Creatine Facts - Pros and Cons of Creatine Monohydrate

Both athletes and bodybuilders have used creatine extensively in recent years. It's popularity stems from its ability to enhance muscle growth and athletic performance. Creatine acts as a ready source of energy for muscles and hence people who consume creatine often report an increase in strength and endurance, which enable them to excel in their sports activities.

Currently creatine is classified as a health supplement and as such it does not come under the regulation of FDA as in the case of pharmaceutical drugs. It can be sold freely and as such, one can easily find hundreds of different brands of creatine in the market. Of all these, creatine monohydrate is the most commonly available and consumed form.

But is creatine really safe? This seems to be the question often asked by potential consumer of this supplement. Since creatine monohydrate is the most readily available form, lets take a look at the pros and cons of creatine monohydrate.

The Pros:

As mentioned, creatine has been reported by many to be an effective supplement in muscle growth and bodybuilders are among the top consumers of this product. Because creatine is able to make energy readily available for muscles during workouts, it enable bodybuilding enthusiasts to workout for a longer duration and this has help in the rapid muscle gain.

Beside this, creatine has also been reported to be beneficial in some medical illnesses.

1. Creatine is found to improve muscle strength, and lean body mass in people suffering from neuromuscular disorders, which are characterized by muscle weakness, and wasting.
2. Creatine may also help in lowering cholesterol level in people with abnormally high concentration of lipids in their blood
3. There are some preliminary studies, which suggests that taking creatine as a supplement along with the usual medical care for congestive heart failure patients had significant improvement in their symptoms and a marked increase in exercise capacity compared to those on placebo.
4. Creatine also seems to help relieve muscle weakness in arthritic patients.

The Cons:

There are certain side effects of creatine reported which include nauseous, vomiting, gastrointestinal disturbance like diarrhea, gastric upset, muscle cramps and dizziness. However, some studies done have shown that these so-called negative effects of creatine is caused mainly by improper consumption of the creatine.

Also, there is lacking evidences to support its use on a long-term basis and many are thus wary and hesitant to take creatine long term.

As mentioned, side effects of creatine are mainly created because of ignorance on the part of the users. If you want to find out more about creatine, then check out the section on Creatine Facts - Creatine Health problem and Creatine Facts - How to Take Creatine For Maximum Effects which would show you "how to take creatine", "when to take creatine" to get the most out of this supplement.