Creatine Boost – Huge Benefits For Everyone!

The hottest supplement in the country isn’t just for strength athletes!

BY STEVE BORN

There is no doubt that the hottest supplement currently on the market is creatine monohydrate (aka “creatine”). The reason? Because, while once being the sole domain of purely strength/explosive activity athletes—bodybuilders, weightlifters, track sprinters, etc.—newer research has shown that it’s hugely beneficial for all athletes… the general population, even more so, thanks to creatine’s overall health benefits!

This newer research is why, after an over 30-year absence, we brought Creatine Boost back to our product line (yep, we had a creatine product waaaay back when!) And with so many benefits that far exceed the original “build muscle mass and strength” benefits, that decision was a no-brainer! Another no-brainer? Using only the finest, most-researched form of creatine in the world: Creapure® pure creatine monohydrate produced by Alzchem Trostberg GmbH in Germany.

The awesome wide-ranging benefits of Creatine Boost

Helps muscle fibers heal and rebuild stronger post-exercise. Exercise causes micro-tears in the muscle fibers. During the recovery period, we want these micro-tears to heal and become stronger. Creatine (protein as well) assists in this all-important process as it helps activate satellite cells— specialized stem cells located within skeletal muscles—which help the micro-tears heal. [1]

Helps reduce exercise-induced soreness. In one study involving well-trained runners competing in a 30k race, the researchers looked at inflammatory and muscle soreness markers—creatine kinase, lactate dehydrogenase, prostaglandin E2, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha—in the runners prior to and after the race. In the control group (no creatine), all the runners had sizable increases in all four inflammatory and muscle soreness markers, while the creatine-supplemented runners had significantly lower levels of all four markers. The researchers concluded, “These results indicate that creatine supplementation reduced cell damage and inflammation after an exhaustive, intense race.” [2]

• Hot tip: Prior to your key races, doing a 4-day load with Race Day Boost, and adding 1 serving of Creatine Boost to one or two of the 4 daily loading doses on each of the 4 days of the loading period may prove to be the perfect performance-enhancing AND recovery combination. Test in training first!

Enhances muscle glycogen restoration after exercise. Researchers Bergström and Hultman say it best: “Muscle glycogen availability has long been cited as a principal determinant of endurance exercise performance, and its depletion corresponds with the development of muscle fatigue. Optimizing liver and muscle glycogen storage is a goal of many athletes wishing to maximize performance.” Creatine supplementation has been shown to help enhance the rate of glycogen resynthesis and increase muscle glycogen content after strenuous exercise. [3] That’s a MAJOR benefit!

• Hot tip: To maximize glycogen restoration and increase the amount of glycogen your muscles store, add 1 serving of Creatine Boost to Recoverite or Vegan Recoverite. Including 1 capsule each of Chromium GTF and 1 Essential Mg will enhance glycogen synthesis/storage capabilities even more! [4]

Has antioxidant properties. Research has shown that creatine increases the activity of antioxidant enzymes and has the capability to eliminate reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) free radicals. Creatine protects two different and important cellular targets, mitochondrial deoxyribonucleic acid (mtDNA) and RNA against oxidative damage. In addition, creatine has been shown to cause other related effects that help the cell to survive and function under oxidative stress. [5]

Multiple brain health benefits. The conclusion of a review of numerous brain-specific studies with creatine supplementation (“Heads Up” for Creatine Supplementation and its Potential Applications for Brain Health and Function), states: “Creatine supplementation can increase brain creatine content, which over time may help explain some of the promising effects on measures of brain health and function. Specifically, creatine supplementation has been shown to improve measures of cognition and memory (primarily in aging adults) and decrease symptoms of sleep deprivation in human and animal populations. Creatine supplementation also shows promise for alleviating some symptoms of TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury), including concussion, and characteristics of muscular dystrophy in humans. The efficacy of creatine for treating symptoms of depression and anxiety is also encouraging but clinical trials examining the effects of creatine (independent of pharmacological interventions) on these mood disorders are needed before a consensus can be reached.” [6]

Cardiovascular health support. While studies on creatine’s effects on healthy human hearts are still ongoing, in animal studies, creatine supplementation restored ATP levels in animals subjected to energy-reducing cardiac stress, while also reducing markers of heart muscle exhaustion. This beneficial effect was also seen in unstressed animals [7, 8]. Studies on humans with chronic congestive heart failure have shown that creatine supplementation increases creatine phosphate levels in their muscles, thus allowing them to perform significantly better on strength and endurance testing compared to those not supplementing with creatine. [9]

Protection against age-related decrease in muscle mass and strength, and bone mass, aka sarcopenia. The abstract of a study (Effectiveness of Creatine Supplementation on Aging Muscle and Bone: Focus on Falls Prevention and Inflammation) states: “Sarcopenia, defined as the age-related decrease in muscle mass, strength and physical performance, is associated with reduced bone mass and elevated low-grade inflammation. From a healthy aging perspective, interventions which overcome sarcopenia are clinically relevant. Accumulating evidence suggests that exogenous creatine supplementation has the potential to increase aging muscle mass, muscle performance, and decrease the risk of falls and possibly attenuate inflammation and loss of bone mineral.” [10]

First time ever! One product! Three categories!

In the 39 year history of Hammer Nutrition, no product—supplement or fuel—fits perfectly within three categories. But Creatine Boost does, and here’s why:

Peak Performance - This is obvious, as creatine has always been THE go-to supplement for off-season weight training and all strength-specific workouts and competitions. However, given that it has beneficial effects for recovery, that also solidifies Creatine Boost’s spot as a Peak Performance supplement.

Well Being - With creatine having antioxidant properties, along with benefiting the brain and heart, while protecting against muscle mass, muscle strength and bone mass loss, there’s no question that it has a rightful place in the Well Being category.

Daily Essentials - Because creatine does not act upon any receptors and there is no known “sensitivity” (i.e., build-up tolerance issues), there is no need to take a break from using Creatine Boost on a daily basis. The beneficial effects of Creatine Boost are cumulative, so it should be taken every day… for life!

Do NOT wait! Get your supply of Creatine Boost NOW!

Three words we hate to say are “supplies are limited,” and that’s the way it is, at least for now. We’re currently in good shape stock-wise in Creatine Boost, and we hope to keep it that way. However, because creatine monohydrate is THE hottest supplement currently on the market, and because a lot of other companies started using Alzchem Trostberg GmbH’s Creapure® creatine monohydrate (hmmm… wonder where they got that idea?), consistent supplies of Creapure® have been a bit hit or miss for the time being.

We’re working hard to make sure we’re able to keep Creatine Boost in stock all the time, but given the frenzy for Creapure®, and with all the benefits that this amazing nutrient in Creatine Boost provides, you’d be wise to stock up now so that you don’t run out!

REFERENCES:
[1] https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1779717/
[2] Santos RV, Bassit RA, Caperuto EC, Costa Rosa LF. The effect of creatine supplementation upon inflammatory and muscle soreness markers after a 30km race. Life Sci. 2004 Sep 3;75(16):1917-24.
[3] https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4974290/
[4] https://hammernutrition.com/blogs/endurance-news-weekly/a-powerful-pair-for-insulin-resistance
[5] https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8000194/
[6] https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40279-023-01870-9
[7] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8719809/
[8] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10069699/
[9] Gordon A, Hultman E, Kaijser L, et al. Creatine supplementation in chronic heart failure increases skeletal muscle creatine phosphate and muscle performance. Cardiovasc Res. 1995 Sep;30(3):413-8.
[10] https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6518405/