For crying out loud, it’s the science. Notwithstanding
political references, the science is what invariably seems
left out when newspaper and television reporters do their
so-called objective reporting. Sometimes I’m left to
wonder if the news media just go and find someone with initials
after his or her name and quote whatever blather he or she
is willing to spew. Whether the blather is incorrect or imbecilic
doesn’t seem to matter.
Hence, we run into the controversy concerning three college
wrestlers and the purported link between their deaths and
the use of creatine. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
is ostensibly investigating the role that creatine played
in their deaths. In a USA Today report, FDA spokesman Arthur
Whitmore states:
Nothing is confirmed. It has been reported that at least one
wrestler was on creatine, but we don’t know yet.”
Before you raise your eyebrows at the suggestion, let’s
look at what happened to these athletes
Raising Suspicions?
Jeff Reese, a University of Michigan (Ann Arbor) wrestler,
was attempting to drop weight by wearing a rubber suit
and working out in a 92-degree room. He died. Joseph LaRosa,
a University of Wisconsin-La Crosse wrestler, also wore
a rubber suit while exercising in the heat. He died. Also
attempting to lose weight, Billy Jack Saylor, a Campbell
University (Boles Creek, North Carolina) wrestler, died
after a two-hour workout. Such deaths are tragic and we
look for something to blame. But if we put the blame in
the wrong place, we don’t prevent similar tragedies
in the future.
Mark S. John, MD, a sports-medicine physician at the University
of Washington (Seattle), inferred that creatine may have
contributed in part to these deaths. “Respected
members of the sports-medicine community have reported
muscle cramping and tearing in athletes on creatine ...
many feel this is due to muscle-tissue |
|
| changes, such as retained water in the muscle
cell, which can promote muscle dysfunction. . . . While
it’s hard to prove that creatine is the cause of
these problems, it certainly does raise suspicion.” |
Now, I don’t know for certain what
killed these presumably fit and healthy young men, but if
I were to venture a guess, creatine would not be in my top
10 explanations. You know what raises my suspicion? Exercising
for two hours, in the heat, wearing a rubber suit! Follow
my logic: Intense exercise in extreme heat leads to severe
dehydration, electrolyte imbalance and possible heart failure.
Everybody knows you can’t live for long if you stop
ingesting fluids. Imagine if you’re purposefully trying
to lose weight (water weight, not fat weight) as quickly as
possible and at the same time depleting your body of glycogen;
you’re definitely setting yourself up for disaster.
Use of these ill-advised weight-loss schemes by wrestlers
isn’t new; they’ve been doing this for years.
Frankly, I’m surprised we don’t see more deaths.
In fact, the American College of Sports Medicine and the American
Medical Association have warned about this for years. In 1970,
these practices were investigated in Iowa. In 1992, the Wisconsin
Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) instituted a rule
to keep weight loss to no more than 3 pounds per week and
bodyfat at or above 7%. All WIAA members are required to abide
by these rules. And if you’re thinking like I’m
thinking, why would someone who’s desperately trying
to lose weight concurrently take creatine? We know of at least
two side effects of creatine: You get stronger and gain weight
… sure bet.
I can see these guys taking creatine in the off-season when
they’re trying to build a good foundation of strength
and muscle mass, but to continue taking it while attempting
to lose weight is kind of like taking a shower with your raincoat
on. I’d say if you want to look at possible culprits,
see if these athletes used laxatives or diuretics. Improper
use of diuretics is a sure way to quickly meet your maker.
As for laxatives, there just has to be a better way.
A Sensible Option
An examination of the current scientific research lends credence
to the idea that creatine is quite safe. Creatine is normally
made by your liver, pancreas and kidneys, but can be obtained
from a diet rich in meat or fish. You get approximately 212
grams of creatine per pound of meat. Thus, you’d have
to eat about 8 pounds of meat to ingest 20 grams of creatine,
a dose typically ingested. Obviously, it may not be feasible
for some people to consume Godzilla-sized servings of meat,
so supplementing with creatine is a sensible option.
Unless you were part of a lost tribe in a far-off jungle,
you probably wouldn’t find anyone in a strength-power
sport that hasn’t tried or isn’t currently using
creatine. Why? Because it enhances anaerobic performance,
pure and simple.
On the flip side, not everyone responds the same to creatine
(or any other supplement for that matter), so side effects,
though rare, may occur in certain individuals. The only consistent
side effect is weight gain (about 6-7 pounds in one month
is common); this has been reported in numerous scientific
publications. Some anecdotal reports suggest that creatine
may predispose certain users to muscle pulls or cramps, but
this hasn’t been demonstrated scientifically.
Other factors such as hydration status, fitness level, type
of training, etc., may affect the occurrence of muscle cramps
or pulls. Certainly, individuals who use creatine, because
they grow stronger and more powerful, may end up training
harder. They may even do too much too soon. The possibility
that they’re overtraining may predispose them to muscle
pulls and cramps and is therefore not necessarily related
to the use of creatine itself.
The role creatine could play in dehydration-associated heart
failure isn’t clear. At this point, nobody knows if
it has an effect at all. But the burden of proof should be
borne by those who make negative claims. Show me the evidence,
then I’ll believe that creatine can be dangerous. Otherwise,
there’s no need to give the public at large reason to
believe the sky is falling just so the popular press can brandish
one more sensationalized story.
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