Is Creatine Natural?

It's not uncommon to see boxes of creatine supplements all across gyms and sports nutrition stores around us.

After all, creatine is one of the most well-researched and popular supplements for building muscle mass and strength. However, many believe people that creatine is not natural.

Let us find the real truth and facts about creatine to develop a clear and complete understanding.

What is Creatine?

Creatine is a naturally-occurring organic acid produced from amino acids and supplies energy to cells, especially muscle cells. This amino acid is primarily found in our muscles and in the brain.

We can also consume creatine from a wide range of other sources. It gets produced in the kidneys, pancreas, and liver and is then delivered for use by the skeletal muscles.

Small quantities of creatine are also found in the brain, heart, and other tissues. It is also found in foods such as red meat, seafood, and milk.

Some of the popular sources of creatine include Herring Fillet (raw and dried), salmon, pork, Herring, beef patties (raw), Beef steak gravy (juice cooked from meat), Chicken breast, Tuna, Cod, Dry-cured ham, Beef cattle heart, Hot dogs, Falun sausage, Bacon, Enfamil, Nestle Good Start, Milk, and Cranberries. Other sources of creatine include walnuts, almonds, pine nuts, pumpkin and sesame seeds, pistachio, spinach, spirulina, seaweed, milk, ricotta cheese, tofu, Brazil nuts, white beans, and quinoa.

Being a natural compound, creatine is produced naturally in the body but in small quantities. Creatine also gets produced naturally in other animals and our body can absorb creatine when we eat them.

Found naturally in animal proteins, creatine is also sold as a dietary and sports nutrition supplement to provide a relatively inexpensive and convenient way to increase your intake.

Creatine is transformed into creatine phosphate in the body that, in turn, produces adenosine triphosphate (ATP) that offers the energy required for muscle contractions.

Scientifically, it has been proven that creatine supplementation can increase lean muscle mass, improve strength, and help the muscles recover quickly after intense workouts. These advantages may help athletes, fitness enthusiasts, and bodybuilders achieve bursts of energy and speed.

How safe is creatine?

Creatine is natural and enjoys an exceptional safety profile. However, medical advice should always be sought if you are suffering from a kidney or liver disease. It is also not routinely advised to pregnant, breastfeeding, and lactating women.

Creatine supplementation should always be made under the guidance of a medical practitioner after a thorough evaluation of medical history and reports is performed.

Creatine supplementation can help you increase fat-free muscle mass during training. It can also reduce and/or prevent the severity or occurrence of injuries.

Creatine can also enhance your exercise performance and tolerate heavy training loads and workout sessions. If this is not all, creatine can even help you stay hydrated and avoid muscle cramps, soreness, and damage.

You should always use creatine supplements as advised on the pack. Creatine supplements should never be overdosed or abused in hopes of quick results.