You should absolutely incorporate creatine into your routine if your chief fitness goal is to gain muscle (as long as your doctor okays it, of course) – that much is true. It’s one of the most researched supplements on the market, and dieticians and doctors alike agree it’s safe and effective so long as you follow dosage guidelines.

Those guidelines are a bit confusing right from the start, though. Take a look at the instructions label on your container. It probably reads a little something like this: “Mix 1 scoop (5,000 mg) in water or your favourite beverage 3 to 4 times per day for the first 5 to 7 days. Do not exceed 5,000 mg per serving. For maintenance, take 1 serving (5,000 mg) immediately after training.”

Three to four servings in one day? That seems quite aggressive. What’s the point in taking a ton of creatine right at the beginning, just to levelling it off after? Is creatine loading necessary for the supplement to be effective?

Below, Dr Chris Mohr, R.D., co-owner of Mohr Results, a nutrition consulting company, clears up some confusion.

What is the creating loading phase?

But first, let’s talk about why creatine loading is a thing. Creatine loading is advertised by supplement brands and influencers as a way to “bring faster results” to muscle building. As shown on the back of your creatine tub, it’s recommended to take an upwards of four times the normal amount throughout the first week of taking creatine. This is followed by taking 1 normal dose daily after the first week is up.

The idea behind this is that your muscles will rapidly increase its creatine stores, and then later doses will maintain those newly developed stores. But, does it really work that way?

Does loading creatine work?

“Creatine loading is still recommended on the suggested use, but isn’t necessary,” Mohr said. “While the loading phase is not dangerous or unhealthy, research suggests after 30 days, results from using creatine end up the same for strength gains. That said, if someone needed faster results (e.g., 5 days vs. 30 days) then the loading phase could be considered.”

In other words, if you needed to, say, look hulked for a high school pool party in a week, the loading phase might be a good idea. But if you’re a dad who is just looking for a little help schlepping around the kid, there’s no real need to creatine load.

What is creatine, and how does it work, anyway?

Your body actually makes its own creatine, by way of your kidney and liver, after you eat meat. Your muscles then convert creatine into creatine phosphate, which is then generated into adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which your body uses for explosive exercise.

Complicated, yes, but important because creatine is stored. You can either push your creatine stores to their upper end by loading, or incrementally, by consistent smaller dosages.

How do I do creatine loading?

It’s not dangerous to give creatine loading a go. Most creatine companies recommend taking between 20 to 30g a day to creatine load. One scoop is typically 5g. You’ll want to only take one scoop at a time to mitigate potential side effects. Think one scoop with each meal and snack.

Are there any side effects to creatine loading?

Personally, I’ve also found the creatine loading phase gift me with some unpleasant gut cramps, not to mention frequent bathroom breaks considering all the water I was drinking along with the supplement. So I was relieved to hear that I could back off from loading, at the blessing of Mohr, who has heard of similar complaints before.

There was one cautionary sentence Mohr did send along, however: “Also creatine won’t work without a solid nutrition plan and training.”

This story originally appeared on Mens Health U.S.

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The post The surprising science of creatine’s ‘loading phase’ appeared first on Men's Health Magazine Australia.

Research has found that you need to consume at least 1 gram of protein per pound of your target body weight to build or maintain muscle mass (that’s 185 grams of protein or more for someone who’s 80 kg). That’s tough to accomplish, even for the biggest meat enthusiasts. Many turn to protein powders to supplement.

Protein shakes are pretty easy to get bored of, though—especially if you’re reaching for the same tub of the same flavour over and over again. But, they’re the perfect canvass to jazz up by blending in fruits, vegetables, nut butters, and whatever else you fancy to enhance their appeal. Plus, all that stuff increases the shakes nutrient content, too.

“Most Americans aren’t getting enough produce or fibre in their diet, so smoothies can be a fun and delicious way to make up for that,” says nutrition expert Frances Largeman-Roth, R.D.N., author of Smoothies & Juices: Prevention Healing Kitchen.

What should I put in my smoothies?

Before you start loading up your blender, there are a few things to keep in mind when it comes to building the best high-protein, high-fibre smoothie.

One, always use whole fruits and vegetables as part of your base. Put another way: don’t use juice.

While juices, like orange juice, do contain nutrients like vitamin C and, in many cases, are fortified with vitamin D and calcium, they also tend to be more concentrated when it comes to sugar and lack that fibre, which is oh-so-important to feeling full.

Two, consider greens. Spinach or kale offer lots of fibre, but they’re mild in flavour and blend really well.

Third, use dairy milk, if your GI system will allow. One cup of dairy milk contains eight grams of complete protein. Plant-based milks often don’t contain enough protein to matter and the flavoured ones can come with added sugars. If plant-based is your only option, stick with soy-milk, which is roughly equivalent to dairy milk in terms of protein.

Fourth, always add a healthy fat, and is crucial for heart health. Healthy fats—think unsaturated—are found in avocados, nuts and seeds, and nut butter, for example. Serendipitously, these all work well in a smoothie, both in terms of taste and texture.

Fifth, try to avoid adding extra sugar, but if you think you need a little extra sweetness, it’s totally okay to mix in a ½ teaspoon of honey or pure maple syrup.

And speaking of sugar: Try to avoid store-bought smoothies, from the grocery store and a shop. They can be incredibly high in added sugar. “A store needs to make sure their customers come back again, so they’re more focused on the flavour of their smoothies, instead of avoiding added sugars, or keeping them super balanced,” Largeman-Roth says.

Try one of these top protein-rich smoothie recipes for a tasty, nutrient-packed drinkable snack.

For each recipe, place the ingredients in the order listed and blend until smooth.

Banana almond protein smoothie

This smoothie is seriously delicious—and makes for a post-workout shake too. Delivering 21 grams of protein, it helps to repair micro-tears in your muscles to get you ready for your next gym session.

BLEND THIS:
½ cup coconut water
½ cup plain Greek yogurt
3 tbsp almond butter
1 scoop whey protein powder
1 tbsp hulled hemp seeds
1 frozen banana
1 cup ice

329 calories, 21 g protein, 26 g carbs, 5 g fibre, 17 g fat

Protein power smoothie

“Blend up this fruity smoothie to deliver serious protein to your body,” says Largeman-Roth.

BLEND THIS:
¾ cup fat-free milk
½ ripe banana
½ cup frozen raspberries
½ cup frozen blueberries
1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder
5 ice cubes

284 calories, 27 g protein, 42 g carbs, 7 g fibre, 2 g fat

The Green Monster

Research from Ohio State University shows that avocado can unlock the full nutrition potential of certain vegetables and improve the absorption of antioxidants. It’s delicious, too.

BLEND THIS:
290 ml water
2 stalks kale, stems optional
1 cup grapes
1/2 cup frozen mango chunks
1 strip lemon rind
1/2 avocado
Ice as needed

346 calories, 9 g protein, 12 g fat, 62 g carbohydrates, 11 g fibre

You’d never guess that a cup of spinach is hiding in this delicious chocolate and peanut butter shake.

BLEND THIS:
350 ml water, milk, or yogurt
2 scoops chocolate flavoured protein powder
1 banana
1 cup of spinach
2 tbsp of natural peanut butter
1 tbsp cacao nibs or dark cocoa powder

585 calories, 59 g protein, 22 g fat, 38 g carbs, 8 g fibre (accounts for using water as the fluid instead of milk or yogurt)

This story originally appeared on Men’s Health U.S

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It’s a common condition that can be caused by several variables including drinking habits, fitness levels, sleep positions, environments and much more. But it’s important to know why it’s happening, what you can do, what it means and how to fix it (for both you and your bedfellow’s sanity).

Below, Men’s Health explores this noisy epidemic and, crucially, what you can do about it. Apologies if it’s a total snoozefest.

What Is Snoring?

Snoring is the harsh sound that comes from your throat when air flows past relaxed tissues, leading them to vibrate as you inhale and exhale. Snoring involves the soft palata and other tissues inside your mouth, throat and nose, caused by a partial blockage of your throat’s upper airway.

Snoring can be caused by a number of factors, such as the anatomy of your mouth and sinuses. For example, the more narrowed your airway, the more forceful the airflow becomes.

Your habits and your hygiene may not be to blame here, though. Snoring can run in the family, as two genetic ‘markers’ in the blood have been identified with a direct correlation to snoring, making it a hereditary issue.
Similarly, the size of your airway can contribute to the rate at which you snore, as people with narrower throats are more likely to snore — and a narrow throat is a trait that can carry through generations in a family. Even your facial structure can contribute, as various genetic components can make you more likely to snore.
Unsurprisingly, snoring can definitely affect your sleep. Regular interruptions of your breathing — each lasting from seconds to minutes — can cause you to frequently wake up, leading you to be drowsy throughout the following day. Also, by waking up frequently in the night, your body will struggle to get a ‘deep’ sleep and, instead, will have its regular pattern interfered with. 

Research presented at the European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging in Athens found that people with obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) have a significantly elevated risk of early cardiovascular damage. After Romanian researchers examined 20 patients with moderate to severe OSA against 20 healthy volunteers and 20 patients with type-2 diabetes, the findings revealed that the patients displayed the same risk of early CV damage as the group with diabetes. Essentially, the findings indicate that chronic snorers have ‘serious cardiac pathology’ and should see a sleep specialist.

A 2015 study published in Neurologyalso found that heavy snoring and sleep apnea could be linked to memory issues and cognitive decline at an earlier age, due to snorers having to stop breathing during the night. The study was based on brain activity and sleep habits of 2000 people aged 55 to 75-years-old and found that subjects who snored developed signs of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) earlier than their quieter counterparts. 

Needless to say, this can affect your workouts too. A study from The American College of Sports Medicine found that when your body is deprived of sleep — whether that’s from snoring or not — your muscles will grow significantly more tired long before they run out of glycogen. When you’re running on zero sleep and you add a workout into the mix, you run the risk of multiplying the damage done to your body. Be smart about it. 

Being overweight, drinking alcohol and sleeping on your back can cause you to snore more, too. As a result, losing a bit of weight, limiting your boozing habits and sleeping on your side can soften the sound.

Find your snoring solution(s)

Step one: Try one of these

If you’re a light snorer without sleep apnoea (not sure? do a sleep study), an inexpensive quick fix might help you reduce or eliminate your snoring.

Nasal Dilators

Research studies have shown that adhesive nasal strips like Breathe Right can help decrease snoring intensity. But that’s only if your snoring is coming from your nasal passages – your tongue and soft palate could also be the culprits.

Oral Appliances

Mouthguards for snoring can help move your jaw into alignment, which creates more space for unobstucted airflow. A dentist can fit you for a TAP, but you may want to first try a less expensive OTC item (ZQuiet makes them) to see if you’re comfortable sleeping with one at all.

Tennis Ball T-Shirt 

Take a tennis ball. Stuff it into a sock. Safety-pin both ends of the sock to the middle of the back of an old T-shirt. Wear the T-shirt to bed. If you’re an on-your-back snorer, the ball will be so uncomfortable you’ll roll onto your side at night. It works – but it’s challenging to get used to.

Step two: Get in your (tongue) workouts

If you rarely skip leg day, your dedication may help your snoring. Try adding another workout routine: this set of mouth exercises by Geraldo Lorenzi-Filho, director of the Sleep Lab at the Heart Institute Univer­sity of São Paulo. People who did 3 sets of 20 daily for 3 months snored 36 per cent less frequently and had a 59 per cent drop in snoring intensity.

Exercise 1: Push the tip of your tongue against the roof of your mouth; slide the tip backward.

Exercise 2: Suck your tongue upwards against the roof of your mouth and press your entire tongue against it.

Exercise 3: Force the back of your tongue against the floor of your mouth while keeping the tip of your tongue in contact with your bottom front teeth.

Exercise 4: Elevate your soft palate (the back of the roof of your mouth) and your uvula (the fleshy protrusion that hangs from your soft palate) while making the vowel sound aaay.

Step three: Okay, fine: Maybe you need surgery

It’s a big step, and if you don’t have apnoea, your insurance likely won’t cover the cost. Though if you can afford the operation, snorers do benefit from it.

Turbinate Surgery: A doctor may shorten or remove the bones along the walls of the nasal passages. People in a 2017 study experienced decreases in snoring and sleepiness symptoms as soon as six weeks after receiving treatment that included turbinoplasty – though not as pronounced as results from nasal reconstruction (yelp!) or surgery aimed at changing the shape of the soft palate.

Tonsillectomy: There’s research that shows that tonsil removal can significantly lessen snoring and sleep apnoea in some people, particularly those who are overweight and/or have large tonsils. The two-week recovery period can be rough, though (pain, nausea, swelling).

Soft-Palate Surgery: Doctors either use lasers to scar and toughen the tissue in the soft palate or insert plastic pillars within the palate that heal over. Both methods open the airways associated with snoring and apnoea. Again, though, the recovery can be painful and last up to two weeks (especially for laser surgery), and reduction in snoring may take a month or more, but the benefits are study-proven. 

Other ways to Stop Snoring

Thankfully, there are a lot of options to consider when it comes to beating your midnight murmurs, but you’ll need to work through a list of possibilities before your sleeping habits start to improve. A lot of the options, interestingly, involve your hygiene and your personal health, but can all be fixed without a visit to the pharmacist.

Lose Weight

There are very little downsides to dropping some weight beyond having to buy a new belt. If you’re needing to lose a little heft, it could be your nocturnal habits that benefit. One of the biggest causes of snoring is being overweight and inactive, so dropping the pounds can help pay dividends. “This excess weight often gathers around the throat which, even in small amounts, can contribute to restricting the airway,” explains sleep expert Dr Kamani.

Cut Back on Alcohol

Essentially, alcohol is a relaxant for your muscles, meaning that your jaw and throat muscles relax into your airway — more so than a normal night’s sleep — restricting your airflow and causing you to snore louder than usual. Alcohol will also dehydrate you, leading to a thickened mucus in your mouth and throat, which will cause or worsen your snoring.

Stop Smoking

Sparking up regularly will lead to an irritation of your nose and throat lining, causing swelling and catrrh — a build-up of mucus in your airways, affecting your nose, throat and sinuses — thereby decreasing airflow and causing snoring. Stub it out (using these tips) for better sleep. 

Clean Your Bedroom Regularly

Struggling with nasal snoring? You probably have blocked nasal passages. Rather than your current weight or sleeping position, your environment could be the real culprit here. “Dust can irritate the nasal passage, causing the body to create a barrier of mucus blocking it,” says Kamani. “When we are asleep our only option then is to breathe through our mouths, increasing the likelihood that we will snore.”

So here’s what you need to do: change your sheets once a week and vacuum regularly so your nasal passages don’t become clogged with dust and dirt.

Stop Eating Spicy Foods

Stay with us on this one. “Eating spicy food could cause acid reflux, which could make your snoring worse,” says Kamani. Dallas’ US Snoring Centre discovered that acid reflux can cause sinus problems alongside coughing and chest pains at night.

The cause? Undigested food particles travelling back through your airways when you’re laid down, causing blockages and, you guessed it, snoring. Better cancel that curry, then.

Change Your Sleep Position

Get off your back ASAP. Switching between sleep positions can alleviate your snoring habits. Keep on your back, however, and you’ll cause your tongue to roll backwards, blocking your airway and sending snores into the stratosphere. Similarly, excess fatty tissue under your chin can relax and squash your airways — try sleeping on your side to keep things quiet.

Take a Hot Shower

If you find yourself snoring through your nose, you’ll want to try and expand your nasal passages to help air more freely. If your nose is clogged or narrowed, try having a hot shower before bed to open your nasal passages. Likewise, nasal straps like these may help them open up. 

Stay Hydrated

Is there anything a glass of water can’t do? Drinking plenty of fluids could be the key to unlocking a quieter night’s sleep. That’s because secretions (mucus) become stickier in your palate and in your nose when you’re dehydrated. According to the NHS, the average man should be necking six to eight glasses of water daily. Still confused about your H20 intake? Here’s our guide for more.

Snore gear for you (and them)

CPAP machine (via prescription)

 The devices are more portable, more comfortable and easier to use than those from 20 years ago. Yes, it requires some maintenance (tube washing, ensuring fit), but wearing a CPAP may save your life. “CPAP is the best treatment for moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnoea and the only treatment that eliminates it,” says Lorenzi-Filho.

Bose sleepbuds II ($290; bose.com.au)

 “I tried earplugs and a white-noise machine, but I still heard him, and it was hard for either of us to hear our kids. These rechargeable buds can drown out even his worst nights with white noise. They muffle crying children, too – so he’s on night-wake-up duty.” – Meghan Kita, wife of the author

Author’s note: Daily soft-palate exercises, a tennis-ball T-shirt and turbinate surgery greatly reduced my snoring, but I’m kicked far less during the night because of these buds.

The post The Ultimate Guide to Stopping Snoring Forever appeared first on Men's Health Magazine Australia.

And, as long as you follow these very basic instructions, there’s no real wrong way to make a BLT. But as any sandwich lover knows, there are a few key details that separate a good BLT from an OMFG BLT.

Andrew Markert and Bart Hutchins, co-chefs of Fight Club, a sandwich-centric restaurant in Washington, D.C., know this. When tomato season rolls around, they’re featuring a creation called the Heir to the BLT. The sandwich features heirloom tomatoes, house-made black pepper bacon, pistachio butter, brown butter mayo, and shredded lettuce on sourdough.

And as you can probably pull out from that menu description, they’ve thoughtfully considered each aspect of the BLT and perfect each ingredient so that all the elements elevate one another.

Here’s their approach to doing the same at home

Buy better bacon

Thin strips of packaged bacon are easily overpowered by the bread and tomato. Seek out smoked, black-peppered slab bacon that you can cut into very thin slices. Many butchers carry the stuff; if it’s not peppered, just grind some on later. About 450 grams will make four sandwiches.

Slow-sizzle

Panfrying bacon can turn it too brittle. Instead, place the slices on a high-rimmed sheet pan and slow-roast them in a 120°C oven for about two hours. The bacon’s fat will render slowly, resulting in tender, meaty strips that are slightly chewy. Yes, it’s worth it.

Prep the ingredients

You want the bacon warm when it hits the sandwich, so organise everything else. Slice 1 large heirloom tomato the same thickness as the bacon, for balance. Then thinly slice ½ head iceberg. Cut 8 slices of sourdough, each moderately thick, and toast them till golden brown. Finally, break out your best mayo, which will
have the right acidity, sweetness and creaminess.

Assemble!

The order: bread slice, bacon, tomato (sprinkled with salt and pepper), lettuce, bread slice (slathered with 1 Tbsp mayo). The theory: biting into the bread, you’ll first taste the glory of the bacon, which prevents the lettuce from spilling and the tomato from slipping. And as the mayo melts, it lightly dresses everything.

Three Ways to Make a BLT Even Awesomer:

Pistachio Butter

In a food processor, pulverize ½ cup roasted, unsalted, shelled pistachios with a pinch each of salt and sugar. With the motor running on low, drizzle in enough canola oil till peanut-butter-like in consistency. Spread about 1 Tbsp on the inside of the bottom slice of bread. It’s fatty. It’s nutty. It plays well with bacon.

A Pickle

“Every BLT should come with a pickle,” says Markert. “It’s a palate cleanser.” Dill, garlic dill, half-sour—doesn’t matter, as long as it’s in spear-form to get that crunch.

A Drink

Markert prefers a root beer, the sweetness playing off the saltiness of the sandwich. If you’re looking for something harder, both Markert and Hutchins covet Hamm’s lager, but other American macro-brews like Bud, Coors, and Miller offer a similar refreshing crispness too.

The post There’s Only One Right Way To Build The Ultimate BLT appeared first on Men's Health Magazine Australia.

And that sell is strong: Creatine has been scientifically proven to enhance your strength, which can lead to muscle growth. All you have to do is pop some pills or stir some powder into your usual protein shake and it’s ready, set, swole.

But that’s just what’s advertised. Those promises of big strength and muscle gains can’t actually be true, right? And didn’t your high school buddy once tell you that taking creatine would cause your kidneys to fall out? There have got to be side effects, right?

Your skepticism is warranted. Nobody should put anything into their body without weighing the benefits and risks (and, yes, creatine does carry a few side effects that you should be aware of). It’s good to have questions about creatine.

To help you out, we turned to some of the smartest minds in nutrition to answer all of your questions about creatine supplementation.

So before you go all-in on taking creatine, here’s what the supplement actually is, what it does, and how to avoid any of its side effects.

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What is creatine?

Creatine is an endogenous amino acid derivative produced by vertebrate animals and occurring primarily in muscle cells, according to the National Institutes of Health.

Basically it’s an acid that your body can produce, by way of your kidneys and liver, after you eat protein. Animal proteins, particularly red meat and fish, contain creatine naturally, but you’d need to eat almost inhuman amounts of each to hit the level available in most creatine supplements.

What does creatine do?

Your muscles convert creatine into creatine phosphate, which is then generated into adenosine triphosphate (ATC), which your body uses for explosive exercise.

So you do get stronger—just not immediately.

Creatine increases the body’s ability to produce energy rapidly. Creatine exists naturally in your body and helps fuel your muscles, which is why some people take it as a supplement to boost their performance in the gym.

The mechanism is straightforward: If you’re able to lift more weight in the gym, you’re able to create more of the muscle fiber tears that your body can then repair and rebuild bigger and stronger after your workout.

Is creatine safe?

The good news is that creatine supplementation is well-studied in scientific circles (perhaps more so than any other supplement, short of protein power). And, if you’re taking creatine supplements correctly, that science largely considers creatine safe and effective. In short, creatine, when taken as recommended, delivers on its promises of strength and muscle gain.

But them there’s the not-so-great news: You can incorrectly take creatine (read: “user error”), which can result in side effects. Take creatine the wrong way and you won’t experience the same benefits as someone who follows direction. In other words, you’re wasting your money. (And, if you’re buying the good stuff, creatine supplements aren’t cheap.)

Don’t worry, though: “You should feel good about your creatine supplementation,” says Michael Roussell, Ph.D. “Take 5 grams of creatine monohydrate with your workout shake to help you get bigger and stronger.”

Although some research has pointed to creatine’s efficacy for high-intensity, explosive exercises like sprinting, the overall results have been mixed.

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What are the short-term effects of creatine?

One thing is almost certain: If you take creatine, you’ll gain weight.

“Creatine is a quick way to add muscle, but not without some water weight, too,” Carolyn Brown, R.D., a nutrition counselor at Indigo Wellness Group. “Most people gain between two and four pounds of water retention in the first week.”

But that water weight is good. Creatine pulls more water into your muscles, making your muscles bigger and fuller.

And if you’re not gaining weight on creatine in the short-term, you may not be drinking enough water. Make sure you’re well-hydrated when you’re taking creatine supplements.

What are the long-term effects of creatine?

After that initial retention period, subsequent gains are due to the increase in the workload you can handle, according to Paul Greenhaff, Ph.D., professor of muscle metabolism at the University of Nottingham in England.

Basically, if you continue pushing harder and harder in the gym, creatine will keep fueling you to greater gains.

Some people think that if they take creatine and don’t work out, they’ll put on fat—but Roussell says it isn’t true.

“Creatine contains no calories, and has no impact on your fat metabolism,” he says. “So taking creatine and not working out is just going to lead to nothing.”

That said, you can’t take creatine, not workout, and expect to gain muscle. It just doesn’t work that way.

What are the best forms of creatine?

Some forms of the supplement are indeed better than others.

“If you’re going to add a supplement in, make sure it’s creatine monohydrate,” Brown says. “A lot of other supplements out there will have a lot of junk that you don’t need, and they’ll be much more expensive.”

One category to watch out for: “pre-workout” supplements that advertise that they contain creatine. Surprise: Many of these supplements do not contain the minimum amount of the nutrient proven to be effective.

Powder is the way to go. Studies show that liquid creatine and creatine ethyl ester (CEE) are unstable and break down in your blood system. Don’t bother with them.

Chad Kerksick, Ph.D., assistant professor of exercise physiology at the University of Oklahoma, recommends 100 percent pure creatine powder. Some companies add electrolytes and other ingredients, but tests indicate those do little to improve performance.

“Save money and buy creatine powder and [mix it with] fruit juice,” Kerksick says.

Fruit juice? That’s right—the sugar in the juice raises insulin levels, which helps increase creatine uptake into the muscle. Sports beverages work just fine too.

You need about 70 grams of simple sugars for every five grams of creatine, Greenhaff says. He suggests looking for a drink or supplement with 60 grams of carbs per 100 grams of product.

You’ll know the powder is of poor quality if it’s hard to dissolve and there’s residue at the bottom of your glass after you drink it. You want the powder in your muscles, not in the glass. If this happens, try a different brand.

And pills? While they’re effective, you often have to take a ton, especially during the creatine loading phase, in order to hit an effective dosage. If you love taking pills, go for it. For everyone else, powders seem to be the best bet.

Here’s a buyer’s guide for what to look for in a high-quality, effective creatine supplement.

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What foods are high in creatine?

Just as our bodies produce creatine, the chemical is also found naturally in various foods.

“Creatine isn’t just found in supplements,” Brown says. “It’s actually found in beef, pork, and salmon.”

Try these recipes for creatine-rich meals:

• A steak dinner in one pan
• 7-ingredient pork chop
• Barbecued lemon pepper salmon filet

Will creatine cause side effects with my kidneys, blood sugar, or cause muscular dystrophy?

Don’t believe everything you read on Reddit.

Researchers are constantly studying creatine for its effectiveness and safety. That’s why many trainers and health experts support the use of creatine: Studies indicate it’s safe.

“Creatine is one of the most-researched sports supplements out there,” Kerksick says. “And there’s no published literature to suggest it’s unsafe.”

There have been anecdotal reports of kidney damage, blood sugar concerns, heart problems, muscle cramps and pulls, dehydration, and diarrhea, in addition to other negative side effects. But the key word is anecdotal.

“I’m not saying people don’t experience cramps, but I don’t believe it can be very common,” Greenhaff says. “If there were any major adverse side effects, we would have seen them by now.”

Some of these conditions can be caused by consuming too much of certain vitamins, says Tod Cooperman, M.D., president of ConsumerLab.com. “Too much vitamin C can cause diarrhea, and too much iron may lead to stomach problems,” he says.

To be safe, he recommends using creatine only if you are healthy and have no kidney problems. That’s because your kidneys excrete creatinine, a breakdown product of creatine.

Are there side effects of taking creatine?

It depends.

If you can get big without it, there’s no reason to use creatine.

“I wouldn’t recommend doing anything that would show minimal improvement and possible risk,” says Jim King, M.D., president of the American Academy of Family Physicians. “Weigh the negatives and the benefits before you try it.”

Kids under age 18 should avoid creatine, King says. “Children are still in a growing phase, and we’re not sure what impact creatine may have on muscles and bones as they grow,” he says. “I feel very strongly that middle and even high schoolers shouldn’t use it.”

Will creatine increase my power, strength, and body mass?

Here’s one thing all the experts can agree on: It’s impossible to say.

Creatine has different effects on every individual. Some people just don’t respond to creatine—it’s a genetic thing.

If you’ve started taking creatine, you should know if it works for you in about a week. If your training volume increases, it’s working for you. If not, you’re probably a non-responder, and taking the powder isn’t going to help you.

Diet is important. Since certain meats and seafood have high levels of creatine, vegetarians—i.e., people who don’t eat those creatine-rich foods on the reg—usually see a greater response. Those whose diets are highly carnivorous may see less change.

Of course, a healthy diet is key to anyone’s muscle-building plan. “If your diet is junk, there’s no point in adding creatine,” Kerksick says. “It’s better to eat good sources of carbohydrates and lean protein.”

In the end, creatine alone will not make you a bigger man.

“Only when combined with exercise does it improve the quality of training,” Greenhaff says. “You still have to do the work.”

This article was first published on Men’s Health US.

The post Experts On The Benefits And Possible Side Effects Of Creatine For Muscle Growth appeared first on Men's Health Magazine Australia.