Avoiding the Possible Dangers of Creatine

Now hang on to your seat because I am about to inform you about health concerns that can help you avoid the dangers of creatine. Before I go any further I should tell you what creatine is and what it does to your body. Creatine is a chemical substance that is produced by the liver and kidneys and 95% of this is stored in the muscles. In a much wider sense creatine is an amino acid, a building block of protein that is essential for the growth of your body. This is why you will find that your doctor will prescribe a fish and meat diet if he notices a deficiency of creatine.

Since the early nineties sportsmen and sportswomen have been consuming inorganic creatine like monohydrate salts and phosphate in order to enhance their performance. Believe it or not but you take in much less synthetic creatine to produce the same amount of creatine that the body produces on its own. Now here is where it gets ugly, the risks of creatine supplements can be scary.

Kidney and liver damage is one obvious result of excessive intake of inorganic creatine supplements. This is indicated by high levels of creatinine in urine, a surefire sign of kidney damage as the kidney has to work extra hard to get rid of the excess creatinine. A condition known as kidney stones may begin and it is advisable to drink a lot of water.

Creatine has the added capacity to draw water. So since creatine is largely in muscle tissue there is a high likelihood that a person who takes a lot of creatine supplements will gain weight. This leads to yet another problem associated with creatine's ability to attract water. Muscle cramps are caused by low levels of water in the body as most of it would have settled in the muscles. Simply stated, these low water levels cause dehydration which is also a direct cause of kidney stones

What's more, insulin resistance is yet another danger to be wary of. In order to maximise creatine absorption some people will resort to glycemic sugars from carbohydrates. The problem with this is that this overload of glycemic sugars will ultimately overload the system with glucose. Now, when the body has too much glucose the positive effects of insulin will be hampered. This will then lead to diabetes due to the body's inability to absorb and use glucose to fulfill the body 's energy needs. Eventually the diabetes will lead to further complications with the eyes, kidneys, nerves and damage and harm to ones blood vessels.

Just for the record, creatine can also cause heat exhaustion, bloating and stomach upsets. In short, it is perfectly healthy to have creatine in your life but overuse of nutritional supplements can end in sad tragedy. Allow yourself the few benefits of added muscular activity, but don't overdo it.

Even though creatine forms a natural component of your natural physiological make-up it can be harmful to your health. Creatine supplements are everywhere and you might get caught up in an addiction that can complicate your life.