| Although creatine offers an array of
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| | promising areas of research with creatine
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| benefits, most people think of it simply
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| | is its effect on neuromuscular diseases
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| as a supplement that bodybuilders and
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| | such as MD. One study looked at the
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| other athletes use to gain strength and
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| | safety and efficacy of creatine
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| muscle mass. Nothing could be further
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| | monohydrate in various types of muscular
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| from the truth.A substantial body of
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| | dystrophies using a double blind,
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| research has found that creatine may have
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| | crossover trial.Thirty-six patients (12
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| a wide variety of uses. In fact, creatine
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| | patients with facioscapulohumeral
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| is being studied as a supplement that may
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| | dystrophy, 10 patients with Becker
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| help with diseases affecting the
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| | dystrophy, eight patients with Duchenne
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| neuromuscular system, such as muscular
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| | dystrophy and six patients with
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| dystrophy (MD).Recent studies suggest
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| | sarcoglycan-deficient limb girdle
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| creatine may have therapeutic
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| | muscular dystrophy) were randomized to
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| applications in aging populations for
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| | receive creatine or placebo for eight
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| wasting syndromes, muscle atrophy,
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| | weeks.The researchers found there was a
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| fatigue, gyrate atrophy, Parkinson's
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| | "mild but significant improvement" in
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| disease, Huntington's disease and other
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| | muscle strength in all groups. The study
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| brain pathologies. Several studies have
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| | also found a general improvement in the
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| shown creatine can reduce cholesterol by
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| | patients' daily-life activities as
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| up to 15% and it has been used to correct
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| | demonstrated by improved scores in the
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| certain inborn errors of metabolism, such
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| | Medical Research Council scales and the
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| as in people born without the enzyme(s)
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| | Neuromuscular Symptom scale. Creatine was
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| responsible for making creatine.Some
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| | well tolerated throughout the study
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| studies have found that creatine may
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| | period, according to the
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| increase growth hormone production.What
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| | researchers.1Another group of researchers
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| is creatine?Creatine is formed in the
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| | fed creatine monohydrate to people with
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| human body from the amino acids
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| | neuromuscular disease at 10 grams per day
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| methionine, glycine and arginine. The
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| | for five days, then reduced the dose to 5
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| average person's body contains
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| | grams per day for five days.The first
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| approximately 120 grams of creatine
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| | study used 81 people and was followed by
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| stored as creatine phosphate. Certain
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| | a single-blinded study of 21 people.In
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| foods such as beef, herring and salmon,
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| | both studies, body weight, handgrip,
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| are fairly high in creatine.However, a
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| | dorsiflexion and knee extensor strength
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| person would have to eat pounds of these
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| | were measured before and after treatment.
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| foods daily to equal what can be obtained
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| | The researchers found "Creatine
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| in one teaspoon of powdered
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| | administration increased all measured
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| creatine.Creatine is directly related to
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| | indices in both studies." Short-term
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| adenosine triphosphate (ATP). ATP is
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| | creatine monohydrate increased
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| formed in the powerhouses of the cell,
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| | high-intensity strength significantly in
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| the mitochondria. ATP is often referred
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| | patients with neuromuscular
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| to as the "universal energy molecule"
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| | disease.2There have also been many
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| used by every cell in our bodies. An
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| | clinical observations by physicians that
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| increase in oxidative stress coupled with
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| | creatine improves the strength,
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| a cell's inability to produce essential
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| | functionality and symptomology of people
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| energy molecules such as ATP, is a
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| | with various diseases of the
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| hallmark of the aging cell and is found
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| | neuromuscular system.Creatine and
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| in many disease states.Key factors in
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| | neurological protection/brain injuryIf
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| maintaining health are the ability to:
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| | there is one place creatine really
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| (a) prevent mitochondrial damage to DNA
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| | shines, it's in protecting the brain from
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| caused by reactive oxygen species (ROS)
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| | various forms of neurological injury and
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| and (b) prevent the decline in ATP
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| | stress. A growing number of studies have
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| synthesis, which reduces whole body ATP
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| | found that creatine can protect the brain
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| levels. It would appear that maintaining
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| | from neurotoxic agents, certain forms of
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| antioxidant status (in particular
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| | injury and other insults.Several in vitro
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| intra-cellular glutathione) and ATP
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| | studies found that neurons exposed to
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| levels are essential in fighting the
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| | either glutamate or beta-amyloid (both
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| aging process.It is interesting to note
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| | highly toxic to neurons and involved in
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| that many of the most promising
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| | various neurological diseases) were
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| anti-aging nutrients such as CoQ10, NAD,
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| | protected when exposed to creatine.3 The
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| acetyl-l-carnitine and lipoic acid are
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| | researchers hypothesized that "? cells
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| all taken to maintain the ability of the
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| | supplemented with the precursor creatine
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| mitochondria to produce high energy
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| | make more phosphocreatine (PCr) and
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| compounds such as ATP and reduce
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| | create larger energy reserves with
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| oxidative stress.The ability of a cell to
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| | consequent neuroprotection against
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| do work is directly related to its ATP
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| | stressors."More recent studies, in vitro
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| status and the health of the
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| | and in vivo in animals, have found
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| mitochondria. Heart tissue, neurons in
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| | creatine to be highly neuroprotective
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| the brain and other highly active tissues
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| | against other neurotoxic agents such as
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| are very sensitive to this system. Even
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| | N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) and
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| small changes in ATP can have profound
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| | malonate.4 Another study found that
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| effects on the tissues' ability to
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| | feeding rats creatine helped protect them
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| function properly.Of all the nutritional
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| | against tetrahydropyridine (MPTP), which
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| supplements available to us currently,
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| | produces parkinsonism in animals through
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| creatine appears to be the most effective
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| | impaired energy production.The results
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| for maintaining or raising ATP levels.How
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| | were impressive enough for these
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| does creatine work?In a nutshell,
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| | researchers to conclude, "These results
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| creatine works to help generate energy.
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| | further implicate metabolic dysfunction
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| When ATP loses a phosphate molecule and
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| | in MPTP neurotoxicity and suggest a novel
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| becomes adenosine diphosphate (ADP), it
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| | therapeutic approach, which may have
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| must be converted back to ATP to produce
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| | applicability in Parkinson's disease."5
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| energy. Creatine is stored in the human
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| | Other studies have found creatine
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| body as creatine phosphate (CP) also
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| | protected neurons from ischemic (low
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| called phosphocreatine.When ATP is
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| | oxygen) damage as is often seen after
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| depleted, it can be recharged by CP. That
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| | strokes or injuries.6Yet more studies
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| is, CP donates a phosphate molecule to
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| | have found creatine may play a
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| the ADP, making it ATP again. An
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| | therapeutic and or protective role in
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| increased pool of CP means faster and
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| | Huntington's disease7, 8 as well as ALS
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| greater recharging of ATP, which means
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| | (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis).9 This
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| more work can be performed.This is why
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| | study found that "? oral administration
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| creatine has been so successful for
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| | of creatine produced a dose-dependent
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| athletes. For short-duration explosive
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| | improvement in motor performance and
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| sports, such as sprinting, weight lifting
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| | extended survival in G93A transgenic
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| and other anaerobic endeavors, ATP is the
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| | mice, and it protected mice from loss of
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| energy system used.To date, research has
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| | both motor neurons and substantia nigra
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| shown that ingesting creatine can
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| | neurons at 120 days of age.Creatine
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| increase the total body pool of CP which
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| | administration protected G93A transgenic
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| leads to greater generation of energy for
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| | mice from increases in biochemical
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| anaerobic forms of exercise, such as
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| | indices of oxidative damage. Therefore,
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| weight training and sprinting. Other
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| | creatine administration may be a new
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| effects of creatine may be increases in
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| | therapeutic strategy for ALS." Amazingly,
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| protein synthesis and increased cell
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| | this is only the tip of the iceberg
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| hydration.Creatine has had spotty results
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| | showing creatine may have therapeutic
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| in affecting performance in endurance
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| | uses for a wide range of neurological
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| sports such as swimming, rowing and long
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| | disease as well as injuries to the
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| distance running, with some studies
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| | brain.One researcher who has looked at
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| showing no positive effects on
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| | the effects of creatine commented, "This
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| performance in endurance athletes.Whether
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| | food supplement may provide clues to the
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| or not the failure of creatine to improve
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| | mechanisms responsible for neuronal loss
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| performance in endurance athletes was due
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| | after traumatic brain injury and may find
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| to the nature of the sport or the design
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| | use as a neuroprotective agent against
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| of the studies is still being
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| | acute and delayed neurodegenerative
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| debated.Creatine can be found in the form
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| | processes."Creatine and heart
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| of creatine monohydrate, creatine
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| | functionBecause it is known that heart
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| citrate, creatine phosphate,
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| | cells are dependent on adequate levels of
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| creatine-magnesium chelate and even
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| | ATP to function properly, and that
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| liquid versions.However, the vast
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| | cardiac creatine levels are depressed in
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| majority of research to date showing
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| | chronic heart failure, researchers have
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| creatine to have positive effects on
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| | looked at supplemental creatine to
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| pathologies, muscle mass and performance
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| | improve heart function and overall
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| used the monohydrate form. Creatine
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| | symptomology in certain forms of heart
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| monohydrate is over 90% absorbable. What
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| | disease.It is well known that people
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| follows is a review of some of the more
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| | suffering from chronic heart failure have
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| interesting and promising research
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| | limited endurance, strength and tire
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| studies with creatine.Creatine and
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| | easily, which greatly limits their
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| neuromuscular diseasesOne of the most
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| | ability to function in everyday life.
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