Intake of creatine in sports

Edited by Doctor Izzo Lorenzo

According to the well-known circular of the ministry of health, creatine, after branched amino acids, in the category of products aimed at the "integration of amino acids and derivatives, is defined as" an amino acid derivative with a function of reserve of energy phosphates in the muscles ".
Our body consumes and transforms daily about 30 mg of creatine for each kg of body weight, equal to about 2 grams per day for a 70 kg man with a total creatine content of about 120 grams, which is eliminated with the urine below. form of creatinine.

It is important to note that skeletal muscle has a capacity to store creatine at no more than 150-160 mmol / kg, which makes supplementation with high doses of creatine useless, as the muscle would not be able to accumulate greater quantities and excess. it would be lost in the urine.
The daily creatine requirement can therefore be estimated at about 2 grams, half of which derives from endogenous synthesis (especially in the liver) and half from the portion taken with meat. The creatine present in a normal food ration (exogenous share), together with that produced by our body (endogenous share), is therefore amply sufficient to cover daily needs, replacing the amount of creatine metabolized and lost in the urine, while the only endogenous quota is able to cover the needs even in the case of vegetarian diets, which, being devoid of meat foods, are unable to provide the substance already constituted: 200-250 grams of meat contain about 1 gram of creatine.
It is no coincidence that the ministerial guidelines specify that "The" use of creatine can be configured, as for other substances synthesized by the body, for dietary purposes in relation to particular needs linked, for example, to an increased need or a reduced synthesis . " If the recommended dose is 4-6 grams per day, this cannot exceed an intake period of thirty days. Beyond this period, the dose must not exceed 3g / day.

In this sense, the use of creatine, like any other type of supplement, not justified by real nutritional or medical needs, risks being a first step towards the lure of doping.

If already for athletes who undergo significant training and competition loads, the advice to take creatine or amino acids is unjustified from a nutritional and medical point of view, it is even reprehensible if it refers to young athletes of the first age groups. .