Is creatine of vegetable origin and what is composed? – XXLNUTRATION

Are you a passionate sportsman and spend hours in the gym every week? In this case, there is a good chance that you know creatine, a very popular food supplement. This «white gold» is essential for many athletes in their routine, because it helps to improve performance during explosive strength efforts. But what is creatine made? And is it of vegetable origin? In this blog, we answer these questions!

In short: what is creatine?

Creatine is one of the most popular food supplements among athletes and is not at all; There are many studies that scientifically demonstrate its effects. But what is creatine? Creatine is a natural substance that our body produces in the kidneys and liver and which is therefore stored in the muscles. It plays an important role in the supply of energy to muscle and nervous cells. In addition to production natural creatine from our bodyIt is also found in foods such as meat and fish. The amount of creatine that we absorb through our daily diet is generally not sufficient to stimulate our sporting performance. This is the reason why many athletes choose to take creatine in the form of food supplements.

How is creatine created in the body?

Creatine is made in the body by a complex process that takes place in the liver, kidneys and pancreas. This process involves amino acids such as arginine, glycine and methionine. The liver, kidneys and pancreas work together to convert these substances into creatine. Therefore, creatine is transported from blood to the muscles, where it is stored in the body it needs additional energy. For example, when you interrupt your personal record in the squat or during an intense race!

Every day, the liver and the kidneys produce about 1 gram of creatine. This figure can, however, vary from person to person and also depends on the availability of amino acids mentioned above.

How is a food supplement for creatine produce?

You have already read it: many athletes add a complement of creatine to their diet. Do you have a pot of creatine in the closet of your kitchen or still to buy this supplement and ask yourself what it really contains? We will explain it to you!

The synthetic creatine, like the monohydrate creatine, is made of cyannamid and sarcosine. These substances could be unknown to you, which is why we will give you a small lesson in chemistry.

Cyanamide is A solid substance in colorless crystalline with strong hygroscopicity, which means that it easily absorbs water.

Sarcosin is a sodium salt also called N-Metilglicin. In the laboratory, it can be produced by a synthetic process with chloracetic acid and methylamine as raw materials.

The first step in this complex process is to mix sarcosine and cianamide in a steel reactor. In this reactor, chemicals are heated under pressure, which leads to creatine formation in the form of crystals.

Creatine formed crystals are therefore subject to a centrifugation process to eliminate tOut unwanted residues. To improve solubility and absorption speed, the crystals undergo a grinding process, which allows you to obtain a fine monohydrate creatine powder.

Is the creatine of vegetable origin?

You may have read that creatine is an endogenous substance, which also comes from food and that can be produced briefly. But is creatine really of plant origin? If, like vegan, you want to buy a creatine supplement like Creureure® Or creatine capsules, we have good news for you: since the product does not contain any product of animal origin, we can qualify the 100%vegan creatine monohydrate. Creatine can therefore be part of your diet and your training program safely!

Creatine needs part of a vegetarian or vegan diet

Creatine is naturally present in foods such as red meat and fish, in particular salmon, tuna and herring. Sometimes it is also in small quantities in dairy products -caseari and eggs. If you follow a vegan or vegetarian diet, Generally it does not consume these foods. Therefore, a vegetarian or vegan diet often leads to a decrease in creatine in the body. A creatine complement can help fill these deficiencies, whatever your diet, and offers more strength during explosive efforts.

As a vegan (or vegetarian), don’t you only have difficulty consuming creatine enough, but also of protein evil? In our protein blog for vegans, we give you some advice!

Find out more about creatine?

Do you want to know more about creatine? So read our other blogs on this topic: