Dietary supplement latest fad to make th body buff

Steroids are out, passe, so last-decade.

The buff set in the Las Vegas Valley is now turning to a protein supplement to give its members a competitive edge in their quest for a perfect body.

It's called creatine, and it's everywhere these days -- in health stores, grocery stores and all over via Internet mail order.

Creatine is a natural protein found in the human body that helps muscles contract. It does so by releasing energy to create adenosine triphosphate -- better known as ATP -- the main fuel that makes muscles move.

Some swear by it.

"You start to feel all your muscles switch on all over your body," Peter Bird, who started taking the supplement 22 weeks ago, said. It's helped him reduce his waistline from 35 to 30 1/2 inches, he said. "I get energized and feel good. I'm stronger, and it makes you a better lover."

Bird, while lifting his shirt to show a lean, washboard stomach, said creatine also helped him add 1 1/2 inches to his biceps.

Normally, people get creatine from beef and fish. And in daily life, that's enough until strenuous exercise is begun. That's where the creatine supplement comes in.

It works by allowing athletes to work out longer without fatigue, promoting muscle growth. When a person exercises, ATP is used and fatigue sets in eventually. Creatine replenishes the ATP, and besides allowing the workout to go longer, it reduces recovery time between various exercises during a workout.

Studies show creatine works best for short bursts of energy -- weightlifting, running football or soccer plays, etc. It doesn't help much with sports such as long-distance running.

It works so well and is considered safe enough that Mark Philippi, strength and conditioning coordinator at UNLV, recommends creatine to all the football and basketball players. For athletes under 200 pounds, he tells them to take 5 grams (about 2 level teaspoons) before a workout and 5 grams afterward. He tells those over 200 pounds to take 10 grams before and 5 grams after a workout.

"I don't think it is a miracle drug because what it comes down to is hard work. There's no substitute for working out," Philippi said. "But it's been proven effective."

Philippi started recommending creatine after reading a study by Appalachian State University in Boone, N.C. Tests -- conducted on 45 football players over a five-week period -- concluded that creatine enhanced body composition, strength and the ability to sustain strength over exercise periods.

"Creatine certainly isn't bad. It's not a drug," said Las Vegan Dr. Robert Voy, former deputy chairman of the U.S. Olympic Medical Committee. "I think creatine falls into a program like carbohydrate building (diets). It's been around for a number of years, and there has been no adverse side effects."

No research shows what happens when creatine supplements are used over a long period, and that makes some people cautious.

That was one reason the Tampa Bay Buccaneers issued a warning to its football players that the club doesn't endorse the supplement.

The team also notes that creatine may cause an electrolyte imbalance because people who use creatine must keep hydrated during workouts. It was also concerned about players experiencing cramping.

Its position paper stated that the team felt muscle growth was mainly "ornamental" and wasn't all that functional for football players.

The American College of Sports Medicine has called for both animal and human studies. Although it doesn't take a position on the use of creatine, it said field studies needed to be conducted during specific sports competitions to measure its effects.

The college is recommending more research to measure creatine accumulation in muscle, determine proper dosage in maintaining levels in muscles, establish reaction time upon taking the supplement, determine long-term effects and study how it affects certain groups, such as women and the elderly.

But the doubts have not decreased creatine's popularity. John Dilauro, owner of Extreme Labs and Musclesynergy of Las Vegas, a local distributor, said he sells around 300 kilos a month to 50 health-food stores. That represents retail revenue of about $18,000.

Compared the other states that he sells to -- California, Utah, Arizona, Oregon, Washington, Florida and New York -- Dilauro said Nevada is one of his biggest markets.

"Vegas is booming," Dilauro said. "The health-food stores do very well here. Las Vegas is a rapidly growing community for health-conscious individuals. It is a very competitive market with California." California, Dilauro said, is the largest market for creatine use in the country.

Don Charley, owner of J&J Health Foods, said creatine is one of the top five supplement sellers in the company's four stores in Las Vegas. One store, he said, sells between $10,000 and $12,000 a month of creatine.

People who take creatine will usually notice weight gain. That's because the supplement causes water retention, which gives a person bulk to work out more strenuously or to lift more weights. When one stops taking creatine, body water is lost -- about half the weight gained -- and what's left is the added muscle.

Steven Greene, a certified personal trainer at Gold's Gym, recommends that people interested in building muscle load up on pure creatine for a week by taking four to five doses a day. This would consist of around 5 grams per dose.

At the end of a week, Greene advises his clients to take from one to two doses a day for up to eight weeks. After that, he says it's important not to take creatine for four to six weeks to allow water loss and to cleanse the body.

The price of creatine ranges from $14.25 for 300 grams of pure creatine to $55 for two pounds and $23 for a pound of creatine mix with buffers and other supplements.

"This is one of the few supplements that lives up to its claims," Greene said. "Definitely, I've seen results. It's for people who want to put on size and muscle growth. You'll get a weight gain of 10 (percent) to 15 percent, and be able to lift heavier (weights) and with more intensity."

But for some, there are side effects. These include nausea, dizziness, diarrhea or an upset stomach. It's also recommended that people with kidney problems not use the supplement because it may put stress on the kidneys when the body processes it.

Voy said side effects occur because people take too much creatine, thinking more is better. That's when digestive problems occur.

However, Dennis Lardent, a nutritionist with the Stay Healthy health food store, said side effects usually occur because people don't take creatine properly. It's sold in two forms: pure and a mix.

Pure needs to be taken with buffers, Lardent said. Buffer supplements include potassium or magnesium. They neutralize stomach acid that, if left untreated, cause an upset stomach or cramps.

Mixes already have buffers, Lardent said.

Because creatine needs insulin to get into the muscles, some carbohydrate must be taken with the pure form. Mixes already have a sugar added, so juice need not be used. Lardent recommends grape juice with the pure form because it's less acidic.

Lardent also said people who take creatine need to increase Vitamin B levels because the supplement may raise homocysteine levels. Studies show high homocysteine is associated with cardiovascular disease.

A combination of Vitamins B-1, B-12 and folic acid to reduce homocysteine levels is recommended.

"Just taking a nutrient like creatine without considering the body's metabolism is unwise," Lardent said. "You need the buffers and carbohydrates with creatine. And if you are going to be athletic, you should increase your B vitamins."

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