Coleman Rechargeable
Creatine: the 2nd Pathway to Genetic Change.
Creatine is actually an amino acid like structure that acts as an energy source in skeletal muscles during intense exercise. At rest, creatine is phosphorylated to form phosphocreatine. During intense exercise, this phosphocreatine is utilized by the muscle to form more ATP; which means more energy.
Creatine is not just a source of energy though. Creatine is known to draw water into the muscle cells. This increase in water raises the pressure inside the muscle resulting in a stretching of muscle fibers. Stretch is one of the forces known to cause an increase in protein synthesis in muscle cells. Increased protein synthesis means a positive nitrogen balance and an increase in skeletal muscle growth.
Everyone thinks they know how creatine builds muscle, but they don’t know about a few little-known studies involving creatine and satellite cells. Creatine is known to boost satellite cell production and when taken at the right time (which we will show you later) and in the proper ratio, you can make the most out of your creatine supplementation.
Creatine is reported to increase muscle energy output by recharging ATP and increasing cellular energy output. This is an important aspect of what creatine can do for the bodybuilder or powerlifter, but it isn’t the only story.
Creatine has been shown to be a powerful promoter of satellite cell expression, which again causes new muscle cells to be formed! This is an amazing find, but we researched and realized that creatine timing and creatine ratios are an important part how creatine can be used to build muscle.
Creatine can also be used synergistically with the other nutrients mentioned in this book to build muscle, increase endurance and most importantly help in satellite cell differentiation. We can show you exactly how best to use creatine in the following excerpts from training and nutrient journals. When picking a good creatine product, look for a mixed creatine supplement using advanced delivery methods. For example, LG Sciences COLD FUSION EX™ uses a combination of creatine delivery methods to give you the best creatine combination product on the market. It is a mixture of Creatine Ester, Creatine Malate and other Creatine forms to give you a steady, stable release of creatine without the bloat associates with Creatine other creatine products. Cold Fusion EX comes with ingredients to increase stamina and performance, so you get MAXIMUM gains in the gym and the ability to push yourself further than you ever thought possible!
The science behind creatine and satellite cell proliferation is shown in the literature and is summarized below in several abstracts. This is why creatine is the safest and most effective supplement ever created for bodybuilders and currently perfect for anyone under 21. Creatine gives you energy, enhances performance and also has value as an anti-aging supplement for the elderly. It’s sad that creatine has gotten such a bad rap in the press, since it is one of the most safe and effective supplements on the market. The point? Don’t skip on the Creatine when you are looking to build SERIOUS muscle.
Dietary creatine monohydrate supplementation increases satellite cell mitotic activity during compensatory hypertrophy.
Dangott B, Schultz E, Mozdziak PE.
Department of Anatomy, University of Wisconsin-Medical School, Madison, USA.
Nutritional status influences muscle growth and athletic performance, but little is known about the effect of nutritional supplements, such as creatine, on satellite cell mitotic activity. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of oral creatine supplementation on muscle growth, compensatory hypertrophy, and satellite cell mitotic activity. Compensatory hypertrophy was induced in the rat plantaris muscle by removing the soleus and gastrocnemius muscles. Immediately following surgery, a group of six rats was provided with elevated levels of creatine monohydrate in their diet. Another group of six rats was maintained as a non-supplemented control group. Twelve days following surgery, all rats were implanted with mini-osmotic pumps containing the thymidine analog 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU) to label mitotically active satellite cells. Four weeks after the initial surgery the rats were killed, plantaris muscles were removed and weighed. Subsequently, BrdU-labeled and non-BrdU-labeled nuclei were identified on enzymatically isolated myofiber segments. Muscle mass and myofiber diameters were larger (P < 0.05) in the muscles that underwent compensatory hypertrophy compared to the control muscles, but there were no differences between muscles from creatine-supplemented and non-creatine-supplemented rats. Similarly, compensatory hypertrophy resulted in an increased (P < 0.05) number of BrdU-labeled myofiber nuclei, but creatine supplementation in combination with compensatory hypertrophy resulted in a higher (P < 0.05) number of BrdU-labeled myofiber nuclei compared to compensatory hypertrophy without creatine supplementation. Thus, creatine supplementation in combination with an increased functional load results in increased satellite cell mitotic activity.
CREATINE SUPPLEMENTATION AUGMENTS THE INCREASE IN SATELLITE CELL AND MYONUCLEI NUMBER IN HUMAN SKELETAL MUSCLE INDUCED BY STRENGTH TRAINING.
Aagaard P.
Inst of Sports Medicine Copenhagen.
The present study investigated the influence of creatine and protein supplementation on satellite cell frequency and myonuclei number in human skeletal muscle during 16 wks of heavy-resistance training. In a double-blinded design thirty-two healthy, male subjects (19-26 years) were assigned to strength training (STR) while receiving a timed intake of creatine (STR-CRE) (n=9), protein (STR-PRO) (n=8), placebo (STR-CON) (n=8) or serving as a non-training control group (CON) (n=7). Supplementation was given daily (STR-CRE : 6-24 g creatine monohydrate, STR-PRO: 20 g protein, STR-CON: placebo). Furthermore, timed protein/placebo intake were administered at all training sessions. Muscle biopsies were obtained at wks 0, 4, 8 (wk 8 not CON) and 16 of resistance training (3 days/wk). Satellite cells were identified by immunohistochemistry. Muscle mean fibre (MFA) area was determined after histochemical analysis. All training regimes were found to increase the proportion of satellite cells, however, significantly greater enhancements were observed with creatine supplementation at wk 4 (compared to STR-CON) and at wk 8 (compared to STR-PRO and STR-CON) (p<0.01-0.05). At wk 16, satellite cell number was no longer elevated in STR-CRE, while it remained elevated in STR-PRO and STR-CON. Furthermore, creatine supplementation resulted in an increased number of myonuclei per fibre and increases of 14-17% in MFA at wks 4, 8 and 16 (p<0.01). In contrast, STR-PRO showed increase in MFA only in the later (16 wks, +8%) and STR-CON only in the early (wk 4, +14%) phases of training, respectively (p<0.05). In STR-CRE a positive relationship was found between the percentage increases in MFA and myonuclei from baseline to week 16, respectively (r=0.67, p<0.05). No changes were observed in the control group (CON). In conclusion, the present study demonstrate for the first time that creatine supplementation in combination with strength training amplifies the training-induced increase in satellite cell number and myonuclei concentration in human skeletal muscle fibres, thereby allowing an enhanced muscle fibre growth in response to strength training.
The effects of ergogenic compounds on myogenic satellite cells.
Vierck JL, Icenoggle DL, Bucci L, Dodson MV.
Muscle Biology Laboratory, Department of Animal Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA.
PURPOSE: A series of studies were conducted in which compounds commonly shown to be ergogenic aids for strength athletes if taken orally were evaluated for their ability to directly induce postnatal muscle stem cell proliferation or differentiation/fusion in vitro. METHODS: Compounds tested were creatine monohydrate, creatine pyruvate, L-glutamine, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), androstenedione, Ma Huang (Ephedra sinensis) extract, and Zhi Shi (Citrus aurantium) extract. Dulbecco's modified eagle medium, supplemented with minimal levels of serum and antibiotics, was used as the initial vehicle for the test compounds. Subsequently, a defined treatment medium termed ITTC was used. Satellite cells were exposed to the test compounds for the indicated times and then evaluated by counting mononucleated and multinucleated (fused) cells. RESULTS: In serum-containing media, none of the treatment groups displayed increased proliferation over that of the control. However, in the differentiation cultures, 0.10% creatine monohydrate increased differentiation over that of the control cultures. When 0.10% creatine monohydrate was added to defined media formulations, all treatments but one demonstrated increased differentiation over the 0.5% serum control. Time course experiments, which followed the effect of 0.10% creatine monohydrate contained in ITTC defined media over 120 h, suggested that cells exposed to this treatment differentiated earlier and to a greater level than cells exposed to ITTC alone. CONCLUSIONS: Creatine in the monohydrate form induced differentiation of myogenic satellite cells. Other agents examined did not increase satellite cell proliferation or differentiation. These results provide initial evidence for a mechanistic understanding of observed effects in vivo of increased muscular size and strength from creatine supplementation.
