L-Carnitine: An Unnecessary Ergogenic Aid
WHAT IS L-CARNITINE?
L-Carnitine is a naturally occurring amino acid which plays a vital role in the metabolism of fat. It functions as a transporter of fatty acids into the mitochondria, the metabolic furnace of the cell.
L-carnitine was discovered in Russia, and one year later in Germany. The proper name, Carnitine, refers to the Latin origin, (carno, caris). Its structural formula was decoded in 1927, and its physiological significance was understood by the 1960's. (http://www.hlthmall.com/l-carnitine.html) L-carnitine is synthesized in the liver and kidneys, from two essential amino acids, lysine and methionine. This synthesis requires the presence of vitamins niacin, B6, and iron.
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Research also suggests that an adequate supply of l-carnitine could be instrumental in the treatment of diabetes, chronic fatigue syndrome, kidney and liver disease. (http://www.healthlink.com.au/nat_lib/htm-data/htm-supp/supps72.htm) Since its involvement in the process of burning fats is of most importance to those interested in endurance and body fitness, it is this topic that will be focused upon.
THE ROLE OF L-CARNITINE: HOW DOES IT WORK?
Carnitine boosts energy by stimulating the body's burning of tryglycerides as fuel, and sparing the supply of glycogen stored in the liver for heavier exertion. During exercise, the body will burn fat at a rate of 75-80% of maximum exertion, thus less glycogen from carbohydrates is burned. L-carnitine allows the body to burn more fat, save more glycogen, and ultimately boost stamina and endurance. By providing more fat to the muscles, carnitine makes accessible an otherwise unavailable energy source. (http://www.betterbodz.com/library/l-carnitine.html)
FAT + OXYGEN + L-CARNITINE = ENERGY
Is this the recipe for success? According to proponents of L-Carnitine, it is the essential amino acid in the optimum fat burning process. They believe that carnitine is to the human body, what a turbo mechanism is to a car: both provide optimal fuel and performance. Minus L-carnitine, fatty acids would have a difficult time permeating the
The supplement creatine is used for faster recovery for muscles after short periods of exercise. The theory is an athlete on creatine can exhibit more explosive bursts of energy allowing for longer weight workouts, more sprints, etc. Increased muscle mass and bulk are two of the ideas behind creatine, but they only occur as long as people work out while taking the substance. It doesn’t create
When analyzing the comparison of the percentages intake of carbohydrates, the dietary recommended intake (DRI) in iprofile was 45-65%. The outcome of the three-day process displays that I am within an acceptable range of 57%. However, the foods that were part of the three-day diet consisted of various carbohydrates such as complex, simple, and fiber. Despite, that many people try to avoid or cut starches, they are vital to an individual health for several reasons. However, the body used carbohydrate as the primary source for providing energy, to protect against diseases, controlling weight, which all factors are important in a healthy diet (Mayo Clinic, 2016). An importance of carbohydrates in the diet, it can easily store in both the muscles and liver for future use and plays a role in the organs such as the kidneys, brain, and the heart for operating properly (Medline Plus, 2016).
A number of studies have examined the effect of creatine supplementation on performance. The consensus appears to be that creatine can increase the amount of work done by 8% in the first few short duration, maximal effort trials. Creatine also helped reduce energy waste. As a result, creatine enhances performance and decreases you muscle fatigue.
Creatine (Cr) is a popular dietary supplement used by athletes to increase sports performance, muscle mass, and strength. Creatine was first discovered in “1835, when a French scientist reported finding this constituent of meat” (Demant & Rhodes, 1999). This organic compound is manufactured endogenously by the liver and kidneys “from the amino acids glycine, arginine and methionine” for energy stipulation during muscular contraction. (Arazi, Rahmaninia, Hoseini, & Asadi, 2011). Creatine is either converted into free form Cr or phosphorylated form as known as creatine phosphate (CP). The endogenous production and exogenous consumption of Cr yields about 1 gram a day for the average person (Cooper, Naclerio, Allfrove , & Jimenez, 2012). In
They measured muscular strength and anaerobic performance in trained athletes. 17 physically, active young men were selected for the study and the creatine group had 8 people and the placebo group had 9 people with average age of 23 and 26, respectively. The creatine group took 20 grams a day over the course of 4 servings and the placebo group received a carbohydrate mixture and both groups took it before meals. They trained on day 1 and 4, which included exercises that the whole body. They measured anaerobic power on a 30 second Wingate test, max bench press and squat, took blood and urine samples, and measured height, weight, and body fat. Using an ANOVA with repeated measures across time, the results demonstrated that there was an increase in anaerobic force (12%) and back squat quality (11%) when contrasted with the placebo group. With more creatine in the body than with the control group and the creatine group had lower body fat but more body weight because of increased muscle mass. Proper training and creatine led to power and force increases for these athletes, which is helpful to a running back in improving power, speed, and game
Taking supplemented creatine can result in a higher increase of muscle mass. Studies have shown that three to five grams of creatine monohydrate orally taken is risk free (EFSA). It increases muscle mass by providing the user to go longer on their exercise. Supplementing with creatine became popular in the nineties for a way to get lean muscle mass. Another study shows that creatine causes water retention in muscles causing mass increase (NCBI). Creatine is also used as a treatment is muscular dystrophy. For people with muscular dystrophy it improves muscular functionality and muscle mass in all. It can be used to treat heart failure and mitochondrial disorders. I personally have been supplementing with creatine monohydrate for the past month and have seen an increase in strength and muscle
The Creatine supplement most commonly used is Creatine Monohydrate (C4H11N3O3). There are other derivatives of this supplement. Creatine Monohydrate has a variety of influences on athletes. Creatine’s occupation is to raise the rate at which ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate) is produced (Creatine Monohydrate Supplementation). When a muscle is used an ATP molecule goes through hydrolysis, the breaking of a chemical bond using H20. The muscle uses this breaking down of ATP to release energy. The ATP gives off an ADP (Adenosine Diphosphate) molecule. Due to the reliability of ATP breaking down with a water molecule, the amount of ATP available in the muscle cells is increased. At the same time ATP is being converted into ADP, ADP is being changed back to ATP inside the muscle. During the contraction of the muscle, the changing back of ADP to ATP is achieved by the Creatine already present in the cells. However, this rebuilding of ATP is not a direct result of the use of the Creatine in the cellular complex. Right upon the taking of Creatine Monohydrate, the total muscular capacity levels of phosphocreatine (PCr) and Creatine Monophosphate increase. This elevation of phosphocreatine “shifts the equilibrium towards the production of ATP,” allowing ATP to be generated at a much faster rate ( Muscle and Strength Magazine). This is the chemistry behind what Creatine does to your body and the reactions
Creatine is the primary metabolic fuel for high intensity, short duration movements such as sprinting, lifting heavy weights, and jumping to maximal heights (Smith-Ryan & Antonio, 2013), and a significant body of research (it is the most extensively studied ergogenic aid) reports supplementation during training can optimize muscle creatine stores, increased high-intensity intermittent work output, and promote greater gains in strength and muscle mass, plus Cr has been demonstrated to provide some therapeutic benefits in clinical populations (Kreider, 2008, p. 430). Cr is also known as methylguanidinoacetic acid, which is an amino acid derived compound chemically classified as a non-protein nitrogen (Smith-Ryan & Antonio, 2013). Cr can be
Next, Creatine is a supplement made of three different amino acids glycine, arginine, and methionine. Creatine can be produced by the body and found in high protein meats. When creatine enters the body it bonds with a phosphate molecule to form creatine phosphate. When macronutrients are consumed they go through a process called oxidation to become adenosine triphosphate (ATP). ATP is molecule that stores energy. When a task is performed energy is given off to perform the task and a phosphate is lost. Once a phosphate is lost ATP becomes ATD (adenosine diphosphate). ATD is useless to the body and can not be used for energy unless it is formed back into ATP. Creatine gives its phosphate to ATD to make up for the missing phosphate, reforming ATP. Creatine provides more energy to increase performances and strength while training. Shannon Clark, whom holds a degree in exercise science and sport performance said “Creatine allows you to keep pushing hard in the gym at a time when you would previously had to decrease the load or stop entirely, so it helps in building muscle faster” (Clark). Taking a creatine supplement provides more energy needed to build strength.
Creatine is a substance found naturally in the body and is a necessary component of your cells' energy process. The body uses amino acids and produce creatine in the liver and kidneys. It will take up a significant
L-carnitine is the most widely available and least expensive. It helps to increase the amount of fat the body burns, increases the energy level and promotes a healthy heart and circulation along with a healthy
Creatine has been one of the most extensively studied and researched ergogenic aid used to improve exercise performance in sport.
In addition to this, it has been examined as a playing possible therapeutic role in medical conditions. The energy supplied to your body during and after intense exercise is due to phosphocreatine collected in the muscles. Phosphocreatine may influence the amount of energy exerted in high intensity exercise. On top of that, it is assumed that an increase in muscle phosphocreatine, by use of creatine supplement, can increase creatine levels in your body allowing faster adenosine triphosphate (ATP) expenditure during and after high intensity activity. Analytically, consuming creatine while training may lead to greater training integrations because of increased quality and volume of effort. In regards of possible medical exercise, creatine is personally associated with numerous metabolic
Creatine can be beneficial to many people around the world because it improves the health, desires, and overall quality of life. Creatine can increase muscle energy, improve memory in some cases, lose weight, and increase muscle growth.
Carbohydrate is a nutrient essential for energy production and the prevention of ketosis, a state where the production of ketones exceeds metabolism. Protein is a nutrient essential for its components, amino acids. Fat is a nutrient which provides insulation, protection and energy for the body.