The discovery of Creatine leads back to 1832. A French scientist named Chevreul, identified a naturally occurring organic compound in meat, and it was later found to be manufactured by the liver, kidneys and pancreas using three amino acids. The scientist named the compound Creatine after the Greek word for flesh(Phillips 8).

Creatine is a compound that is naturally made in our bodies to supply energy to our muscles. It is an energy rich metabolite that is found mainly in muscle tissue. It is responsible for supplying the muscle with energy during exercise. Chemically, it is called Methylguanido-acid. Creatine is formed from the three amino acids, argentine, methionine

A recent study followed 19 men who lifted weights regularly over 12 weeks. Those taking creatine registered an average 6.3 percent gain in fat-free body mass, compared with a 3.1 percent gain in those not taking the supplement(Timberline 1). In 1981, an article published in the New England Journal of Medicine by Dr. L. Silila Reported that supplementation with Creatine in a group of patients suffering from a condition called Gyrate Atrophy (a genetic ailment of the eyes caused by a metabolic inability to efficiently metabolize ornithine and synthesize Creatine) improved the test subject's strength, increased their bodyweight by ten percent, and partially reversed the Type II muscle fiber atrophy associated with this disease(Silila 867). One athlete in this group of test subjects improved his best time in the 100-meter sprint by two seconds. In 1993, a study peer reviewed and published in Scandinavian Journal of Medicine, Science and sports (Balsom 143) demonstrated that Cre!

Casey, A. "Creatine Supplementation Favorably Affects Performance and Muscle Metabolism During Maximal Intensity Exercise in Human." American Journal of Physiology 271 (1996): 31-37.

optimal benefit. Now, champion athletes and bodybuilders around the world swear by Creatine's effects. Now in the 90's Creatine has major use in all sport categories, "At least one quarter of all major leaguers now use the substance. That number is at least as high in professional hockey and basketball, and perhaps 50% of NFL Players take Creatine. Among Olympic Sprinters, cyclists and weightlifters, those who do not use Creatine are harder to find than those who do(Bamberger 62)."

Creatine has not yet been definitely linked to any adverse health effects, and thus has very few side effects. One side effect usually caused by over-dosage which some have complained about is stomach cramps. Reducing the intake of creatine in almost all cases has reduced cramps to little or none. Although no adverse side effects have been reported in the literature from clinical trials, concern has been raised by some physicians, athletic trainers, and dieticians regarding: nausea, cramping, dehydration, diarrhea, and a possible enhanced renal stress or liver damage. It has not yet been determined as to whether or not Creatine causes liver damage. However, it is obvious that if people experience these minor problems due to Creatine supplementation, then they should discontinue the use of it.

ine Diphosphate (ADP). Creatine, when present in the muscle in sufficient amounts, donates a phosphate group to ADP and it rapidly retransform to ATP, which is immediately available to the muscle to be used for a fuel for exercise.

Creatine is naturally found in foods. For example, the average helping of beef or fish contains about 1 gram of naturally occurring Creatine. Unfortunately, Creatine is very sensitive to heat and cooking virtually dest

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