Loss of lean muscle is an expected consequence of aging. But you don't have to lay back and accept it. You can delay it – even reverse it with a protein diet, regular exercise and the help of a supplement called creatine.

Creatine is a popular supplement among pro athletes, Olympic medal winners, and the bodybuilding community. Now don't worry – this supplement won't make you look like Governor Schwarzenegger. But it can help boost your workout efforts. Creatine improves muscle performance. It facilitates the transformation of fat into muscle. It also boosts energy and strength.

Today, you'll learn how this natural supplement can help you achieve your fitness goals. If you want to maintain your lean body mass, get stronger or faster or perhaps transform body fat into lean tissue, creatine can help.

* Muscle = Youth *

If you have a muscular body, you feel more energized, have greater strength, and are better able to ward off the decline of aging. Your resting metabolic rate is higher when your body is comprised of more lean tissue. This means you burn more calories at rest than someone who is under muscled.

As you age you will find a little more effort may be required to maintain your weight. You may have to decline second helpings and dessert a little more often. You may have to step up your workout efforts. Well, creatine can help you with your efforts.

Creatine is a combination of 3 amino acids: arginine, glycine and methionine. Your own body makes creatine, primarily by the liver. You can also obtain creatine from natural foods. Good sources are beef, fish and apples. Perhaps “an apple a day ...” had more wisdom than we knew. For every 2 lbs of beef you eat you will gain 5 grams of creatine.

While the liver produces creatine, 98% of it is stored in skeletal muscle. Creatine stored in muscle serves as an instant source of energy for muscle contraction. The ability to quickly contract your muscles is critical for success when performing a short-duration exercise like sprinting or weightlifting.1

* Creatine Can Improve Your Performance, Strength and Energy *

Another important function of creatine is its ability to block or buffer hydrogen ions. Hydrogen ions are a sprinter's or power lifter's enemy. Hydrogen ions cause the pH of muscles cells to become more acidic. Acidic pH causes muscles to fatigue.

When you perform several short sessions of intense anaerobic exercise like sprinting or lifting barbells, a rapid depletion of your creatine starts within seconds. This is why you feel the burn in your muscles when pushing them to complete a set of exercises like bicep curls or pushups.2

By loading up on creatine before a work out, you help delay the onset of muscle fatigue. You will be able to do more of the desired activity. Whether it's cycling, swimming, calisthenics, or weightlifting, you will increase your capacity to continue these exercises. As a result your muscle tissue will grow stronger.

Studies on lab rats revealed those rats who received creatine supplementation ran faster and longer than rats without supplementation. A Nottingham, England study at Queen's Medical Center revealed that oral supplementation of creatine increased muscle creatine uptake by 50%.3

The most recent study completed at Texas Southwestern Medical Center and The Cooper Clinic reconfirmed creatine's performance enhancement. The study gave participants 20 grams of creatine for 28 days. Performance was measured on a single-rep maximum bench press. The subject lifted an average of 18 lbs more than placebo in just a 28-day training regimen. 4

* Add Creatine to Your Daily Regimen *

The amount of creatine you should take is related to body weight and gender. See the table below for dosage guidelines. Take the loading dose daily for 10 days. Then continue wit the maintenance dose. Be sure to avoid take your creatine with your morning caffeine as they do not interact well.

Creatine Loading and Maintenance

I often see creatine confused with performance boosting herbs, drugs and even steroids. Creatine is none of those things. It's food. Taking it is only improving your diet. It has been very well tested and is quite safe. I supplement with creatine myself. I have seen an increase in my stamina and performance when completing my P.A.C.E. program while I swim.

Refer to Health Alert 58 for a refresher on how to use the P.A.C.E. program. The combination of a high protein diet, regular P.A.C.E. program exercise and supplementing with creatine will keep you lean, strong and muscular.

Al Sears, MD