Sunday's Dietary Supplement: Creatine- The Surprise Fat Loss Supplement?

In the worlds of strength, fitness, sports and muscle, few people are clueless about creatine. This supplement first caught mainstream media when some big name sports personalities were spotted to have creatine monohydrate in their locker rooms. In reality, it's been around for way longer than that, as it's emergence in the 90's was welcomed with open arms by the weightlifting community. Since then, it has been hailed as a wonder supplement for it's favorable effects in terms of muscular endurance, muscle volume, strength and recovery. However, one thing that isn't taken in to account by most articles is how creatine can help aid fat loss. Wait, is that right? Fat loss?

An article in FLEX magazine, written by Jim Stoppani, PhD. about ten years ago (November 2003 issue, page 214) cited studies about how soldier who took creatine for one week  were observed by the U.S. Department of Defense. These soldiers were said to have not only an increase of both strength and size, but also experience 1 to 2 pounds of bodyfat loss. Well, assuming that they really lost body fat and not just water weight loss, it adds to the mounting evidence that creatine does work as a fat burning supplement.

I can think up of some reasons why this makes sense, even if there are not sufficient studies to back up  that creatine can directly shed the unwanted blubber. One explanation could be that when creatine supplies energy via replenishing the ATP (adenosine triphosphate) in the mitochondria (the powerhouse of the cell), along with it are fat molecules that are burned off in the process. The influx of energy creates a nice fat burning environment for us to reap benefits from.

Another reason could be that the additional energy raises the body's resting metabolic rate. In the same article above, one study was mentioned where it has been observed that a group of people were supplementing with creatine for one month. One group, who did no exercise during the time, had their metabolism raised by 50 calories a day. Those who did lift weights increased theirs by 100 calories. This might seem small, but every little increase in calorie burn counts.

Of course, one way to look at it also is the fact that with more strength, more weights can be lifted. As more weight is lifted, more energy has to be spent, and more resulting muscle damage. Both the energy expenditure and muscle repair need higher amounts of calories. Creatine boosts both strength and recovery, which means good news for us.

As for how much creatine should be supplemented, there are plenty of articles in the Internet on how to load up on creatine safely. You can also try maintaining a regular dose for about 2 months and going off for 1 month to keep your body sensitive to creatine's effects. 3g -5g is a good place to start, or start with a lower dose if you feel bloated.