What is creatine?
Creatine is a protein found in all skeletal muscles, which supplies energy to the muscles when they require it - when muscles need to contract it provides them with power and energy.
Most of the creatine in the body is inside the skeletal muscles, with a very small amount found in the heart, brain and testes (in males).
Creatine can be either synthesised within the body from certain amino acids, or it can be supplied in the diet from protein foods.
Advertisement
^ top
Important creatine facts
- Creatine is naturally a part of skeletal muscles
- Half of the creatine in the body is synthesised from three amino acids - arginine, glycine and methionine
- The liver is the where most of the creatine is synthesised (some is also synthesised in the pancreas and kidneys)
- Creatine is one of the nutrients contained in protein powders
^ top
Advertisement
Why creatine is important
Creatine is important as it allows skeletal muscles to perform properly in activities such as walking, running and other forms of physical activity.
Creatine enables muscles to recover quickly from physical exertion, it increases muscles strength, size and activity and drives muscles to perform longer and better.
Due to its beneficial effects on skeletal muscles, creatine is popular with athletes, bodybuilders and people who exercise a lot - to help build muscles tissue and give extra endurance and performance in training.
^ top
^ top
references
- Osiecki, Henry, The Nutrient Bible 2002, BioConcepts Publishing
- Osiecki, Henry. The Physician's Handbook of Clinical Nutrition. 6th edition, 2001, BioConcepts Publishing
- Rolfes SR, Pinna K, Whitney E. Understanding Normal and Clinical Nutrition. 7th Edition, 2005. Brooks Cole Publishing
More information
To learn more, go to the following web sites:
NOTE: Mega doses of any type of vitamin, mineral, amino acid or herbal supplement cannot cure illnesses and in fact can be very dangerous and produce toxic side effects and interfere with medicine you are taking. Always ensure you consult your doctor before taking any type of complementary supplements.
Disclaimer: This guide is not intended to be used for diagnostic or prescriptive purposes. For any treatment or diagnosis of illness, please see your doctor.
^ top
Latest Health & Nutrition News
\n";
for ($i = 0; $i < count($arr_xml['URL']); $i++) {
if( isset($arr_xml['PostID'][$i]) && $arr_xml['PostID'][$i] > 0 ) continue;
echo "
".$arr_xml['BeforeText'][$i]." ".$arr_xml['Text'][$i]." ".$arr_xml['AfterText'][$i]."\n";
}
echo "";
}
}
function tla_updateLocalXML($url, $file, $time_out)
{
if($handle = fopen($file, "a")){
fwrite($handle, "\n");
fclose($handle);
}
if($xml = file_get_contents_tla($url, $time_out)) {
$xml = substr($xml, strpos($xml,''));
if ($handle = fopen($file, "w")) {
fwrite($handle, $xml);
fclose($handle);
}
}
}
function tla_getLocalXML($file)
{
$contents = "";
if($handle = fopen($file, "r")){
$contents = fread($handle, filesize($file)+1);
fclose($handle);
}
return $contents;
}
function file_get_contents_tla($url, $time_out)
{
$result = "";
$url = parse_url($url);
if ($handle = @fsockopen ($url["host"], 80)) {
if(function_exists("socket_set_timeout")) {
socket_set_timeout($handle,$time_out,0);
} else if(function_exists("stream_set_timeout")) {
stream_set_timeout($handle,$time_out,0);
}
fwrite ($handle, "GET $url[path]?$url[query] HTTP/1.0\r\nHost: $url[host]\r\nConnection: Close\r\n\r\n");
while (!feof($handle)) {
$result .= @fread($handle, 40960);
}
fclose($handle);
}
return $result;
}
function tla_decodeXML($xmlstg)
{
if( !function_exists('html_entity_decode') ){
function html_entity_decode($string)
{
// replace numeric entities
$string = preg_replace('~([0-9a-f]+);~ei', 'chr(hexdec("\1"))', $string);
$string = preg_replace('~([0-9]+);~e', 'chr(\1)', $string);
// replace literal entities
$trans_tbl = get_html_translation_table(HTML_ENTITIES);
$trans_tbl = array_flip($trans_tbl);
return strtr($string, $trans_tbl);
}
}
$out = "";
$retarr = "";
preg_match_all ("/<(.*?)>(.*?)", $xmlstg, $out, PREG_SET_ORDER);
$search_ar = array('<', '>', '"');
$replace_ar = array('<', '>', '"');
$n = 0;
while (isset($out[$n]))
{
$retarr[$out[$n][1]][] = str_replace($search_ar, $replace_ar,html_entity_decode(strip_tags($out[$n][0])));
$n++;
}
return $retarr;
}
tla_ads();
?>
Advertisement
Tools
BMI Calculator
Body Fat Calculator
Target Heart Rate
Health Conditions A-Z
Health Glossary A-Z
Ask an expert
Ask a Fitness Question
Fitness - Q&A
Ask a Health Question
Health - Q&A
Ask a Heart Health Question
Heart Health - Q&A
Ask a Spiritual Awareness Question
Spiritual Awareness - Q&A
Ask a Relationships Question
Relationships - Q&A
Ask a Nutrition Question
Nutrition - Q&A