One of the most widely used dietary supplements on the market is creatine. For increasing muscle size, strength, power, and performance, athletes and fitness enthusiasts frequently use it. However, some adverse effects are common, such as creatine bloating. Bloating from creatine is a common side effect of creatine use. Learn why taking creatine will cause your body to become bloated and how to prevent it by reading the article.
What Is Creatine
Compounds called amino acids are necessary for many vital processes, including the development of muscles. The amino acids arginine, glycine, and methionine are used by your body to make the substance known as creatine.
Your liver, kidneys, and pancreas produce 1 to 2 grams on average each day, which is mainly stored in skeletal muscles.
Additionally, it can come from dietary supplements as well as foods derived from animals, primarily meats and fish.
Although creatine is best known for giving your muscles energy during exercise, it has also been researched for its role in other health benefits, including promoting healthy aging and brain function.
However, in order to obtain enough creatine to reap the potential benefits, you would need to eat a lot of meat and fish; as a result, supplements are a more effective and economical way to raise levels. But creatine can go bad.
How It Works
Adenosine triphosphate (ATP), a molecule that transports energy in your body’s cells, is replenished by creatine.
Your body makes use of the creatine phosphate system when engaging in high-intensity, brief-duration activities like weightlifting or sprinting.
By using creatine to give your muscles energy, this system quickly restores your body’s ATP reserves.
However, due to the limited amount of natural reserves you have, intense physical activity quickly depletes them.
By taking supplements containing creatine, you can increase the amount of this substance in your muscles, which will give your ATP more energy.
This may lead to enhancements in the general standard of instruction. For instance, studies show that taking 20 grams of creatine daily for 5–7 days can improve strength and athletic performance by 5–15%.
As a result, it’s a well-liked supplement among athletes and exercise enthusiasts.
What Is Creatine Bloating
The side effect of taking creatine supplements frequently mentioned is bloating from creatine. For those who experience it, bloating can lead to an unpleasant feeling.
Creatine bloating can also cause intestinal bloating in addition to affecting the muscles. Due to consuming creatine, many people have complained about having an unpleasant gassy feeling in their stomach.
Creatine’s capacity to promote water retention is a significant contributor to this phenomenon. The body’s capacity to hold or store water is known as water retention.
In a 2003 study that appeared in the Journal of Athletic Training, sixteen men were divided into two groups. the treatment group and the placebo group. The research unequivocally established that the creatine-taking group’s total body water level was significantly higher.
According to studies, creatine increases the metabolic activity in the muscles, and as a result, the body sends more water to the muscles, increasing water retention.
Additionally, the chemical makeup of creatine causes a hydration shell when combined with water, encasing each creatine molecule in a group of water molecules.
While creatine bloating is one of the more frequently reported side effects, many people who use creatine claim to have never had any side effects at all.
Does Creatine Cause Bloating
I’ve heard this one a lot, and at first, I used to think, “Of course, it doesn’t,” as I never experienced any bloating while taking creatine. However, after hearing from a few people that it made them bloat, I decided to dig a little deeper.
It turns out that for a brief period of time, you may appear slightly bloated as the stomach is drawing water into it to help dissolve the creatine if the creatine isn’t properly dissolved in your water, juice, or whatever you take it with (could be in your pre-workout too, for example).
You don’t remain bloated after it’s finished though.
Try adding a little more mixing time or shaking time to your creatine if you experience this slight bloating around the stomach area after taking it.
It may also be worthwhile to use warm water because it significantly increases the solubility.
How To Avoid Creatine Bloating
Dosage And Loading Phase
Some claim that creatine bloating only happens during the loading phase, which is the first stage of creatine use and involves taking a dose that is significantly higher than the dose needed to maintain creatine saturation in the muscles.
An individual must consume about 20 grams per day for five to seven (5-7) days during the loading phase.
The loading phase hurries up the process by which the muscles would become saturated with creatine. 3-5 grams per day are required for maintenance following the loading phase.
Change Your Creatine
Creatine comes in a variety of different forms that are readily available. There are several different types of creatine, including creatine HCL, creatine malate, creatine citrate, and many others. Creatine monohydrate is the most typical and widely used form.
Others advise using Kre-Alkalyn, also known as buffered creatine monohydrate. Creatine that has been buffered simply means that it has been combined with an alkaline substance, like soda ash, magnesium glycerol phosphate, or bicarbonate.
The supplement’s pH rises, as a result, becoming more basic. Bloating, cramping, and other adverse effects of conventional creatine supplementation are claimed to be lessened by it.”
Lifestyle Choices
The likelihood of creatine bloating has also been linked to certain lifestyle choices. As salt also contributes to water retention, it has been suggested that a diet low in salt (sodium) can aid in reducing creatine bloating.
Additionally, consuming more water is advised. Despite appearing counterintuitive, the muscles are where most of the water retention brought on by creatine bloating is concentrated. Therefore, increasing your water intake will ensure that the rest of your body has access to enough liquid.
It’s Also Normal
Creatine bloating is one indication that your creatine supplement is working, despite the fact that it is a side effect. Creatine bloating will gradually diminish and then go away with regular creatine use, exercise, and a healthy diet.
However, ceasing creatine use is the quickest way to address creatine bloating if there is an upcoming event. The daily dose of creatine is just enough to keep the muscles’ levels of creatine saturated, and it quickly disappears once you stop.
The Bottom Line
A common supplement used to enhance physical activity and athletic performance is creatine. Due to an increase in muscle mass and water intake into your muscles, creatine bloating could happen during the loading phase, when you take 20–25 grams of creatine for 5–7 days.
If you are currently receiving medical treatment, talk to your doctor before taking creatine.