Even though I strongly urge you not to take supplements, should Creatine be taken to build muscles as men get older? Studies have shown that cognitive function and muscle mas will decline naturally as you get older. Research suggest that creatine can not only increase muscle growth and strength but also improve cognitive functions. But the one question that still remains is “Is it safe and or effective for older men to take?”
Before we discuss the benefits and how to supplement with it, what is creatine? Creatine is a substance naturally found in muscle cells. During heavy lifting or high intensity exercise, creatine will help your muscles produce the energy needed. Creatine shares similarities with the amino acids that help build protein. Your body can make creatine from the amino acids glycine and arginine. Creatine can also come from eating red meat, fish, and seafood. 95% of the creatine stored in the body is stored as phosphocreatine in the muscles, while the remaining 5% is in the found in the brain and testicles. Phosphocreatine is a form of stored energy in cells by producing the energy molecule called adenosine triphosphate (ATP).
Creatine has been made very popular as a supplement with body builders and athletes. It has been used over the years to enhance strength, build muscles, and increase overall performance. It has been found that creatine will help you build muscle by increasing your workload. This will allow having longer training sessions. It has also been shown to produce a rise in the anabolic IGF-1 hormone and increase the water content within the muscle cells which could play a leading role in muscle growth. Creatine can increase the signaling for muscle repair and muscle growth. Researchers believe that taking creatine as a supplement will promote brain health and improve systems preventing neurological disease.
In a 2020 study, they found that creatine supplements will improve brain function for people living the vegetarian lifestyle. Since vegetarians don’t eat meat, they tend to have lower creatine stores. This is because meat is the main dietary source of creatine. Creatine has also been shown to promote improved short-term memory in older adults. Additional health benefits of supplementing with creatine have shown that it can lower blood sugar levels, especially if on a carnivore diet. It will also help treat nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and support heart health, reducing damage from stroke.
The most common and widely sold supplement is creatine monohydrate. There are others but the evidence in studies is lacking. Since I turned 55, I decided to try a creatine supplement from Amazon Nutricost Micronized Creatine Monohydrate 3,000mg 500 Capsules.
I was surprised by the results because I gained 5 lbs. quickly after taking the recommended dosage of 4 capsules daily. I reduced the dosage to 2 capsules and only supplemented on days I was working out and I was still impressed with the results. I can recommend creatine monohydrate as a supplement, especially for older men that find that they are losing muscle mass.
