![]() the male dancer
written by DancingDoc ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() >T hank Y ou . It's just impossible to gain weight! I just bought this book today that talks all about CREATINE MONOHYDRATE and how using it might help with energy levels and weight gain... will look into that and tell you how it goes.>So, have you been dancing long? How old are you? Don't answer if it freaks you out to-- I assure you though, I'm no weirdo. Hope to hear from you soon. About two weeks ago a cardiovascular surgeon asked me for information on creatine supplementation. (I do some work called "medical technology assessment" for certain groups.) The medical research I found on this topic was very mixed, some for, some against. Some researchers at Ball State University found that when it was used in a heavy resistance training program that it did cause significant increases in body mass and fat-free mass versus a sugar pill. Some researcher on the Medical Faculty at Barcelona University found that creatine supplementation did not improve physical performance in sprint runners. Other researchers have been concerned about kidney damage, but other have shown that it doesn't adversely affect blood pressure and other body indexes. We're still putting all this research together to see if, overall, there are any benefits to creatine supplementation. My concern is that there doesn't seem to be any agreement on HOW MUCH creatine supplementation is safe. That is, how much should you take. It looks like 70 mg of creatine for each kilo of body weight a day is considered safe by most researchers (That would be 3500 mgs or 3.5 grams per day if you weighed 50 kilos, or about 110 pounds.) But some people suggest that you should first "load" with up to 25 grams a day. Most of the favorable results were COMBINED WITH SOME KIND OF RIGOROUS EXERCISE PROGRAM, like the heavy resistance training. There don't seem to be any studies where people just took the supplement and didn't do rigorous exercise. I'm pretty sure that no one has yet got the "final word" on this supplement, and if you're going to use it, be careful. I can say that if you feel you need to gain weight, talk to your family physician. He or she might know what's best for you, given your own medical status, and at least he or she can help monitor you for any signs of adverse effects. DancingDoc Answers to this message: |