Advantages vs. Other Creatine ProductsThe most popular creatine on the market today is creatine monohydrate. This is simply because it was the first creatine to become popular in the early 1990’s. As the evolution of creatine began to speed up through the 90’s, it became apparent that along with creatine monohydrate came a slew of side effects that include all of the following:
- Stomach Distress
- Diarrhea
- Cramping
- Bloating
- Unwanted Weight Gain
- Headaches
- Nausea
In 1997, FSI’s V.P. of Research, Joe Carnazzo, R.Ph., invented and patented effervescent creatine. This formulation does not use creatine monohydrate, but instead, a proprietary form of creatine citrate. This product revolutionized the creatine industry, as it rid users of all of the side effects listed above due to its increased bioavailability. This invention leaves any other creatine product on the market obsolete.
For years it was assumed that a significant insulin spike was necessary for creatine transport and assimilation into the muscle. However, a recent study found that creatine uptake in muscle is dependent on sodium, not on insulin. This finding reinforces what FSI has always maintained: It is not necessary to combine creatine with large amounts of sugar (i.e. dextrose) for uptake into the muscle.
Instead, FSI concentrated on making creatine more bioavailable to the body to avoid undesirable side effects and improve the efficiency of ATP replenishment. With one packet of Creatine Clear you get:
Below is a list of creatine forms currently on the market and the problems in using them.
Pure Creatine Monohydrate
Creatine monohydrate was found to be only 20% in absorbable form after 20 minutes in water, compared to 92% for FSI’s patented technology. This from a recent university study. Don’t let the phrases “muscle uptake” and “assimilation” confuse you. The uptake of creatine into muscle can only take place after the creatine has been absorbed through the intestine walls into the bloodstreams. What this study shows is that if you take a 10-gram serving of creatine monohydrate, regardless of what additives are included in the product, only 2 grams will even be available for muscle uptake, or assimilation.
In addition, because 80% of creatine monohydrate is not in an absorbable form for the body, it simply sits in the stomach drawing water from the bloodstream in an attempt to break it down. This simply doesn’t work and instead causes the body to become dehydrated, which leads to all of the side effects listed above, most common of which is diarrhea.
Creatine Monohydrate with High Amounts of Dextrose
The creation of these products was based on published research using high amounts (up to 96 grams) of dextrose in order to cause a large insulin spike to increase creatine muscle uptake. The problem with this is three-fold. First, it doesn’t solve the original problem of creatine bioavailability, which we have already addressed. The intestine must first absorb creatine before the muscle can assimilate it.
Second, taking sugar in these high amounts leads to both weight gain, attributed to fat gain, and the danger of pancreatic damage associated with long term use.
Third, this concept is based on outdated research. A more current published study concluded that creatine muscle uptake is dependent on sodium, but not on insulin. If its not dependent on an insulin spike, why take the sugar in the first place??!!
