Been trying to improve our muscle mass and this article came up. Sent along to partner. I don't do any training but partner does Pilate and is at risk for osteoporisis ( actually has it )
Creatine is the most studied and proven to be most beneficial of the dietary supplements. It's definitely not a drug, it isn't toxic and side effects are very slight. If you take creatine, you need to drink more water, and that's because it helps your cells recharge their energy and store water. Typically after a few weeks, I'm 5-8 pounds heavier from water saturation, after taking 5g or so a day from time off. Cycling off creatine is not needed, but I don't supplement with it when I'm not working out for a time.
There is only two side effects that are rare. One is that it helps your overall health enough that you might create more testosterone along with a workout routine, and that means that if you are prone to losing hair, Creatine might - and I mean might - speed male pattern balding very slightly. The other is that some people feel "overly full" and some slightly nauseous, which usually eases as they get over a cell-loading period.
The benefits for workouts and recovery are good, not steroid-like since it is not a drug or hormone, but definitely worth the time. You will gain some strength and stamina along with a higher water weight and somewhat larger muscles due to the cells storing more water (which also lets muscle cells push against each other more efficiently, improving strength some amount). There is recent strong evidence that higher dosages (10g or so per day) improve cognitive function and since you can't overdose on it, if your body can't use all of the creatine, it will just show up in urine.
You can get creatine in red meats and some in white meats, but if you're like me and eat a lot of chicken, shrimp, salmon etc. then creatine has even more powerful effects since I don't get a lot in my diet.
I listen to my doctor.( Not Dr Google)
Be careful with that. I have first-hand experience with doctors that have archaic knowledge and archaic methods of doing things. I have to take TRT because I had more than one fair concussion racing (bikes + motorcycles) which changed my body chemistry. A lot of boxers and football players have similar issues. Well, he would have me injecting 1.1ml of cypionate every week 1.5" deep into my thigh using a 21 gauge needle, which has two problems: a huge testosterone peak which tends to over-stimulate red blood cell production, and a deep testosterone trench which tends to cause acne but also mental issues in men. Switching to enthenate, I can inject .25ml twice a week into my shoulders with a 32 gauge needle and avoid both the trench and the red blood cell increase. I give blood every six months just to be sure.
The same is true of the peptides. They really know very little about them. GLP1 being the one they know the most about (Ozempic for example). They are unaware of powerful peptides like BPC-157 with TB4, Retatrutide (GLP3), CJC-1295 combined with Ipamorelin, Tirzepatide (GLP2), ATR-258, Epitalon, etc. etc. There is a whole new world of medicine coming that the big pharma companies are trying to stay away from because they are actual cures and won't see people using them for years like so many other solutions - and peptides are really hard to monopolize since we make them in our bodies already in smaller amounts. Quite literally, the fountain of youth and health is closer than it's ever been.
