The new trend in Creatine is creatine Ethyl Ester(CEE). You’ll probably do great with this stuff if you respond to creatine Monohydrate, but it has a horrible taste.
Creatine Monohydrate is still the supplement of choice based on the results of over 200 clinical studies that prove Creatine Monohydrate works best. There is data indicating that mixing Creatine Monohydrate with other substances may improve the uptake of Creatine into the body. Creatine Monohydrate is for healthy individuals only, who are engaged in strength training and muscle building.
Monohydrate is debatably the most effective non-hormonal supplement for increasing muscle mass and improving athletic performance, particularly in areas such as weight lifting and other activities characterized by short bouts of high-intensity exercise followed by brief rest periods.
Creatine, which was first identified in 1832, is a nitrogenic composite manufactured in the liver from the three amino acids Methionine, Arginine, and Glycine, and is transported to the muscles by means of the circulatory system. It is converted to Creatine Phosphate, a process aided by the enzyme Creatine Kinase. The average person stores about 100 grams of Creatine in muscle tissue and in the liver. Dietary sources high in Creatine include herring, salmon, tuna, beef, and other foods.
Creatine is a great supplement because in small amounts it can greatly increase strength and improve the appearance of muscles. It improves your strength by increasing ATP production. The sudden strength gain will cause an overload to the muscles that will create a huge amount of muscle mass – so it’s not just your bench press and your ego that will improve.
ATP is the initial fuel for your muscle contractions, and it provides energy by releasing a phosphate molecule. The energy produced by this lasts for about 10 seconds, after which more ATP must be produced. Your ability to generate ATP depends on your supply of Creatine. If you’re a vegetarian, you would tend to have less Creatine than meat-eaters, simply because meats are a source of Creatine.
Two scientific studies have shown that Creatine may be helpful for neuromuscular disorders. Why might Creatine be beneficial to those with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease? Researcher M. Flint Beal of Cornell University Medical Center suspects that the neuro-protective effects of Creatine in the mouse studies of ALS are due either an increased availability of energy to injured nerve cells or to a blocking of the chemical pathway that leads to cell death.
What Is Creatine Ester?
CEE is the most modern variety of Creatine, which is made using ester technology. It’s manufacturers say that the key to CEE success comes down to its cell permeability or its capacity to move into muscle cells. Regular Creatine Monohydrate does not move into muscle cells that easily. You only need 2-3 grams per day, because CEE is absorbed more efficiently by your intestines and then used easily by your muscles – so you require less to do the same job.
On the other hand, Creatine Monohydrate is absorbed into the bloodstream after being ingested, presumably by the amino acid transporter, and typically reaches a maximum plasma concentration in less than two hours. There are very few side effects associated with Creatine use. Although insulin increases Creatine muscle intake, you should avoid taking large amounts of high glycemic foods as this could lead to insulin resistance.
CEE is bitter tasting, so you may want to try the encapsulated form. Alternatively, you can mix CEE in with your beverage powders to help you tolerate the taste.
Research papers documenting CEE are almost impossible to find, so it’s hard to verify these claims. The lack of scientific data on CEE might tell you something about the reliability of the companies that sell this product. For instance, joining an ester group to the Creatine molecule does not make it any more bio-available. They claim that due to the ester attachment, this type of Creatine is able to permeate the muscle cell membrane, thus enabling more Creatine to enter the muscle membranes is a straight-out lie.
CEE has been on the market for a while now, and there is a considerable amount of consumer feedback. The most common argument against Creatine supplementation is that it has a low bioavailability. Secondly, it is argued that because of its characteristics, not too much Creatine makes it past the intestinal barrier. Given that we know that with the regular dose of Creatine, one can easily flood muscle tissue to full capacity, all of these arguments are pretty much moot.
Creatine Monohydrate Decreases Inflammation And Speeds Recovery
Weeks of intense exercise can take its toll on the body. A fascinating study completed by Brazilian researchers has revealed that supplementing with Creatine Monohydrate prior to working out reduces indicators of inflammation in the blood after exercise. The scientists asked a group of runners to load with Monohydrate before a 30 km race. Weighed against to an untreated group, the Monohydrate group showed lower levels of Creatine kinase, lactate dehyrogenase, prostaglandin E2 and tumor necrosis factor, all documented markers of tissue inflammation.
Does Creatine work? Is Creatine Monohydrate better than Creatine Ethyl Ester? If you’ve been hanging around the fitness center long enough, you’re bound to have heard these questions before. The one advantage CEE has is that, unlike Creatine Monohydrate, it’s highly soluble in water. CEE minimizes the potential for causing bloating by simple virtue of dissolving in water very well.