More creatine win. An interesting study that finds creatine has numerous benefits to vascular/microvascular endothelial function:
Effects of dietary creatine supplementation on systemic microvascular density and reactivity in healthy young adults
"The main findings of this study are as follows: i) oral supplementation with creatine monohydrate in healthy, moderately physically active young adults improves systemic endothelial-dependent microvascular reactivity; ii) the supplementation also increased skin capillary density and recruitment, which are dependent on microvascular endothelial function; and iii) blood pressure was also reduced after the supplementation.’
That form of creatine is a waste of $. The only form that’s well supported by the research is monohydrate. To date, every single new wizbang form of creatine claiming to be superior to monohydrate has been a total fail when put to legit scientific scrutiny head to head with CM, and CCE the poster child for that. See:
Will, good stuff here in the thread, thanks for putting it all together.
Couple things that I’ve noticed when I got on creatine about a month ago (I’m not much of a supplement guy aside from protein, but I’m currently testing out “stacking” the creatine with beta alanine, glutamine, and betaine). Anyway, nothing with my diet or workout routine changed and I had been consistently 180-181 for several weeks prior, yet almost immediately I jumped up 2-3 pounds when I started taking it. I know that creatine helps pull water into the cells, so is this just water retention? (I did notice a slight increase in strength as I was hitting some sticking points in my Wendler 5/3/1 program -mainly the squats- and feel like I broke thru some of it.)
Also, along the lines of water retention and slight weight gain, would you say that there’s a benefit to getting off of creatine if the goal is to look as lean as possible for a period of time? (Not necessarily talking about physique sports)
The hydration state of the cell is a anabolic stimulus and creatine does increase contractile proteins (actin and myosin) over time and FFM, so not just water.
As it’s predominantly intra cellular water, it tends to make muscle look fuller. When I think of water retention, I think extracellular which makes you look smoother. Some will claim it makes them look “bloated” yet water compartment studies find water balance favors intra cellular changes with creatine and I have known many who did creatine to the day of their show.
Studies suggest creatine may be helpful with depression and various mood disorders as well as being neuroprotective. Here’s a new review worth a read:
The possible beneficial effects of creatine for the management of depression
Progress in Neuro-psychopharmacology & Biological Psychiatry 2018 September 4
Depression, a highly prevalent neuropsychiatric disorder worldwide, causes a heavy burden for the society and is associated with suicide risk. The treatment of this disorder remains a challenge, since currently available antidepressants provide a slow and, often, incomplete response and cause several side effects that contribute to diminish the adhesion of patients to treatment. In this context, several nutraceuticals have been investigated regarding their possible beneficial effects for the management of this neuropsychiatric disorder.
Creatine stands out as a supplement frequently used for ergogenic purpose, but it also is a neuroprotective compound with potential to treat or mitigate a broad range of central nervous systems diseases, including depression. This review presents preclinical and clinical evidence that creatine may exhibit antidepressant properties. The focus is given on the possible molecular mechanisms underlying its effects based on the results obtained with different animal models of depression.
Finally, evidence obtained in animal models of depression addressing the possibility that creatine may produce rapid antidepressant effect, similar to ketamine, are also presented and discussed.
So what does this mean in English? It sounds like the benefits are the same as why I take L-Citrulline–more supple circulatory system.
But translate this into actual benefits, please. Better cardiovascular health? Increased NO in the blood stream? Weight loss? What is it actually good for?
What’s it good for in general? Damn near everything from what I can ascertain. As far as this study goes: micro vascular reactivity is also a measure of vascular health and the ability to respond/react quickly to a challenge. Study also saw slight decrease in BP. Good tables that summarize before/after Cr effects in full paper at link supplied.
I have taken monohydrate on and off for years in small doses, but recently decided to try the CEE. I started with 5mg and noticed no real improvement over the monohydrate, but I did notice my heart would race and I would sometimes feel light headed during workouts. I don’t remember this from my monohydrate days, so I don’t know if it’s a factor of the type of CR or just me getting older. Needless to say, I trashed the CEE and won’t go back.