Best Type of Creatine: Everything You Need to Know

Of the hundreds of workout supplements out there, creatine is one of the few I recommend. It is the most well-researched one with hundreds of studies behind it.

Creatine has been used since the early 70s and if you do a quick search for “creatine supplementation” on PubMed, you get this:

With the effectiveness and safety of the supplement, everyone who is looking to maximize their gym efforts should consider it.

The only question is, what is the best type of creatine?

In this chapter, we’ll dig deep into this supplement and go over everything you need to know.

Creatine is a nitrogenous organic acid, comprised of three amino acids: glycine, L-arginine, and L-methionine.

Creatine is found in meat, eggs, and fish. But, because of the small amount, you’d need to eat absurd quantities every day to get enough of it.

Let’s start at the core: Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is a molecule that stores the energy we need to do just about everything, including lifting.

When the cells use the ATP molecules, it is broken down into smaller molecules. They are then recycled, through various processes, back into ATP for re-use. That way, the cells always maintain a supply of this essential molecule.

And, the faster those ATP molecules can be regenerated, the more work your body can do. This included the ability to exert more effort into your workouts.

Second, we have Adenosine diphosphate (ADP) and Adenosine monophosphate (AMP) molecules. They are the lower energy molecules that form ATP.

But what does this have to do with creatine?

Well, creatine serves the role of an “energy reserve” for our cells. It accelerates the process by which the body reforms ATP molecules by donating a molecule called Phosphocreatine to the precursors ADP and AMP.

In simple terms, thanks to creatine, more energy cells are created faster, leading to improved endurance, faster recovery, all in a safe and natural way.

But creatine is limited within the body. The liver makes the majority of it and we get a small amount from foods like red meat and fish.

Once the body exhausts the small reserve of creatine, it turns to fatty acids and glucose to keep replacing ATP molecules.

This is where supplementing with creatine knocks the door down and walks in.

It allows for more creatine to be available for ATP production, thus improving your athletic performance and gym results over time.

Creatine has also been shown to have anti-catabolic actions and expression of certain genes in relation to hypertrophy.

With so many forms of creatine out there it can get confusing to decide which one to take. And to discover which one delivers the best bang for its buck is an even more tedious task.

Pills, liquids, powders, and more.

Most supplement companies promote newer, more ‘superior’ forms of creatine that, of course, cost more.

But are any of them better than the good old creatine monohydrate? Let’s find out:

First off, liquid creatine’s cost per serving is much higher than that of creatine monohydrate. If you compare the price, it comes up to 2 to 3 times more.

Second, most of the claims made by supplement companies are completely irrelevant and un-backed. Such are: better absorption, less bloating, and easier on the kidneys.

But, not only is liquid creatine not in any way superior, it’s actually worse. Research shows that liquid creatine provides no ergogenic benefits. The theory is creatine converts to creatinine within a liquid.

Creatine Ethyl Ester is thought to be much more bioavailable, making it a more superior form. But, researchers at Baylor University took the matter into their own hands. They compared CEE to standard creatine monohydrate.

Their conclusion:

In conclusion, when compared to creatine monohydrate, creatine ethyl ester was not as effective at increasing serum and muscle creatine levels or in improving body composition, muscle mass, strength, and power.

This is likely because once CEE enters the body, it is converted into creatinine, making it ineffective.

So far, the only known advantage of CN compared to monohydrate is the fact that it is more water soluble and more pleasant to consume. Other than that, I found one study that compared CN to monohydrate and their conclusion was hardly breathtaking.

Creatine nitrate delivered at 3 g was well-tolerated, demonstrated similar performance benefits to 3 g CrM, in addition, within the confines of this study, there were no safety concerns.

Creatine Hydrochloride

This form comes from binding creatine with hydrochloric acid. The most popular claim is that CH is a more concentrated form and you wouldn’t need to take as much to gain the benefits.

Those claims, however, have no ground and no studies have been made so far to determine whether CH is in any way better.

Creatine Malate

Creatine malate comes from binding creatine with malic acid. There is no real evidence to suggest that malic acid could have any benefits for us lifters. Furthermore, its conjunction with creatine hasn’t been studied so far.

Buffered Creatine

Buffered Creatine is a form of creatine monohydrate with a higher pH level, claimed to be a ‘superior’ product over the standard monohydrate.

One study found that buffered creatine was in no way superior to CM. More research is needed to determine whether Buffered Creatine offers any benefits.

Creatine Pyruvate

Creatine Pyruvate comes from binding creatine with pyruvic acid. And much like the other forms, more research is needed to determine whether it is a more superior form.

For now, given what we know, I’m not convinced of its efficacy.

Given the facts, creatine monohydrate still rises high above the rest and proves itself to be the best product for the price.

How to Take Creatine?

Research shows that taking 3-5 grams of creatine per day is enough to maintain optimal levels.

There is an optional loading phase, where you take 20 grams per day for 5-7 days to reach saturation levels faster.

Your other option is to take 3-5 gram dose every day and reach the same levels of saturation within 3 weeks.

In recent months, creatine has been getting some negative publicity as a product that could speed up male pattern baldness.

There is only one relevant study made so far. In it, the researchers sought to determine how creatine supplementation for 3 weeks would affect testosterone and DHT levels, as well as the ratio.

Subjects either loaded creatine for 7 days at 25 grams/day or took a placebo. After the 7 days, they took a maintenance dose of 5 grams/day or a placebo.

Now, what worries most people are the researcher’s findings:

Results:

After 7 days of creatine loading, or a further 14 days of creatine maintenance dose, serum T levels did not change. However, levels of DHT increased by 56% after 7 days of creatine loading and remained 40% above baseline after 14 days maintenance (P < 0.001). The ratio of DHT: T also increased by 36% after 7 days creatine supplementation and remained elevated by 22% after the maintenance dose (P < 0.01).

More specifically, the 56% increase in DHT levels after 7 days of supplementation.

You might be wondering:

“Why should I be worried about this?”

To answer your question, we first need to look at DHT and what it does.

What is Dihydrotestosterone(DHT)?

DHT, short from Dihydrotestosterone is an androgen hormone. In men, the enzyme 5-alpha-reductase (5-AR) converts testosterone to DHT. About 10% of testosterone is converted to DHT.

Now, DHT has many functions in the body and is more potent than testosterone.

But, here’s where it gets interesting:

Male pattern baldness is the number one cause of baldness in men. Statistics show that, by the age of 50, around 85% of men will have significantly thinning hair.

Genetic, hormonal, and environmental factors all play a role in male balding. But, DHT is believed to be a major contributor.

This is why one of the most popular drugs out there that combat male pattern baldness works to prevents the conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone (DHT) in the body.

Balding hair follicle cells have higher levels of androgen receptors. The response is not pleasant: gradual thinning and disappearing of the scalp hair.

Now, because it is believed that DHT is the main contributor to male pattern baldness, you can see how increasing it by a whopping 56%(albeit staying at a steady 40% during the maintenance phase) via creatine supplementation can be worrisome.

Of course, this is one study and we are far from having concrete evidence that creatine supplementation will speed up hair loss. We need years of research and many studies before we can say for certain.

But, I’d be lying to you if I said that this study didn’t bother me.

Considering the fact that creatine doesn’t contribute that much to the gym performance, it made me think about whether it’s worth taking.

I have been off it for a while and I have not noticed any performance decline.

Maybe I’ve always been a non-responder, who knows. Or maybe I’m damn stubborn and refuse to get weaker.

In any case, even if there is some performance decline, it will hardly be noticeable. We are talking about losing a few reps here and there at the most.

In any case, if your family has a history of male pattern baldness, I advise you to think about it.