Carol and I have done weight training almost continuously since 2004. (We dropped it during the turbulent couple of years we were moving from Colorado Springs down here to Scottsdale.) About a month or so ago, my trainer at the gym recommended a supplement called creatine, which I\u2019d never heard of. He said it helps build muscle. That\u2019s what we pay him for, so if there\u2019s something that supports that goal, I\u2019m willing to try it.<\/p>\n
Creatine is yet another chemical that the body manufactures for its own use<\/a> in keeping muscles and skeletal infrastructure healthy. And like so much else, as people get older they produce less internally. So given that we\u2019re now in our 70s, well, like I said before: I\u2019m willing to try it. Creatine is widely used by bodybuilders. Carol and I are not bodybuilders. We\u2019re mostly trying to keep what muscle we have and maybe put on a little more. Some research suggests creatine improves brain health and may put off or reduce the effects of disorders like Parkinson\u2019s and Alzheimer\u2019s. Good if true, but evidence there is thin.<\/p>\n In truth, what sold me on creatine is its role in providing energy to the body. Creatine increases the body\u2019s supply of adenosine triphosphate (ATP)<\/a> which is part of a complicated system for delivering chemical energy to cells. Across the last five years or so, my personal energy levels have fallen. I\u2019m an old guy; that happens. But supplementing creatine provides more of the body\u2019s \u201cenergy currency,\u201d as explained in the NIH paper linked above. (Yeah, it\u2019s a slog, but read it!) More on this shortly.<\/p>\n As a supplement, creatine monohydrate is a white powder that you can buy in both flavored and unflavored forms. I bought a jar of the unflavored Sunwarrior<\/a> brand at the Natural Grocer store nearby. It dissolves readily in water or almost any water-based liquid. The jar comes with a scoop to measure out 5 grams. We take 5 grams daily. Carol puts it in her daily protein shake. I currently put it in sugar-free Activia liquid probiotic yogurt. (I recently had an infected tooth and had to take a course of strong antibiotics. The doc said eat probiotic yogurt for awhile to counteract whatever havoc the pills may have committed on my gut biome.)<\/p>\n What I\u2019d really prefer (and will probably switch to soon) is putting my 5 grams of creatine into my daily iced coffee, which I drink about 10 AM. Many people put it in tea, but since I\u2019m prone to kidney stones (which tea can cause) I\u2019m going with coffee.<\/p>\n