Comparing Creatine Types: Monohydrate, Hydrochloride, and More
Creatine supplementation has been recognized to enhance sports performance since the early 1900s, according to scientists. Eighty percent or more of the competitors in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics said they used creatine.
Creatine is becoming a staple in professional and amateur athletes' supplement routines. Yet, as demand for this supplement has skyrocketed (and essentials creatine's portion of the sports nutrition industry has exploded), manufacturers have released hundreds of variants, each one seeming more sophisticated and scientific.
What Is Creatine?
Proteins are made up of smaller molecules called amino acids. Creatine is structurally identical to these building blocks. Creatine is mostly found in meat; hence, vegetarians tend to have lower levels of it than non-vegetarians. Supplemental use may raise muscle creatine levels by as much as 40%, and that's true even for those who don't follow a vegetarian diet.
For a long time, researchers have examined its potential as an optimum nutrition creatine supplement, and now, people all over the globe use it. It positively impacts musculoskeletal health, exercise performance, and maybe brain function.
Types of Creatine
Monohydrate
As a supplement, creatine monohydrate is by far the most popular type. Most studies on the subject have used this creatine monohydrate gnc format. Thus, creatine monohydrate has been practically the only type of creatine to show any positive benefits, such as enhanced performance in upper—and lower-body exercises.
Although it may be processed in many ways, this form consists of a water molecule and a creatine molecule. Creatine anhydrous is the outcome of removing the water molecule from the protein. The quantity of creatine monohydrate gnc in every dosage is increased by removing water. In contrast to creatine monohydrate, which contains about 90% creatine by weight, creatine anhydrous has 100% creatine by weight.
In other cases, mechanical processing or micronization is used to increase the water solubility of the creatine. Theoretically, if it were more soluble in water, your body could absorb it more effectively. Despite these little processing changes, each type likely works about the same when administered at the same dosage.
Creatine monohydrate gnc may increase the water content of muscle cells, which has the added benefit of improving strength. Transmitting signals associated with cell enlargement may positively impact muscle development. Thankfully, many studies show that optimum nutrition creatine is completely safe to use, and nobody has experienced any major negative effects.
When mild side effects do materialize, they usually manifest as gastrointestinal distress or cramps. Taking many smaller dosages instead of one bigger one may help reduce these negative effects. Creatine monohydrate gnc has been the go-to supplement for a long time since it is safe, effective, and cheap. Before recommending any new forms, they must be compared to it.
Hydrochloride
Some supplement makers and consumers have seen a dramatic increase in creatine hydrochloride (HCl) usage. Claims of its exceptional solubility likely fueled initial enthusiasm. Due to creatine HCL pills’ higher solubility in water, a lower dosage might be employed, minimizing relatively typical side effects such as an upset stomach. But until it's tested, this hypothesis is just conjecture.
Research has shown that creatine HCl has a solubility factor that is 38 times higher than that of creatine monohydrate. However, the lack of human studies on creatine HCL pills, powder, and powder is a major drawback. Until investigations compare the two, it is impossible to propose the HCl version as preferable to creatine monohydrate despite the evidence supporting its usefulness.
Ethyl Ester
According to some producers, creatine ethyl ester supplement is the best supplement, even better than monohydrate. Some research suggests that the body may be able to absorb it more efficiently than creatine monohydrate gnc. Furthermore, some think it might be more effective than creatine monohydrate because of variations in muscle absorption rates.
However, when comparing the two optimum nutrition creatines side-by-side, researchers discovered that it had a lower success rate in elevating blood and muscle creatine levels. For this reason, you should avoid utilizing the creatine ethyl ester supplement version.
Liquid Creatine
Most creatine supplements are available as a powder, but ready-to-drink options dissolve the supplement in water. Research on creatine drinks versions is scant, but what little there is suggests they aren't as effective as monohydrate powders.
According to one study, a monohydrate powder increased cycling performance by 10% compared to creatine drinks. Also, creatine can degrade if left in liquid for a few days. Since this does not happen instantly, you may easily combine the powder with water just before you take it. Mixing powders just before usage has been the standard in most studies. According to the studies, this is the best method for taking creatine pills.
Magnesium Chelate
Magnesium chelated creatine, often known as creatine magnesium chelate, is a supplement type that incorporates magnesium. Magnesium is just bound to the creatine molecule in this case. A single trial evaluated the effects of creatine magnesium chelated creatine, creatine monohydrate gnc, and a placebo on the strength and endurance of bench presses.
The magnesium chelate and monohydrate groups performed better than the placebo group; nonetheless, there was no discernible difference between the two. This suggests that creatine magnesium chelated creatine is just as effective as regular monohydrate creatine, if not more so.
Phosphate
When you work out at the gym, your muscles contract using creatine glycerol phosphate, a direct form of creatine more effective than ATP (the body's principal energy source for exercise). Existing evidence does not indicate that creatine phosphate products are superior to regular creatine monohydrate; however, such items are nevertheless accessible.
Micronized Creatine
"Micronized" optimum nutrition creatine is the same as, for example, creatine monohydrate gnc. It's the same ingredient; the micronized creatine monohydrate label only describes how the supplement is made. The creatine in the powder is micronized so that its particles are smaller. There aren't any significant biological benefits to using a finer micronized creatine monohydrate powder, but it should be simpler to combine and swallow. If you have gastrointestinal distress or a sensitive stomach, a micronized creatine monohydrate may be the way to go.
Buffered Creatine
This creatine is more basic or alkaline than ordinary creatine monohydrate because its pH is higher. Some argue that buffered creatine is better because it reduces the amount of creatine that breaks down into creatinine, a less valuable byproduct. Muscle creatine concentration and performance were unaffected in the lone large-scale investigation that compared it to monohydrate. The research indicated that the two groups' creatine increases were comparable. Creatine hydrochloride and other buffered forms of creatine may be less acidic and thus more palatable for athletes who suffer stomach cramps while using monohydrate creatine.
Optimum Nutrition Creatine Dosage
The recommended optimum nutrition creatine dosage for creatine is 3 to 5 grams per day. Since it builds up in the muscles naturally, you don't need to take it at a certain time or with other nutrients to help with exercises. The ultimate goal of optimum nutrition creatine supplementation is to create " saturated " muscles with creatine, which is a fancy way of saying "at capacity." No matter what you do to reach saturation, you should feel stronger and more muscular afterward.
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