Creatine Monohydrate Research Paper

Each year, Americans spend 1.5 billion dollars on supplements and vitamins designed to improve overall health and body function. While some products claim to have “miracle powers”, others are proven to be most effective. When it comes to athletic performance, most athletes look to supplements to aid in strength and muscle gains. Though some take non-effective, sometimes illegal supplements like HGH and steroids, others look to the more common legal supplements like creatine. Creatine is a widely-researched supplement on the market and one of the most popular. Americans spend approximately 14 million dollars on creatine per year. That may not seem like much but creatine is a relatively cheap product that is also found in red meat and fish. Throughout this paper, creatine monohydrate is discussed as objectively as possible. Both positive and negative researched will be analyzed and discussed to conclude the question. Does creatine monohydrate contribute to increased athletic performance? …show more content…
Per the University of Maryland Medical Center, “Studies show that creatine supplements improve strength and lean muscle mass during high-intensity, short-duration exercises, such as weight lifting.” Athletes who use the recommended dosage of 5 grams per day, have made greater improvements as opposed to athletes who did not use the supplement. While creatine is naturally found in red meat and fish, adding up to 5 grams per day for a period of 6 months has shown increased strength and muscle gain. It has become such a popular supplement in the sports world that team physicians and strength trainers of the English professional soccer team Arsenal, encourage the use of creatine monohydrate in phases of athletic training. Effects of this supplement over the past few decades have shown positive results, but can creatine taken as a supplement have negative effects on the human