What is creatine?

Creatine is a popular supplement among strength athletes. Many athletes swear by the ‘white gold’ and can’t go without their jar of creatine. Creatine helps improve performance during explosive strength efforts. But what exactly is creatine? In this XXL Nutrition blog, we’ll tell you more about the substance creatine, the best type (creatine monohydrate), and we’ll discuss other creatine blends so that you know everything about creatine before purchasing it!

What exactly is creatine?

Creatine is one of the best-selling supplements in the world. Chances are, you’ve also added a jar of creatine to your shopping basket in our shop. Because creatine has been extensively researched scientifically, you can find plenty of information about the benefits and possible creatine side effects. But are you curious about what creatine actually is? You’ll learn that in this blog!

You probably know creatine as a powdered dietary supplement. But creatine is also a naturally occurring substance stored in our muscles. It plays a role in the energy supply to muscle and nerve cells. Our body can produce creatine in the kidneys and liver, using the amino acids arginine, glycine, and methionine.

On a daily basis, our liver and kidneys produce about 1 gram of creatine. This can naturally vary from person to person and also depends on the availability of the aforementioned amino acids.

Creatine Formula

For the chemistry enthusiasts and formula lovers, here’s a bit more information about what creatine is. Other names for creatine include (α-methylguanido)acetic acid, creatine, methylguanidine-acetic acid, and N-amidinosarcosine. It is an organic nitrogen compound, and its molecular formula is C4H9N3O2.

So, we naturally produce creatine, and our body stores a reserve in the muscles. However, this amount is too low to fully benefit from creatine’s advantages. That’s why you can supplement the amount of creatine in your body through supplements or certain foods.

How do you get creatine?

Creatine is found in animal products, such as meat, fish, and dairy. To replenish your creatine stores, your body needs about 1 to 3 grams of creatine daily. Your body produces part of this itself, with the help of the amino acids arginine, glycine, and methionine. These amino acids are converted in the kidneys, liver, and pancreas. The rest of the creatine comes from food. But which foods are rich in creatine?

• Red meat such as beef (approximately 5 grams of creatine per kilogram)
• Pork (approximately 7 grams of creatine per kilogram)
• Salmon (approximately 4.5 grams of creatine per kilogram)
• Chicken (approximately 3.4 grams of creatine per kilogram)
• Herring (approximately 6 grams of creatine per kilogram)

By eating large amounts of fish or meat, you can increase your creatine intake. However, in practice, (almost) no one consumes a kilogram of meat or fish in a day. And what if you don’t eat any animal products at all? How do you get enough creatine as a vegan?

The solution lies in creatine supplements, which are 100% vegan and available in powder and pill form. By using creatine, you can easily increase your creatine intake without relying on large quantities of fish or meat. Using creatine is easier and also much more affordable.

Different Types of Creatine

By now, you hopefully have a clear answer to the question "what is creatine." However, within the category of creatine supplements, there are various types, including creatine monohydrate, ethyl ester, HCL, nitrate, and Kre-Alkalyn.

Creatine Monohydrate

In creatine monohydrate supplements, the creatine molecule is bound to a water molecule. "Mono" means one, and "hydro" means water.

Creatine monohydrate is the purest form. The powder is very fine, making it dissolve well in water, sports drinks, or your protein shake. The big advantage of creatine monohydrate is its price. Due to its favourable price-to-quality ratio, this creatine is widely sold. Monohydrate is much cheaper than many other forms of creatine and premium creatine blends. The latter are worth trying if you don't achieve the desired results with creatine monohydrate.

When strength athletes talk about creatine, they are almost always referring to creatine monohydrate. For most athletes, this is the best form of creatine.

Creatine Kre-Alkalyn

While creatine never has harmful side effects, it is possible that you may retain more water than you'd like and experience muscle cramps from creatine monohydrate. In that case, creatine in Kre-Alkalyn form is the perfect solution for you! Kre-Alkalyn has an optimal pH balance, which allows it to be absorbed more efficiently by the body.

Creatine Ethyl Ester

Creatine ethyl ester (CEE) essentially works the same way as creatine monohydrate. However, this form of creatine has added 'esters', which allow creatine to be absorbed more quickly by the body. An ester is an organic acid, such as acetic acid or malic acid, that results from a reaction with alcohol.

The advantage of CEE is that it is absorbed faster. However, due to the extra processing, it is also priced slightly higher than creatine monohydrate. CEE also dissolves slightly less well in water compared to creatine monohydrate.

Creatine Nitrate

This is a combination of creatine monohydrate and nitrate. The creatine monohydrate improves performance during explosive strength efforts. Nitrate is a substance often added to pre-workout supplements.

Also curious about the function of creatine? Read in this blog exactly what creatine does!

Buying the Best Creatine

In this blog, you've learned what creatine is, and we've discussed some facts and myths. Are you curious about the effects of creatine on your performance and body? At XXL Nutrition, you can buy the best creatine. Check out the full creatine range here and discover the different types and creatine blends. We recommend starting with our creatine monohydrate. This is the purest form and the most researched form of creatine. This way, you know you're buying a creatine powder with the best price-to-quality ratio!