Creatine Breakdown – Ethyl Ester vs. Monohydrate

Posted by Chris on May 19, 2009 in Supplements | 0 comments

What is creatine?

 

Creatine generally is sold as a powder or a pill. The use of creatine extends back many years and has been found in the human body as a naturally occurring substance. Creatine is store in our bodies, and our muscles, as energy. The creatine helps to generate the muscle contractions, which take place when working out. Creatine helps to provide burst muscular activity, or more simply said, creatine allows our muscles to have a burst of energy. There is a very scientific reason for this, but that is the general idea behind creatine.

Types of Creatine

 

Although there are many different forms of creatine (ethyl ester, monohydrate, methyl, etc.) I will only be covering the two most popular, and the two I have the most experience with. Ethyl Ester, one of the newest forms, was seen as a breakthrough in creatine that allowed our body to more easily uptake the creatine we ingested. The EE transport was supposed to allow our bodies to uptake more creatine from our digestive system. Monohydrate is your old school creatine and has been around the longest. The problem many people have with mono is that it creates a bloated look, and requires loading. (more on loading later)

CEE Controversy

There have been many accusations made by various consumers, as well as companies as to the existance of CEE. Consumers have sent products to labs for testing to receive the result of no creatine ethyl ester, and companies have gotten certified labs to prove that their product containes CEE. This however is only the beginning of the controversy, there have been studies that show CEE is mostly converted into Creatinine (note spelling, an unhealthy chemical) in the stomach leaving about 20% creatine and 80% creatinine. There have also been numerous studies that show creatine uptake from CEE is vastly superior to monohydrate. 

My Experience

 

When I began taking creatine I used creatine monohydrate powder. The powder required a loading phase in which I had to take ~25g of mono a day for 5 days to get the muscles saturated with creatine. After the five days of loading I continued the powder at a 5g/day uptake. The results were mixed. Did my strength improve? Yes it did, not as drastically as many people make it out to be but I did see noticable gains. Side Effects? Oh yes, the dreaded ‘creatine bloat’ caused by the body being unable to pull all creatine into cells. When creatine is in a cell it helps to draw water into that cell, when cells are filled and there is extra creatine, it lies dorment out side of the cell and pulls water around the cells. This effect lends itself to the bloated, water filled, muscle appearance. Although at the time I thought the bloat was a wonderful effect, I had no idea about tone at the time I just wanted size, and it gave me size. When I began researching Creatine more, I learned of CEE and began taking CEE pills the pills required no loading and also provided great strength gains. The creatine helped me in the gym, both mentally and physically, I was more motivated to try heavier weights. 

 

My overall experience makes me feel that creatine benefits are dependent on the user. Both kinds of creatine have been ‘proven’ to work with your body to increase strength and endurance. However, one product seems to be getting more hype and therefore has become more popular. I think that the effects of creatine are beneficial to most anyone looking to increase strength, I also believe that people should try the different kinds of creatine to find something that works for them. 

Some words of advice:

I would recommend trying Monohydrate first as it is generally cheaper then CEE. Both creatine forms can be purchased in powder or pill form. However, let it be known that the pills usually require taking a lot of pills, think 6-8 pills a day. Once you find a product that starts giving you good results stick with it! Also the  internet is full of helpful information on specific products, always do your research before making a purchase.

I will provide some links to products I have found successful.

Remember to dedicate yourself and to motivate yourself to reach your goals!

BSN – Cell Mass this product worked great, especially when stacked with NO-Xplode. This is a CEE powder.
Controlled Labs – Green Bulge this product was decent, but required a lot of pill taking. This is a CEE pill.
Twinlab – Creatine Fuel this was a decent product but didn’t last long, only 60 caps. This is a Monohydrate pill.
Prolab – Creatine Monohydrate this product was decent, but require a ton of pill taking, 10 pills a day for the loading phase! This is a Monohydrate Pill.
Universal Nutrition – Micronized Creatine this is the first creatine supplement I tried, and thought it was great except for the bloating.

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