Creatine - Overview

Overview

Creatine was first isolated and named in 1832 by French chemist Michel-Eugène Chevreul (1786–1889). By the end of the nineteenth century, scientists had determined that intense muscular activity caused concentrations of creatine to build up in—and strengthen—muscle tissue. Further study determined that creatine levels could be raised in the body by eating a diet rich in meat. Eating great quantities of meat is not considered a healthy habit, so in the 1950s an Illinois company named Pfanstiehl Laboratories created and marketed the first synthetic, or manufactured, creatine.

Use by Olympic Athletes

As early as the 1960s, competitive athletes in the former Soviet Union were using creatine, along with anabolic steroidsDrugs that mimic the actions of testosterone, a hormone found in greater quantities in males than in females, and help build muscle mass and strength., to increase their strength and durability. (An entry on steroids is available in this encyclopedia.) In those years competitors were not tested for drugs prior to the Olympic Games. However, the apparent physical superiority of the Soviet, Eastern European, and Chinese athletes raised many suspicions. As the 1970s progressed, sports authorities in many nations, as well as the International Olympic Committee, instituted blood tests to check for performance-enhancing substances.

It is possible to test athletes for elevated levels of anabolic agentsSubstances that promote muscle growth. such as testosterone, androstenedione (ann-druh-STEEN-dee-ohn), and dehydroepiandrosterone (dee-HY-droh-epp-ee-ann-DROSS-tuh-rone). No tests, however, exist for measuring creatine levels. By the end of the twentieth century, a number of famous professional and amateur athletes and bodybuilders were using creatine supplements legally. In fact, they were even touting the substance's powers. Home run champions Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa

Creatine is known as a bulking supplement that is used by weightlifters, bodybuilders, and other athletes. Najlah Feanny/Corbis.
Creatine is known as a bulking supplement that is used by weightlifters, bodybuilders, and other athletes. © Najlah Feanny/Corbis.

have both admitted taking creatine. Use of the supplement has been linked to former professional quarterbacks Troy Aikman and John Elway and Olympic runner Michael Johnson, to name only a few.

A June 2000 article for Time magazine discussed the safety of creatine. The writer reported that half of the athletes surveyed by the magazine, "many of them Olympians, admitted … that they'd be willing to take a drug even if it was sure to kill them eventually, so long as it would let them win every event they entered five years in a row." This "win at all costs" mindset filters down from the professional and Olympic level to high school and even middle school athletes. Many youth are feeling that they will have no chance of succeeding at the highest levels if they do not use supplements such as creatine.