| Creatine Monohydrate Digestion | | | | sugars. When your body digests these creatine |
| Creatine monohydrate has long been a staple in the | | | | monohydrate supplements too quickly, an abundance |
| supplement regiment of nearly any fitness enthusiast | | | | of gas is produced in your stomach and |
| since it started gaining notoriety in the 90's. Whether it | | | | Gastrointestinal (GI) Tract. This is where the bloating |
| be EAS's Phosphagen or Champion Nutrition's Power | | | | problem comes from, as well as the cramping. |
| Creatine, almost everyone I've ever talked to has at | | | | Many foods and drinks can contribute to bloating and |
| one time or another taken some form of creatine | | | | gas, such as: |
| product. | | | | · Carbonated drinks and beer |
| Some of the positive aspects of creatine | | | | · Foods high in fiber |
| monohydrate use are: | | | | · Excessive alcohol |
| · Better muscle pumps | | | | · High sugar foods |
| · More endurance | | | | · Starchy foods |
| · A slower onset of muscle fatigue | | | | · Many medications |
| · Strength gains | | | | Many supplement companies load their creatine |
| · More intense workouts | | | | products with a boat load of creatine "transporters" |
| In contrast to this, there are also some negative side | | | | which is designed to shuttle the creatine quickly into |
| effects of creatine monohydrate that I have heard | | | | your muscles. Their main transporter is usually |
| from various individuals. | | | | dextrose, which is a simple sugar. Simple sugars are |
| They include: | | | | digested quickly in order to cause an insulin spike, |
| · Stomach cramping | | | | which will then quickly get the creatine into your |
| · Diarrhea | | | | muscles. As you just read above, the quick digestion |
| · Bloating | | | | leads to gas and bloating. |
| Luckily, in my 15 plus years of using various creatine | | | | A pure creatine monohydrate supplement should be |
| monohydrate supplements, I have never had to deal | | | | properly absorbed by your digestive system and will |
| with these problems. So, you may ask; what causes | | | | help to pull water into your muscles, which is what you |
| these negative aspects of creatine to happen to these | | | | want, thus creating those skin-stretching pumps! |
| unfortunate individuals? | | | | If you feel you have a quality creatine product but you |
| The answer is fairly simple - poor absorption of the | | | | are still dealing with some of these negative side |
| creatine molecules. | | | | effects, you may want to look into supplementing with |
| When creatine isn't digested properly, it sits in your | | | | some digestive enzymes such as Digest Essentials by |
| intestines. Still, the creatine will do what it is supposed | | | | Food Science Labs to aid your GI tract, or possibly |
| to do and draw water to itself. This influx of water is | | | | some healthy bacteria, such as Nature's Secret |
| drawn to your intestines and interferes with the normal | | | | Ultimate Probiotic, to aid your digestive system when |
| digestion process. The abundance of water has to be | | | | using creatine monohydrate supplements. |
| dealt with, and this is what results in the diarrhea. | | | | These simple tips can help to ensure that stomach |
| As for the bloating and cramping problems, this could | | | | problems from creatine monohydrate supplements are |
| be caused from not having a pure creatine product. By | | | | a thing of the past! |
| this I mean one that is mixed with fillers or lots of | | | | |