The assimilation of creatine by your muscle fibers

There creatine is an organic component composed from three amino acids that we have known since the 19th century. It is also one of the substances essential to the performance of our muscle cells that we know best. However, research on creatine only really developed with the launch of the first supplement based on this molecule, proposed by EAS Nutrition in the early 1990s. Bodybuilders over 40 may still remember the first glowing advertisements that could be read in the specialized press.

Physical performance, influence of creatine on Strength , endurance, maximum muscle power, cognitive function, and other criteria have been the subject of extensive scientific study. However, the question of creatine assimilation has always seemed self-evident to researchers. For years, cellular absorption of this nutrient seemed to be a given. In reality, this is not the case, and many food supplement brands have taken advantage of this to offer their creatine associated with some sort of transporter, as is done for any mineral salt.

Dozens of forms of creatine have been synthesized to improve its absorption.

Besides the Creatine monohydrate , creatine gluconate, citrate, ethyl ester, nitrate, Kre Alkalyn and other chelated magnesium have appeared on the sports nutrition market without really providing an improvement over the initial creatine salt (monohydrate). In fact, creatine monohydrate has always served as a standard reference in relation to the assimilation of other forms of creatine. However, a record of uselessness and zero assimilation has been achieved by the ethyl ester form. Fortunately, it is now abandoned by the majority of food supplement manufacturers. Still, the proportions between creatine and the transporter vary.

Anhydrous creatine is the dry base of this molecule, so it contains 100% of it. Creatine monohydrate, on the other hand, contains a little over 87%. Scientifically, the monohydrate form has consistently proven its effectiveness in well-designed clinical studies. Other molecules have also produced varying degrees of success, but they are no better than the creatine salt, the monohydrate form. The only exception is creatine hydrochloride, or creatine HCl.

Some researchers have always thought that the assimilation of creatine was obvious...

The bias of some researchers, considering that creatine was completely assimilated in the intestines, has always led to the belief that this ATP assistant passed without problem through the stomach and then the intestine and arrived intact at the level of the muscle cells. This path of a substance through the body in relation to its bioavailability is also known as pharmacokinetics. Indeed, if creatine resists very well to stomach acidity (less than pH2), it is very unlikely that it remains intact before reaching the muscles. A large majority of bodybuilders had experienced this since the beginning of the product's marketing, when it was simply associated with glucose in the first food supplements to contain it. Since then, more serious research has been carried out on the pharmacokinetics of this ergogenic molecule, proving that total assimilation of any molecule is only an illusion without serious scientific basis.

Creatine will always be best absorbed on an empty stomach at an acidic pH of around 1.3

While combining this famous creatine with glucose gives good results on muscle strength and volume, it has been proven since 1927 (!) that creatine is perfectly assimilated on an empty stomach since the pH of 1.3 in a healthy stomach promotes this assimilation. Conversely, during meals, the stomach pH increases between 3 and 6, which increases creatinine metabolism, even if it remains moderate (between 2 and 10%). Let's also remember that many bodybuilders have reported a greater increase in strength with the famous Kre Alkalyn (a monohydrate form with modified pH) than with standard creatine salt. From this, we could say that creatine can be partially degraded before reaching the muscles. Clinical experiments had, however, demonstrated the absence of gain compared to monohydrate with Kre alkalyn under American patent. So finally, who should we believe?

Would creatine Hcl have an assimilation almost equal to 100%?

Creatine HCl is based on a hydrochloride, allowing for 100% dissolution of creatine. This suggests no losses and remarkable effectiveness. Feedback from established clinical experiences with athletes will confirm that creatine HCl is significantly better assimilated than monohydrate in certain cases. To this end, this concentrated form of creatine could provide an advantage in muscle strength and power delivery that is greater than monohydrate.

At least, that's the case with Kre alkalyn, the most effective form of creatine on the market, according to feedback from strength practitioners. This proves above all that the assimilation of creatine monohydrate is far from being as perfect as we might have thought. Still, YAM Nutrition has chosen Creapure , a patented form of creatine monohydrate from the German manufacturer Alz Chem for its purity and absence of impurities during manufacturing. Today, Creapure offers a guarantee that no other brand on the strength athlete supplement market offers.

However, we also chose anhydrous creatine since it is the dry base of this ergogenic. It is therefore 100% creatine while monohydrate contains 87.9%.

Alpha lipoic acid and HMB combine very well with creatine.

While glucose will obviously act as a lever for creatine through insulin, two other molecules will also improve its assimilation. These are simply alpha lipoic acid and HMB, a derivative of Leucine that you already know. Alpha lipoic acid is known to be essential for the metabolization of macronutrients into cellular energy. This is particularly the case for glucose. In this way, creatine is better assimilated with alpha lipoic acid since this molecule commits glucose to its use by the mitochondria. However, the exact mechanism is too complex to be explained here. Simply remember that alpha lipoic acid acts as a lever at the cellular level for creatine.

Could HMB enhance the effects of creatine supplementation?

The HMB plays on a different field. We now know that this leucine derivative is not only a potential anti-catabolic but also triggers certain cellular processes that activate the increase in the number of mitochondria. Thus, HMB not only reduces the breakdown of amino acids but also potentiates the generation of energy from glucose. HMB also reduces the concentration of creatine kinase in the blood, suggesting a higher efficiency of ATP recycling by phosphocreatine at the cellular level.

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