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Types of creatine: pros, cons, and effectiveness

This article is provided by the sports nutrition store Elite Power.
2016-05-16

Creatine is a substance of protein nature (i.e., a biopolymer composed of amino acids), the consumption of which, naturally in conjunction with exercise, contributes to rapid muscle mass growth. Creatine was obtained by chemist Chevreul from the muscles of vertebrate animals, where it is found in large quantities. In fact, the consumption of creatine is not much different from eating meat. However, the advantage of creatine is that by taking it, you get that part of meat that promotes muscle growth.

How does creatine work?

To understand the principle of how creatine works, it is necessary to delve a little into biochemistry and examine the basic energy processes occurring in the muscles. The main energy unit in the human and animal body is the ATP (adenosine triphosphate) molecule – all the proteins, fats, and carbohydrates we consume are converted into it. ATP is utilized by the body where energy is needed, such as in the muscles during their active work. After being delivered to the site of active work, the ATP molecule is broken down, releasing a massive amount of energy, which is then used for necessary processes (in muscles – for muscle contraction, as well as for synthesizing new fibers and increasing muscle mass).

Creatine, entering the muscles, combines with a phosphate group, forming phosphocreatine. It is this phosphate group that plays a crucial role in energy metabolism in muscles: creatine donates it to the broken-down ATP molecule, restoring it and making it functional.

Thus, creatine helps to provide continuous energy supply to the muscles during work, reducing the body's expenditure on ATP synthesis by half and doubling the speed of muscle mass growth.

Types of Creatine

Today, there is a huge variety of creatine forms. Each form has its advantages and disadvantages. The first thing to know is that natural and synthetic creatine differ only in the method of production. Natural creatine is extracted from animal muscles, while synthetic creatine is "assembled" in laboratories from cyanamide and sarcosine. Chemically, they are the same substance.

Secondly, different forms of the same substance do not act the same! Despite having the same active ingredient, how the preparation works depends on its form.

Let's consider the main types of creatine and their features:

1. Creatine Monohydrate and Creatine Anhydrous – the simplest forms of the substance: pure creatine containing a little water. An undeniable advantage of such forms is the low cost of the product. Disadvantages include the fact that some consumers may experience stomach and intestinal pain from this creatine.

2. Creatine Citrate, Creatine Phosphate, Creatine Malate, and Creatine Tartrate – forms of creatine that contain organic acids (citric, phosphoric, lactic, and tartaric, respectively), which accelerate energy release. The advantages of these forms of creatine are faster absorption by the body (compared to creatine monohydrate) and additional energy received by the muscles. Disadvantages include a higher product cost as well as a lower concentration of pure creatine in the product.

3. Creatine - glutamine – taurine and Magnesium creatine. The main advantage of these forms of creatine is the additional substances magnesium and glutamine, which significantly shorten the metabolic pathways for delivering creatine to the muscles, as well as facilitate its absorption. Magnesium and taurine, among other things, increase muscle strength. The downsides of these forms of creatine include a complex intake schedule that requires an individual approach.

4. Creatine HMB – a form containing a metabolite of leucine, which accelerates recovery and muscle growth. The advantages of this form include rapid absorption by the body, minimal harm to the stomach and intestines. The disadvantages are that this form of creatine is one of the most expensive, as well as one of the least studied.

5. Creatine citrate, liquid creatine, and effervescent creatine tablets. The main advantage of such forms of creatine is their high solubility in water, which makes them convenient to use and significantly speeds up the absorption of creatine. The obvious downsides of these forms are their low effectiveness, as shown by recent studies.

6. Chewable creatine and Extended Release Creatine. The advantage of these forms of creatine is that they allow for gradual release of creatine, which significantly increases its duration of action, making creatine more effective at lower (compared to other forms) concentrations due to prolonged presence of creatine in the body. The downsides are the high cost of the product relative to other forms, as well as a lower concentration of creatine in the product.

So which one is better?

There is, of course, no definitive answer to this question, as the effectiveness of a particular product or form of creatine depends on many factors, including the individual metabolic characteristics of the person taking creatine. Speaking about the form of the product, the most effective type of creatine today is considered creatine monohydrate (which is mostly due to the maximum study of this type of product) and creatines with transport substances (creatine malate, creatine citrate, and creatine phosphate).

As for the best creatine manufacturer, opinions among consumers often vary greatly, making it impossible to pinpoint the manufacturer of the most effective product. However, in an attempt to determine effective products and the best manufacturers, many resources dedicated to sports nutrition conduct surveys and compile ratings. Of course, the survey results cannot be considered one hundred percent objective, as both professional trainers and bodybuilders, as well as amateurs and novice athletes, participate in the surveys. Nevertheless, such surveys help highlight the most popular types of creatine and manufacturing companies, which can ease the problem of selecting creatine.

Thus, according to the results of numerous surveys on different resources, among creatine monohydrate, the most popular products were:

Among creatines with transport systems, the most effective ones according to the surveyed were:

However, it is important to remember that for maximum muscle gain efficiency, one should only turn to professionals. A good trainer will not only help you develop an effective workout program but also select the most suitable type of creatine for you.