Creatine Monohydrate

In the area of sports performance and exercise, both
athletes and recreational non-athletes are continuously seeking competitive
advantages to improve their health and optimize physical performance. Although
various activities and considerations interact to achieve this end, many people
turn to various exercise and nutritional strategies to augment performance
(i.e., enhanced muscular strength, power, and force). One of the most commonly
used and scientifically supported ergogenic aids is creatine monohydrate
(commonly referred to as creatine) [2].

Creatine is an amino acid that is relatively stored in the
skeletal muscles. Approximately 95% of the body's creatine is stored in
skeletal muscle. About two-thirds of the creatine found in skeletal muscle are
stored as phosphocreatine (PCr) while the remaining amount of creatine is
stored as free creatine. The body breaks down about 1 – 2% of the creatine pool
per day (about 1–2 grams/day) into creatinine in the skeletal muscle for ATP
(energy molecule) resynthesis. The creatinine is then excreted in urine.
Creatine stores can be replenished by obtaining creatine in the diet or through
the endogenous synthesis of creatine from glycine, arginine, and methionine.
Dietary sources of creatine include meats and fish. Large amounts of fish and
meat must be consumed in order to obtain gram quantities of creatine. Whereas
dietary supplementation of creatine provides an inexpensive and efficient means
of increasing the dietary availability of creatine without excessive fat and/or
protein intake [3].

Creatine has become one of the most extensively studied and
scientifically validated nutritional ergogenic aids for athletes. Additionally,
Creatine has been evaluated as a potential therapeutic agent in a variety of
medical conditions. Creatine monohydrate appears to be the most effective
nutritional supplement currently available in terms of improving lean body mass
and anaerobic capacity. To date, several hundred peer-reviewed research studies
have been conducted to evaluate the efficacy of CM supplementation in improving
exercise performance. Nearly 70% of these studies have reported a significant
improvement in exercise capacity [3]. There also researches that indicate
enhanced creatine uptake with carbohydrate co-ingestion.

Many athletes and experts in the field have reported that
creatine supplementation is not only beneficial for athletic performance and
various medical conditions but is also clinically safe.

Our Formulation

Unived delivers 3 grams of Creatine Monohydrate per serving.

Mode of Action:

Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) the energy molecule of the body
is responsible for all metabolic activities of the body and is the main fuel
source for high-intensity exercise. When cells use ATP for energy, this
molecule is broken down into adenosine diphosphate (ADP), generating energy to
spark metabolic activity. Creatine which is stored in the skeletal muscles in
the form of Phosphocreatine (PCr) through Creatine Kinase (CK - an enzyme that
adds a phosphate group to creatine making it a high-energy molecule PCr)
donates its high-energy phosphate group to ADP and converts it to ATP, thus
resynthesizing it [1].

By increasing the overall pool of cellular phosphocreatine,
creatine supplementation can accelerate the recycling of ADP to ATP, thereby
making more energy available for high-intensity exercise. This increased
availability of energy can promote improvements in strength and power output
[7]. The PCr along with Creatine Kinase plays an important role in shuttling
intracellular energy from the mitochondria into the cytosol.

Creatine can improve health and athletic performance in
several ways. Creatine supplementation can increase the capacity of ATP and
energy produced during heavy anaerobically-related exercise, thereby possibly
increasing muscle power, repetitions, and exercise volume which can
subsequently contribute to muscle performance and hypertrophy over the course
of a training period [10]. In high-intensity exercise, its primary role is to
increase the phosphocreatine stores in your muscles. The additional stores can
then be used to produce more ATP, which is the key energy source for heavy
lifting and high-intensity exercise.

• Creatine supplementation increases lean body mass as well as
  strength, power, and efficacy in short-duration, high-intensity exercises [1].
• Enhanced recovery. Creatine supplementation may also reduce
  the post-exercise inflammatory response, thereby attenuating markers of muscle
  damage and soreness [3, 2]
• Can help athletes enhance glycogen loading [3].
• Increases cell hydration. Creatine lifts water content
  within your muscle cells, which causes a cell volumization effect that may play
  a role in muscle growth.
• Increases intracellular water and reduces thermoregulatory
  and cardiovascular responses to prolonged exercise (e.g., heart rate, rectal
  temperature, sweat rate) thereby promoting hyper-hydration and a more efficient
  thermoregulatory response during prolonged exercise in the heat [3].
• Lowers myostatin (a protein that slows or inhibits muscle
  growth) level [4].
• Increase phosphocreatine stores in your brain, which may
  promote brain health and improve symptoms of neurological disease [5, 9].

References:

1. Butts J, Jacobs B, Silvis M. Creatine Use in Sports.
Sports Health. 2018 Jan/Feb;10(1):31-34. doi: 10.1177/1941738117737248. Epub
2017 Oct 23. PMID: 29059531; PMCID: PMC5753968.

2. Wax B, Kerksick CM, Jagim AR, Mayo JJ, Lyons BC, Kreider
RB. Creatine for Exercise and Sports Performance, with Recovery Considerations
for Healthy Populations. Nutrients. 2021 Jun 2;13(6):1915. doi:
10.3390/nu13061915. PMID: 34199588; PMCID: PMC8228369.

3. Kreider, R.B., Kalman, D.S., Antonio, J. et al.
International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: safety and efficacy
of creatine supplementation in exercise, sport, and medicine. J Int Soc Sports
Nutr 14, 18 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12970-017-0173-z

4. Saremi A, Gharakhanloo R, Sharghi S, Gharaati MR,
Larijani B, Omidfar K. Effects of oral creatine and resistance training on
serum myostatin and GASP-1. Mol Cell Endocrinol. 2010 Apr 12;317(1-2):25-30.
doi: 10.1016/j.mce.2009.12.019. Epub 2009 Dec 22. PMID: 20026378.

5. Rae C, Digney AL, McEwan SR, Bates TC. Oral creatine
monohydrate supplementation improves brain performance: a double-blind,
placebo-controlled, cross-over trial. Proc Biol Sci. 2003 Oct
22;270(1529):2147-50. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2003.2492. PMID: 14561278; PMCID:
PMC1691485.

6. Mujika I, Padilla S. Creatine supplementation as an
ergogenic aid for sports performance in highly trained athletes: a critical
review. Int J Sports Med. 1997 Oct;18(7):491-6. doi: 10.1055/s-2007-972670.
PMID: 9414070.

7. https://examine.com/supplements/creatine/

8. Bemben, Michael G., and Hugh S. Lamont. "Creatine
supplementation and exercise performance." Sports medicine 35.2 (2005):
107-125.

9. Balestrino M, Lensman M, Parodi M, Perasso L, Rebaudo R,
Melani R, Polenov S, Cupello A. Role of creatine and phosphocreatine in
neuronal protection from anoxic and ischemic damage. Amino Acids.
2002;23(1-3):221-9. doi: 10.1007/s00726-001-0133-3. PMID: 12373542.

10. Antonio, Jose, et al. "Common questions and
misconceptions about creatine supplementation: what does the scientific
evidence really show?." Journal of the International Society of Sports
Nutrition 18.1 (2021): 13.

11. Smith-Ryan AE, Cabre HE, Eckerson JM, Candow DG.
Creatine Supplementation in Women's Health: A Lifespan Perspective. Nutrients.
2021 Mar 8;13(3):877. doi: 10.3390/nu13030877. PMID: 33800439; PMCID:
PMC7998865.