Power Up Your Day: Creatine Gummies

  • Alan FungMedical Biotechnology and Business Management – MSc, University of Warwick, Coventry

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Overview

Creatine is a naturally-occurring substance that provides more energy for your body to use, making it ideal and popular for those who participate in intense sports, such as weightlifting or sprinting. Due to the low abundance of creatine in foods, supplements offer a convenient supply of creatine that is typically used to optimise physical performance. Creatine gummies  have promised to provide added benefits over the more traditional powder form because of convenience and food appeal but the importance of these varies for everyone. 

What is creatine?

Creatine is an organic compound that is naturally found in the human body, primarily in the muscles. It is stored in the body in the form of phosphocreatine.

Phosphocreatine has a phosphate molecule that it donates to adenosine diphosphate (ADP). ADP already contains two phosphate groups, so when it accepts the donated phosphate from phosphocreatine, it then has three. At this point, the compound is adenosine triphosphate (ATP).

ATP is considered the “currency” of the human body, as it is the most widely used source of energy. As the name suggests, ATP has three phosphate groups attached and one of these can be removed in a process called dephosphorylation. Dephosphorylation releases energy and turns ATP back into ADP.

Dephosphorylation of ATP to release energy is done at a higher rate when energy demand is increased, such as during exercise. Muscles, however, only have a limited amount of phosphocreatine available, which is used up in the first couple of seconds during intense exercise.1 As the body creates and uses all the available ATP quickly with only natural creatine, many people look towards creatine supplements to increase the amount of energy that they can use.

Benefits of creatine supplementation

The most obvious benefit of taking creatine supplements, for weightlifters that is, is the ability to expend more energy at a given time. This translates to being able to do heavier lifting, which can help you achieve personal goals better and faster. This in turn leads to quicker muscle growth. During intense workouts like weightlifting, the force creates microtears in muscle fibres which are repaired when we rest after physical activity.2 More microtears means that there is greater muscle repair and subsequent growth, which can be encouraged via creatine consumption.

Increased available energy is not only required by those who do heavy and intense exercise but also for athletes, such as swimmers, runners, and throwers who have a more spaced-out energy demand. Aerobic exercises (more commonly referred to as “cardio”) tend to burn more calories than weight training on average because lighter exercises use aerobic respiration, involving oxygen. Combined with a steadier and lower demand for energy, aerobic exercise sessions tend to be longer, but of course athletes can still feel exhaustion eventually. Creatine supplementation can benefit athletes by providing higher endurance and exceeding personal targets and records.

Creatine and muscle water content

A recent study investigated the changes in skeletal muscle mass (SMM), intracellular water content (ICW), and extracellular water content (ECW) between a group given creatine and a placebo group. Both groups, comprised of male football players, underwent a resistance-training regimen four times a week for 10 weeks.

At the end of the experimental period, the creatine-taking group exhibited significantly greater SMM in comparison to the placebo, however, the ratio of SMM to ICW was not significantly different between the groups.3

As SMM was greater in the creatine-taking group, this meant that ICW content was higher than in the placebo group as well. Increased water content within the muscles adds to their size as well as mass, essentially adding to the effects that higher SMM brings.4 Increased ICW is therefore beneficial in terms of improving muscle appearance in an organic way.

Potential to enhance aerobic exercise performance

It has been suggested that creatine supplementation can increase aerobic capacity, meaning athletes’ muscles are able to respire using oxygen for longer. Therefore, the advantages of this are the ability to exercise for longer before experiencing exhaustion, but the recovery of fatigued muscles is also faster (if anaerobic respiration is used).5

Traditional creatine supplements vs. creatine gummies

The fitness industry is more than just gym memberships and sportswear, it also contains a variety of food and drink-based products such as protein powder and energy drinks. The expansion of this segment has led to increased diversity of such wellness products, many of which take on the form of more familiar foods such as confectionary. Creatine gummies are an example of such a result.

The traditional method of taking creatine supplements is in powdered form, where it is mixed with water to create a “shake”, in a similar fashion to protein powder. There are a few differences between creatine powder and gummies, however, viewing their pros or cons is entirely subjective.

Water content

Creatine gummies typically contain creatine monohydrate, whereby each creatine molecule has a water molecule connected to it, meaning there is more water content overall in comparison to anhydrous creatine (without any water).6 Creatine monohydrate is the most common form of creatine-based supplementation as it is the most studied.

High water content within creatine monohydrate means increased water content in muscles  leading to greater muscle swelling. This can be beneficial for both strength and cosmetic reasons.

Additional ingredients and lifestyle considerations

Creatine gummies contain more ingredients than their powder counterpart, such as flavourings, sweeteners, preservatives, and colourings, where they can be considered a food as well as a supplement.

Like most normal gummies, it is common to use gelatin in creatine gummies, meaning they are not suitable for vegetarians or people who do not eat pig-related products. Gummies can also contain traces of milk so they are generally not vegan.

The most common natural sources of creatine are from meat and fish, which goes into supplements.7 Vegan sources of creatine include nuts, grains, and chickpeas, but their use in gummies is much less common and ultimately more expensive than non-vegan alternatives.

Convenience

Some may argue that gummies are a more convenient source of creatine than powder due to their “food-like” form. They can be taken almost like a snack without the preparation of creating a creatine shake. Many people who bring creatine powder to the gym or other public places may not feel as though it is that time- or energy-consuming, so it is ultimately down to preference.

Creatine content and value

Most gummies available in the UK contain on average 3 grams of creatine monohydrate per gummy, whereby 6 gummies are recommended as a daily serving, for a total of 18 grams.

Creatine content is considerably lower in gummies than in powder, most likely due to additional ingredients. Powder tends to be sold in larger quantities and is less expensive per gram of creatine you buy. In terms of money, some could say the extra investment is worth the colourful gummy appeal, and more can be taken to meet recommended daily requirements.

Safety

Taking creatine supplements frequently and regularly is not considered to give you any adverse health effects, making gummies safe to be taken daily.

Like most foods, creatine gummies are safe in moderation, and this extends to the sugar or sweetener content in them. Excessive creatine gummy consumption is unlikely to occur, and neither is abnormally high blood sugar that could arise from it.5

There has been recent confirmation that excessive sweetener consumption is linked to risk of heart disease. This is unlikely due to the number of gummies that would be required to make this possible.8

Summary

Creatine gummies are worth considering if you require a convenient source of creatine to give you more energy in demanding workout sessions. They can be incorporated into your diet like a snack and there are a variety to choose from based on flavours and dietary requirements. They tend to be more expensive than traditional creatine powder, which is one of several factors to consider when choosing which form to use. Ultimately, both products contain creatine monohydrate, a clinically-proven, safe compound that not only provides your muscles with ATP but increases water content that can provide more physically satisfying results for some.

References

  1. Sun M, Jiao H, Wang X, Li H, Zhou Y, Zhao J, et al. The regulating pathway of creatine on muscular protein metabolism depends on the energy state. American Journal of Physiology-Cell Physiology [Internet]. 2022 [cited 2024 May 22]; 322(5):C1022–35. Available from: https://journals.physiology.org/doi/10.1152/ajpcell.00447.2021
  2. Attwaters M, Hughes SM. Cellular and molecular pathways controlling muscle size in response to exercise. FEBS J. 2022; 289(6):1428–56
  3. Ribeiro AS, Avelar A, Kassiano W, Nunes JP, Schoenfeld BJ, Aguiar AF, et al. Creatine Supplementation Does Not Influence the Ratio Between Intracellular Water and Skeletal Muscle Mass in Resistance-Trained Men. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2020; 30(6):405–11. Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32916658/
  4. Wu S-H, Chen K-L, Hsu C, Chen H-C, Chen J-Y, Yu S-Y, et al. Creatine Supplementation for Muscle Growth: A Scoping Review of Randomized Clinical Trials from 2012 to 2021. Nutrients [Internet]. 2022 [cited 2024 May 22]; 14(6):1255. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8949037/
  5. Kreider RB, Kalman DS, Antonio J, Ziegenfuss TN, Wildman R, Collins R, et al. International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: safety and efficacy of creatine supplementation in exercise, sport, and medicine. J Int Soc Sports Nutr [Internet]. 2017 [cited 2024 May 22]; 14:18. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5469049/ 
  6. Top 6 Types of Creatine Reviewed. Healthline [Internet]. 2017 [cited 2024 Jun 2]. Available from: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/types-of-creatine.
  7. Creatine Information | Mount Sinai - New York. Mount Sinai Health System [Internet]. [cited 2024 Jun 2]. Available from: https://www.mountsinai.org/health-library/supplement/creatine.
  8. Debras C, Chazelas E, Sellem L, Porcher R, Druesne-Pecollo N, Esseddik Y, et al. Artificial sweeteners and risk of cardiovascular diseases: results from the prospective NutriNet-Santé cohort. BMJ. 2022; 378:e071204

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This content is purely informational and isn’t medical guidance. It shouldn’t replace professional medical counsel. Always consult your physician regarding treatment risks and benefits. See our editorial standards for more details.

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Alan Fung

Medical Biotechnology and Business Management – MSc, University of Warwick, Coventry

Alan is a Healthcare Article Writer and Freelance Content Writer, having several months of experience within the health communications field. He has years of experience in literature review via his university education as well as science communication through a variety of media such as posters, presentations and essays. Alan has a robust and ever-growing portfolio of science content ranging from the unknown benefits of different fruits to the different treatment strategies in place for genetic disorders.

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