A common doubt pertaining to creatine use is that we need to increase the water intake post creatine consumption. If not, then creatine cause water retention , cramping, dehydration etc. especially when working out in a hot environment. The concern about dehydration when taking creatine supplements is largely due to your muscle tissue retaining water. This is the reason you may experience weight gain after just a week of supplementing creatine.
The results of this study indicate that creatine supplementation elevates body mass. These increases may partially reflect changes in body water stores and may be enough to improve thermal regulation during exercise in the heat, as evidenced by an attenuated rise in rectal temperature over a 60min period of exercise post-supplementation. Further, amid anecdotal reports that creatine cause water retention , dehydration, muscle cramping, and heat exhaustion, the subjects in this study reported no overt side effects of creatine supplementation.
Body mass was significantly increased in Cr subjects. Heart rate, blood pressure, and sweat rate responses to exercise were not significantly different between groups. Sodium, potassium, and creatinine excretion rates obtained from 24h and exercise urine collection periods were not significantly altered in either group. Serum creatinine was elevated in the Cr group but within normal ranges. Peak power was greater in the Cr group during all three 10 sec sprints after supplementation and unchanged in the placebo group. There were no reports of adverse symptoms, including muscle cramping during supplementation or exercise. Researchers thus concluded that, Cr supplementation augments repeated sprint cycle performance in the heat without altering thermoregulatory responses.
Significant increases before and after the study were found in TBW and body water content for the creatine group. No significant changes were found in percent body fat or daily caloric intake in the creatine group. No significant changes were noted for the placebo group. These findings support the fact that creatine supplementation increases TBW. Mean percent body fat and caloric intake was not affected by creatine supplementation. Therefore, weight gain in lieu of creatine supplementation may in part be due to the reason that creatine cause water retention.
The results indicated that the supplementation protocol was effective in increasing muscle Cr concentrations. Increased muscle Cr content was associated with an increased body mass and TBW volume. Thus, supplementation does result in water retention.
It was initially hypothesized that the water would be preferentially retained intracellularly, altering fluid distribution. However, this was not observed. Therefore, the theory of a Cr-related fluid shift is not supported because fluid distribution remained normal.
An alteration in fluid distribution during supplementation had been suggested as a cause of muscle cramping and other heat-related problems anecdotally associated with Cr supplementation. Because the subjects failed to experience any side effects beyond weight gain, it cannot be determined whether athletes supplementing their habitual diet with oral Cr monohydrate will be more predisposed to muscle cramping and heat illness than athletes who are not ingesting Cr. However, the results do not support the fluid-shift theory behind Cr supplementation and heat illness.
Acc. to writer & researcher T.C. Luoma, “creatine does indeed cause cellular volumization and that’s an important determinant of protein breakdown and protein synthesis in skeletal muscle (and other cell types, too). Working out turns on protein synthesis while simultaneously breaking down protein, but creatine shifts the balance towards protein synthesis.
Yes, creatine supplies an extra phosphate group to help regenerate ATP during high-intensity contractions, but cell volumization is an even more important cause of creatine’s muscle-building effect.
Long-term use is a slightly different scenario because that’s when creatine increases fat-free mass without a concomitant increase in total body water. Muscle fibre diameter goes up, along with strength, so long-term effects appear to be caused largely by increased muscle mass.”
Researchers found that, the incidence of cramping, heat/dehydration, muscle tightness, muscle pulls/strains, non-contact joint injuries, contact injuries, illness, number of missed practices due to injury, players lost for the season, and total injuries/missed practice, were generally lower or proportional to the creatine use rate among players. Creatine supplementation does not appear to increase the incidence of injury or cramping in Division IA college football players.
Subjects (15 men and 1 woman) performed a cycle test of maximum oxygen consumption to determine the proper work rate for the heat-stress test (40min at 39deg C) and were assigned to a creatine group or a placebo group. Each group performed the heat-stress test on two separate occasions: before supplementation and after supplementation (20g/d of creatine with Gatorade or placebo plus Gatorade). Researchers found that, short-term creatine supplementation (20g/d for 5 days) did not have a negative effect on thermoregulatory responses during exercise at 39deg C.
The study showed that, short-term Creatine monohydrate supplementation does not adversely affect thermoregulatory, cardiorespiratory, metabolic, or perceptual responses in people exercising under thermal stress; and short-term creatine monohydrate supplementation was not associated with increased incidence of negative side effects (i.e., cramping or heat illnesses and injuries). Thus, Short-term creatine supplementation did not increase the incidence of symptoms or compromise hydration status or thermoregulation in dehydrated, trained men exercising in the heat.
Six days of Cr supplementation produced a significant increase in body weight, whereas the P did not. Compared to pre-exercise measures, the exercise test in the heat produced a significant increase in core temperature, a loss of body water determined by body weight change during exercise, and a relative change in plasma volume; however, these were not significantly different between P and Cr. Sprint performance was enhanced by Cr loading. Peak power and mean power were significantly higher during the intermittent sprint exercise test following 6 days of Cr supplementation. It appears that ingestion of Cr for 6 days does not produce any different thermoregulatory responses to intermittent sprint exercise and may augment sprint exercise performance in the heat.
Lopez & team, after analysing over fifteen studies, concluded that, “No substantial evidence currently exists showing that creatine supplementation hinders the body’s ability to dissipate heat or body fluid balance when appropriate doses are consumed. Controlled experimental trials of athletes exercising in the heat over a short period of time resulted in no adverse effects from creatine supplementation.”
For the study, adult males between the age of 18-35yrs were advised to use 0.3grams of creatine per kilogram for several weeks. Researchers found that, 34.5% of people who used creatine experienced weight gain, but did not manifest signs of dehydration at the indicated dose. Acc. to the researchers, although at lower doses of 3grams there is no scientific evidence that risk of dehydration occurs, the recommendation is to maintain a high fluid intake (200-250ml of water per 2.5grams of creatine) since this water needs to be stored and if the availability is low, it decreases absorption and retention within the cell. There is no evidence that taking creatine in normal doses increases heat stress or adversely affects the performance of the athlete in warm environments.
Acc. to examine.com research, only potential side-effects are nausea, stomach cramps, and diarrhoea from too large a dose. Creatine cause water retention , but if you exercise, with time the proportion of added muscle to added water will increase.
Acc. to a 2018 study in the journal Sports Health, by Dr. Jessica Butts & team , creatine cause water retention and decreased urinary volume due to its osmotic effect. This may result in temporary weight gain, particularly during the loading phase. However, no adverse effects have been reported because of this.
So, creatine does draw water from in your blood stream and stores additional water within your muscles, which is why when you begin taking creatine, your muscles may feel fuller. This means that it can also draw water away from other parts of the body. However, this does not make you dehydrated, as the studies have shown. Also, there is no proof which says that creatine cause water retention , dehydration, cramping and other adverse effects when working out in heat. People saying that, they have gained weight in stomach after taking creatine are just fat. The water retention happens in the muscles, not in the stomach.
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