This link has been bookmarked by 3 people . It was first bookmarked on 07 May 2009, by palindrome emordnilap.
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21 Aug 10
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Studies typically use daily doses ranging from 3 to 10 grams. In those studies, regardless of whether they load or not, about 80% of participants achieve the maximum creatine concentration within a month. (5, 6, 7, 12)
The 20% of individuals who don't respond to 3 grams per day don't do any better with higher doses. (2) Why not? Maybe their bodies can't absorb it well. Maybe they excrete it too fast. Or maybe their muscles aren't as efficient at holding onto it. Or perhaps people who can't reach maximum creatine density have a higher proportion of Type 1 muscle fibers, which are more endurance-oriented and have less capacity for storing creatine. It's pure speculation, but it makes sense to me.
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A study looking at urinary excretion of creatine and creatinine found that people who supplement with 5 grams per day excrete about 3 to 4 more grams per day than people who don't. So they're using 1 or 2 grams, and wasting the rest. (12)
No matter how much you take in, your body is going to lose about 1 to 2% of its stored creatine each day. So if you're that 200-pounder who wants to reach a total creatine capacity of 210 grams, instead of the 150 grams of someone who isn't supplementing, you won't be able to use more than about 4 grams of creatine from all sources each day.
Personally, I reach maximum benefit on a little less than a teaspoon per day, or just under 3 grams. I can't say that's the most anyone should take, but I think the research shows that anything beyond 5 grams per day for maintenance is overkill.
You can tell you're taking in too much if you find yourself peeing more than you normally do. This is a sign than the excess creatine is leaving your system, and taking water with it.
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07 May 09
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