By Andrea Hargraves 
It is enough to start a physical activity with which most people already start looking for a way Weight loss And Gaining muscle mass in a more effective way.
With that, the search also begins for nutritional supplements that offer more nutrients and the best diet to reach the desired goal faster. It is at that moment that creatine He remembers.
An amino acid is one of five dietary suplements Which has scientific evidence of its effectiveness in improving physical ability. The others are: bicarbonateAnd caffeineAnd vests And beta alanine. Therefore, creatine is widely prescribed by doctors and nutritionists.
To get a fever idea, creatine was the best-selling ingredient in 2022 in Brazil on the online sales platform Mercado Livre.
Functional and sports nutritionist Gabriela Cela explains that the supplement “acts as though it increases energy production within the muscular system.”
“For example, an athlete who is running a marathon will improve the ability for a final sprint, muscular resistance and perception of effort. For a person who is a bodybuilder, strength capacity will improve, perception of effort in terms of fatigue,” says Gabriela.
Gains in muscle mass, improvement in performance, and recovery after exercise are already felt from the first weeks of using the nutrient.
“The patient will gain noticeable strength, muscle fibers will improve and they will be balanced. It makes it easier to exercise. Perception depends on the organism of each individual, but in general, in the first few weeks, we can notice the effect, “says Alemao Hospital Dietitian Oswaldo Cruz, Alexander Griffoni.
However, the nutritionist points out that the benefits are greater for those who do more detailed and advanced training.
“For convenient creatine use [substâncias usadas com o objetivo de melhorar o desempenho esportivo], the person needs more advanced training. Whoever started now, with walking, with bodybuilding, needs some time for the body to have an adaptive response to exercise.”
Why supplement creatine?
Individuals produce creatine endogenously in small amounts, and the main sources of this amino acid are animal proteins — beef, poultry, fish, and eggs — that are ingested through food.
In the case of people who want to improve performance or need to increase muscle mass for health reasons, supplementation is essential.
The prescription ranges from 3g to 5g per day, but the strategy used is always individual, so use must be prescribed by a doctor or nutritionist.
“We can even strategize giving a higher dose for five to seven days of 20g every other day and then adjust the dose from 3g to 5g,” says the doctor.
Who cannot use creatine?
The use of the supplement can be continuous, since Contraindications are limited to people with kidney problems – The substance is filtered in the kidneys and can overload the organ.
“We have to be careful with those people who have a kidney problem, when they are on dialysis, or patients with decompensated diabetes, or high blood pressure with heart failure, who have a lot of retention. [de líquidos]. Sometimes we avoid it for the sake of these people, ”Alexander confirms.
This is one reason why creatine should not be used without a professional’s indication.
the Bloating and water retention can also be side effects of creatineHowever, specialists assure that such problems occur many times due to drought.
“Creatine has an intramuscular effect, no dermatologic effect, and no retention. What happens is that creatine is an amino acid and has renal filtration. So if a person does not have enough water intake, it is going to overburden the kidneys, not because the supplement does.” It, but because of the lack of water,” says Gabriella.
further than Marombiros
The use of creatine has become popular in the search for more toned and muscular bodies, but with contraindications in mind, the benefits of this supplement go beyond aesthetics.
At the height of the epidemic, the product helped many serious patients regain muscle mass.
“We use creatine a lot in the post-covid period, to recover from sarcopenia [perda de massa muscular] and in people who have been intubated. In these cases, with the aim of recovery, and not for the purpose of generating energy, ”recalls the nutritionist.
The doctor also adds that creatine brings cognitive improvements in the elderly.
In addition to muscle strength, there are other benefits. In some cases, cognitive improvement has been reported in patients with dementia problems or some patients with chronic inflammatory problems, such as Parkinson’s disease, some muscular dystrophies, or even Huntington’s disease. We improved this patient’s muscle loss process and helped the cognitive part,” Alexander celebrates.
He concludes: “I prescribe creatine to my grandmother who is 95 years old. Thus, she has muscle strengthening and can develop her daily activities better.”
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