probiotics.

I've been taking this for months now and it's really helped simplify my health routine.

I hate opening multiple pill bottles every morning.

So, since taking AG1, I've been able to shrink this down into two things every morning.

I get my one scoop of AG1 by Athletic Greens.

I also use my one scoop of five grams of creatine which is great for this video and we'll talk

about that a little bit later but with that one scoop of AG1 by Athletic Greens, I put

it in my eight ounces of water, shake it up, drink it down, and I'm good to go.

What's also cool about AG1 is that it's NSF certified which means what's written on the

label, you can be assured is actually found in the product and some of my favorite benefits

of AG1 is one, it can help boost energy levels.

I'm not a big coffee drinker, so anything that can help increase energy levels throughout

the day is definitely a benefit for me.

It also can help with performance during exercise and aid in recovery between workouts which

is extremely important to me because I love exercise and I'm trying to actually train

for a Spartan race is an obstacle course race coming up and I have to destroy Jeremy during

the next race.

He cannot win.

For those who don't know Jeremy is, he founded the lab with me years ago.

He's behind the scenes.

He's also my brother-in-law, married my sister so even more of a nemesis because of that

but he doesn't get any AG1.

We're not giving him any.

He doesn't get the benefits of energy.

He doesn't get the benefits of increased performance or recovery.

None of that until after the race.

We don't care if he shrivels up from a vitamin deficiency prior to the race.

That sounds extreme but we're competitive but for all of you, we want great and good

things for your health and wellness.

So, if you're interested in all these benefits of AG1 by Athletic Greens and Outperforming

Jeremy, go to athleticgreens.com/humananatomy and they'll give our community a free one-year

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The link is in the description below.

So, how does creatine work and how does it help provide energy our cells?

Again, with that focus being on our skeletal muscle cells also known as our skeletal muscle

fibers.

Now, when our skeletal muscle fibers contract, they utilize or burn through the energy currency

of our cells called ATP or Adenosine Triphosphate.

Again, that phosphate is going to be important.

Now, ATP is only stored in limited amounts in your muscle tissue and so, when we're exercising,

we're burning through it like crazy and only having limited amounts, it would make sense

that our bodies great ways to synthesize more of this ATP and there's three ways that our

bodies do it or in other words three energy systems.

The first is referred to as the creatine phosphate energy system.

The second is glycolysis, often referred to as anaerobic glycolysis because oxygen is

not necessary for that process and also we have the third, oxidative phosphorylation

which oxidative refers to utilizing oxygen and you may have heard things like the creb

cycle or the citric acid cycle and the mitochondria and those last two glycolysis and oxidative

phosphorylation will save those related because as the first one's name implied, the creatine

phosphate energy system, that's where we're going to live for this video.

It's also even referred to as the ATP phosphocreatine system but it's the same thing and this energy

system, the creatine phosphate energy system is best suited for very high-intensity exercise.

Things that last like five to 10 seconds.

So, think of like a full-fledged sprint, max vertical jumping or really high-intensity

weight training like high - high weight, low repetition and so, when we're talking about

this and you're contracting your muscles during the sprinting or the weight lifting, you're

going to start burning through that ATP and as the ATP burns off, what happens is you

break off a phosphate and when a phosphate breaks off, that adenosine triphosphate, it

releases the energy necessary but that ATP then becomes ADP which is adenosine diphosphate

and this is where the creatine gets involved and it's amazing - so amazing in fact that

we're going to use the whiteboard for this.

Welcome to the whiteboard session everyone.

As you can see, we've got a nice little graph here that we're going to go over in just a

second and an ever so accurate anatomical rendition of trunk anatomy.

You can see the big old pectoralis major muscles, the six-pack muscle that we call the rectus

abdominis and of course, a belly button for a frame of reference and let's use the pectoralis

major or a bench press as an example or the quads and the hamstrings that you might use

during a sprints.

So, like if we're bench pressing high weight, low repetitions, regardless either one of

these high-intensity muscle contractions, we're going to utilize the ATP by breaking

off one of those phosphate bonds and releasing energy poof...

We've released the energy for the muscle contraction and then we're left with ADP or adenosine

diphosphate.

Now, remember earlier, I mentioned creatine as it's stored in the muscles.

About a third of it stored as regular old creatine but about two thirds of it is stored

as creatine phosphate and that's what the CRP stands for here.

Now, with the help of enzyme called creatine kinese, that creatine phosphate, that phosphate

is going to break off and then rephosphorate ADP.

In other words, think of it as donating its phosphate to ADP to create more ATP and that's

an extremely fast process.

It's a one-step chemical reaction.

So, really convenient for high-intensity muscle contractions and obviously, once we burn off

that phosphate from the creatine phosphate, you'll be left with creatine but there's limitations.

Yes, it's extremely fast process that we can replenish ATP but it only last about five

to 10 seconds because we only have so much creatine phosphate stored in the muscle tissue

and you might think well "how do we get more of that creatine phosphate?

how do we restore that?"

Well after you go for a sprint or high intensity weight training or high intensity exercise,

you tend to rest between sets and so, you're breathing heavy during those rest periods

and you're utilizing oxidative phosphorylation - another energy system that when we utilize

oxygen it's really efficient in replenishing ATP and utilizing energy to refosphoreate

creatine back into creatine phosphate so you're ready for that next sprint session or that

next you know, weight lifting set after you know, resting one to two minutes.

And that's about how long it takes to replenish that is one to two minutes.

Now, this next chart or graph right here kind of helps gives us another idea or helps drive

this point home further.

They did a test on sprinters and so this is pulled from a research study.

The green is representing creatine phosphate levels in the muscle and the ATPs - and the

blues representing the ATP levels in muscle tissue.

And for you chemistry geeks, they'd measured it in millimoles per kilogram and they did

it at various different distances - 20 - 40 - 60, all the way up to 100 meters sprint.

And so, at zero, obviously you're seeing the resting levels and as expected as the sprint

started and continued, the ATP levels would decline but at about 60 meters you could see

we got a little blip and we can thank that creatine phosphate energy system for replenishing

some of that ATP and at least helping maintain some of those levels for five to 10 seconds.

And as you can see that creatine phosphate really drops initially and then continues

to go down and down and down and down and eventually we're running out of that and we

won't be able to maintain that level of exercise intensity.

And so, that begs a really interesting question - what if we could start with a higher level

of resting creatine phosphate?

If we could increase the amount that was stored in the muscle tissue, could that improve athletic

performance?

Well, let's find out.

So, answering this big question, can we pack more creatine into the skeletal muscle tissue

in the form of creatine phosphate in order to improve athletic performance?

The data pretty clearly shows that the answer is yes.

Most of the data shows that people can increase their creatine muscle storage from anywhere

of about 10 to 40 percent of an increase.

Now, I do have to say some people don't respond much to creatine but the majority of people

can get those increases of 10 to 40 percent.

Now, how much would you have to consume to increase it that amount and it's about five

grams per day and some people will ask, well, "Can I get that from my diet?"

Remember where we got creatine from in the diet, mostly in beefs and fish.

So, you'd have to consume a ton of beef or fish in order to get five grams and when you

compare that to how easy it is, you just take a little scoop, mix it in your water, and

drink it down, it's a lot more feasible to take it in the supplement.

You just have to take so much meat in in order to get the five grams and especially when

you compare that to say like creatine loading, creatine loading is when people take about

20 grams per day for about five to seven days and then they'll maintain with five grams

after that and the idea behind that is to hurry and increase the levels.

Maybe they're a little impatient.

They don't want to wait for it to build up over time but that can increase the levels

a little bit more quickly but again, the most important part is being consistent with that

five grams per day to maintain those levels.

Now, once the levels are increased, what does that mean for us?

Does that magically increase your max bench press or your max squat?

Does it make you a faster sprinter?

That doesn't really, that's not really how creatine works.

You're not just going to magically go in and say your max bench press is 225 and then it

just jumps up to 245 with taking creatine because the creatine phosphate system was

all about replenishing ATP so that high intensity activity could last five to 10 seconds.

but now, maybe you can main that intensity a little bit longer.

Maybe you could sprint at that intensity for a couple seconds longer.

Maybe there's this weight that you could only do six reps.

Maybe you're curling and you could only do a certain weight for six repetitions but now

on creatine, you might be able to do it eight or nine repetitions.

And so, you can see that you're increasing your workload per session at that higher intensity

and over time, that's going to pay dividends in your muscular adaptations.

It's going to increase strength levels more efficiently over time because again, your

workloads increased as compared to when you're not using creatine.

Finally, is creatine safe and are there any potential side effects that we need to consider

when increasing creatine intake?

Well, there have been some reported side effects, things like weight gain and that's likely

due to creatine increasing the intracellular water content or in other words, the cells

retaining a little bit more water.

Now, it's generally pretty insignificant for most people but something to consider on an

individual basis.

There's also been claims that creatine could be linked to muscle cramps but that data is

pretty weak and most people don't experience cramping in their muscles due to creatine.

Also reports of things like nausea and upset stomach.

Again, variable from person to person and things that you'll have to decide on an individual

basis if it's worth it or not but there's plenty of people who don't really have any

GI side effects but coming back to this overall idea, is it actually safe?

And the organs that tend to come up in the safety discussions are the kidneys which we

saw a little earlier but we can see on the tray again here.

Now, creatine gets converted to another compound that sounds very similar called creatinine

and the creatinine will actually go in through the bloodstream, through the blood vessels

in the kidney here and make it out into the cortex of the kidney called the renal cortex

where it will get filtered out of the blood into these pyramids called collecting tubules

that are within the pyramids and then they'll go into the urinary tubules and eventually

out the toilet.

Now, creatinine levels are often looked at in clinical settings because creatinine levels

are kind of this assessment of kidney health and kidney function and so, this idea was

if we increase our creatine, are we also going to increase our creatinine and is that going

to have a problem with the kidneys.

But when you look at the data, people who take creatine, their creatinine levels are

still within the normal limits and there's been no data up to this point that has shown

taking creatine as a supplement or increasing those levels any major long-term or adverse

effects on kidney health.

Thanks for watching the video everyone.

Hopefully, you learn some cool new stuff about creatine and if you're interested, be sure

to check out AG1 by Athletic Greens.

That link is in the description below and if you feel the need, like, subscribe, leave

some comments.

We've got that video quiz question that you can comment on.

You can also comment on future videos you'd like to see in the future as well as talk

about why Superman is such a better superhero than Batman.

Justin thinks Batman is better.

It doesn't make any sense.

Jeffrey and I are on the Superman bandwagon which is the right bandwagon so you have full

permission to flame Justin over his Batman beliefs and we'll see you in the next video.