The following comes from the newsletter of NuCare Nutrition Products.  
http://www.nucare.com


Creatine Answers for PALS

Creatine, now widely used by many athletes including Sammy Sosa, the major
league baseball MVP, and Mark McGuire the homerun king, works twice as well
as Riluzole, the only FDA approved drug for the treatment of ALS.

Riluzole, which costs up to 12,000 dollars per year of treatment, was
compared with creatine in laboratory animal experiments. Dr. Flint Beal of
Cornell Medical Center in New York, said that clinical trials (in humans)
are being planned.

Creatine has also shown benefit in laboratory animal experiments for
Duchenne muscular dystrophy, Huntington's, and Parkinson's.

In athletes, creatine increases muscle mass, strength, and stamina. This is
why creatine is now widely used in all the power sports (football, baseball,
basketball, and wrestling).

As a physician it is especially exciting to see that creatine is beginning
to attract the attention of medical scientists interested in various
neuromuscular disorders. Medical scientists are also studying creatine usage
for sarcopenia, the loss of muscle that occurs with age, recovery of
strength following surgery, heart disease and congestive heart failure.
Early results are promising.

Every person considering creatine supplementation is strongly urged to learn
the basic facts about creatine if they wish optimal results.

Here are answers to some commonly asked creatine questions.


What is creatine?
Creatine is a simple natural molecule made from animo acids. Pure creatine
is a powder. About 95% of all creatine in the body is found in muscle. Our
body produces about one gram each day in liver, pancreas, and kidney and we
eat about one gram per day, mostly from eating meat. Vegetarians may have
lower muscle creatine levels than meat eaters. Protein malnutrition may also
lead to lower creatine levels.

What does creatine do in the cell?
Creatine in cells simply stores energy that you get from food.  Some of the
creatine forms creatine phosphate, an immediate high-energy source for
muscle contraction and for energy use in other cells such as neurons.
When extra creatine is taken as a supplement, more creatine phosphate is
made in the cell and thus more energy can be stored.

How will creatine make me feel?
Just as in athletes, creatine may make your remaining muscle stronger. It
also may slow the loss of nerve cells and thus slow the progression of the
disease.

How does creatine help slow the progression of ALS?
Dr. Beal suggests two possibilities. One is that creatine, by increasing the
available energy in brain neurons, helps prevent the effect of the loss of
mitochondria and its resultant damage to the neuron.  The second is that
creatine may have a direct effect on mitochondria which are necessary for
the health and survival of the neuron.

How is creatine sold?
Creatine is sold as a powder, a gel, a fluid, a candy and as a creatine
chewing gum.

Are some ways to take creatine better than others?
I think so. If you take powder you must first weigh or measure the right
amount and then get the creatine to dissolve in a fluid such as water or
juice. Keep in mind that creatine in a fluid such as water or the acidic
juice gradually denatures creatine into the waste product, creatinine.
Secondly something must be added to the creatine to maximize its absorption
from the blood into the cell.  Commonly a carbohydrate is added to stimulate
insulin levels that seem necessary for maximum cellular creatine levels.
Other substances such as chromium are added for the same reason.
Keep in mind that getting creatine into the cell is a two-part process.
First creatine must get into the blood and then from the blood into the
cell.

Is creatine safe?
Creatine has been used for at least ten years in the United States, and
Eastern bloc countries have used creatine well before then. No controlled
studies have shown serious side effects. In times past, heavy meat eaters
such as the Plains Indians, African Tribal People, and Eskimos have all
eaten high concentrations of creatine in their meat over long periods of
time, without any known ill effects.

Are there any side effects of creatine powder?
High powder creatine doses are reported by athletes to be associated with
intestinal cramps, diarrhea, increased urination and muscle cramps.  I
suggest a dosage of 3 to 5 grams per day using a product such as Creatine
ChewtritionÉ, the creatine gum product. Athletes using this product and
dosage have not reported the above side effects.

Is loading necessary?
Loading (taking large creatine dose for about a week) is not necessary or
desirable. With lower doses you can gradually build up maximum creatine
levels in your cells over a month's time.

If I stop taking creatine how long will creatine last in my cells?
Creatine levels in cells are known to gradually fall and are usually back to
normal in a month.

Will creatine injure my kidneys?
Creatine in your body gradually changes to a substance called creatinine, a
waste product that is excreted by your kidneys. High powder levels may raise
creatinine, but this does not injure the kidneys. Creatinine, the waste
product is not known to be toxic. Groups taking creatine in short-term
controlled studies have not demonstrated any increase in kidney problems.

Is creatine a steroid?
Creatine is not a steroid, and therefore has none of the side effects
associated with those drugs.

Will creatine mess up my hormones?
No, creatine is not a hormone, and has no known effect on our hormone levels
or endocrine system.

Does stomach acid destroy creatine?
Yes, creatine is destroyed by acid. The stomach can produce a very high acid
secretion, even as high as 0.1 normal hydrochloric acid.  This results in
destruction of creatine by converting it into creatinine, the waste product.
Stomach acid secretion varies greatly from time to time and from person to
person and thus creatine absorption can also vary.

Will juice destroy the creatine?
Juice is also acidic and will therefore also gradually destroy the creatine.

What about water, will it too destroy the creatine?
Even water destroys creatine slowly.

Where is creatine made?
There are three primary manufacturing sources of creatine: China, Europe,
and the United States. Distributing companies buy creatine from one of these
sources make it into a product and sell it to the public.  I recommend using
US creatine because the strict manufacturing standards here in the US.
Poor manufacturing standards may result in toxic contamination. My advice is
to stick with companies that have very high professional standards.

Is there a way to take creatine that can help overcome the creatine delivery
problems you describe?
Yes, there is a creatine gum product that is especially convenient for
people on the move. It retains all the advantages of creatine and avoids
most all the problems associated with the powder. It is called Creatine
Chewtrition, and is made by NuCare.com. NuCare can be reached at
1-888-682-2731 or www.nucare.com.
They grind high quality US creatine finely to aid rapid adsorption. Then
they put a measured amount of creatine in a gum base and make it into a
creatine gum.  The chewing motion with the saliva brings the creatine into
true solution necessary to get it rapidly absorbed into the blood.
Adsorption begins right in the mouth and exceeds that reported when powder
alone is used. This allows a smaller, more physiologically natural level of
creatine to be used effectively by the body.

What if I can't chew?
Creatine Chewtrition is a good delivery system for those who are up and
about and can chew. If you can't chew, try 3-5 grams of powder per day in
divided doses. Be sure to completely dissolve the powder in water. Take it
immediately and don't store the solution. Take the creatine about an hour
after a high carbohydrate meal. Avoid caffeine in coffee and soft drinks,
because it has been reported to neutralize the positive effect of creatine.

Where can I get creatine?
Creatine is a food supplement and does not require a doctor's prescription.
Creatine Chewtrition can purchased on the Internet at www.nucare.com. or by
calling toll free 1-888-nucare1. The powder is available in nutrition and
health food stores. Fancy additives are unnecessary. Just get the pure
creatine from high quality sources.

Do you take creatine?
Yes, I take the Creatine Chewtritionœ to prevent saropenia (the loss of
muscle with age). This helps me lose weight by keeping my muscle mass up and
my metabolic rate high so I use more calories.

If you had ALS or other neurodegenerative disease would you take creatine?
Absolutely! I think creatine is a very promising substance that certainly
merits consideration by every person with ALS and indeed other disorders
such as Parkinson's, Duchenne's muscular dystrophy, Sarcopenia, Obesity,
Congestive Heart Failure and even Multiple Sclerosis.

However I am not your individual personal physician and do not make medical
recommendations. It is always wise to consult your own physician before
making decisions.

Keep in mind that creatine research is just now attracting the attention of
large numbers of serious medical scientists. My guess is that we are all
going to hear a lot of exciting new things about creatine in the next few
years.

How can I learn more?
I write a free weekly e-mail newsletter that covers various health and
nutritional issues. I call my newsletter Doc Joc because of my interest in
sports. If you or your friends want to subscribe just write my editor,
gary@nucare.com.
I also welcome specific questions from you, your friends or your physician.


Lynn Myers MD

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