TV doctor gives verdict on creatine supplements as ‘risks’ studies published

TV doctor gives verdict on creatine supplements as ‘risks’ studies published ITV's Amir Khan spoke about the importance of training and how the body copes A TV doctor has given his verdict on supplement creatine - and explained what the benefits are. Dr Amir Khan, appearing on the No Appointment Podcast said the body naturally produces it - and many are taking to help with training. Dr Khan is an NHS GP and regularly appears on ITV shows Lorraine and This Morning. He said: “So creatine helps with energy production. It helps with the recycling of energy in your cells. So let’s say they’re using their energy battery. It helps recycle some of that energy and recharge their energy battery. So it gives you short term energy. When you’re releasing energy in a cell, you’ve got a molecule called ATP, adenine triphosphate. ”And for that energy, so triphosphate means it’s got three phosphorates on it and for it to release energy it releases one of those phosphates and while it’s only got two it can’t give you any more phosphate but what creatine does is recycle that phosphate really quickly so it goes back to having three and then gives you can give you more energy again very quickly we have it naturally on our bodies our body makes creatine all the time all the time it might go down as you get older there is some evidence of that "But what we know is you know we talk we’ve talked about the importance of strength training as we get older and how vital that is the strongest evidence for creatine lines and giving you more energy and power and perhaps strength if you are strength training.” Scientists have said that while creatine is naturally found in foods like red meat and seafood, and also produced naturally in the body, supplementation has surged in popularity, especially among young men. This growth in popularity is largely due to young men’s desire to increase muscle size and muscle strength. Several meta-analyses have looked at the effects of creatine supplementation during resistance training on properties of muscle, and support its use and effectiveness when combined with resistance training. Writing on The Conversation website Scott Mills PhD Candidate, Kinesiology and Health Studies, University of Regina said dosage recommendations for men can vary, but typically either five grams of creatine daily, or a customized dosage based on bodyweight of (0.1 grams per kilogram per day) have been shown to be well-tolerated and effective for increasing muscle performance. He added: “From a food intake perspective, to consume about five grams of creatine in the diet, an individual would have to consume about 1.15 kilograms of beef, or about a kilogram of pork, for example. This means even a diet that is high in creatine-containing foods may not be enough to maximize its benefits. “The high calorie content of eating enough of these foods to reach the target creatine intake makes supplementation a practical and appealing option, both for ease of consumption and calorie considerations.” He said regarding the safety of creatine supplementation, a position stand paper by the International Society of Sports Nutrition concluded that creatine supplementation poses no greater adverse effects in healthy individuals compared to placebo, even with higher dosages. Mr Mills added: “With that being said, creatine hasn’t been immune to its share of negative claims. Anecdotally, creatine may have some whispers of undesirable side-effects; however, research looking at common myths and misconceptions of creatine (including concerns about water retention, hair loss and dehydration) have largely removed many of the fears.”