Creatine and caffeine can be taken together safely. Creatine can be stored in the muscles of the body, and released during intense workouts. Caffeine can help boost an individual's energy level, and aid them in performing at their peak ability. These ingredients have not been adequately shown to compromise the effectiveness of the other when ingested simultaneously.
Creatine is an amino acid that occurs naturally in the human body. It is an essential part of most proteins, and can be found in meats, fish, eggs, and nuts, among other sources. This amino acid can contribute to building strong, healthy muscles, and aiding the body in recovering from performing physical work. It is available for purchase as an individual supplement from many health food stores and through Internet ordering.
The body stores creatine in the muscular skeletal system. When the body performs intense forms of physical work that last for short periods of time, such as might occur during a workout or lifting weights, it taps into its stores of creatine. The amino acid is then transformed into adenosine triphosphate, more commonly referred to as ATP, which produces energy throughout the body.
Similarly, caffeine can be used as an energy stimulant to increase physical performance. This ingredient is found in cacao beans, which are typically roasted and ground into common coffee beans to make coffee. It stimulates the brain and glands to release epinephrine into the body, and increase an individual's metabolism.
When these two ingredients are taken together, creatine and caffeine can enhance physical performance and energy production. Creatine can be stored in the muscles, and accessed immediately when needed by the body while it is operating at its higher epinephrine levels. It is recommended that athletes begin a creatine regimen by first ingesting a load-up dosage: roughly five grams of creatine is consumed four times a day for several days until a large deposit exists in the body's muscles. These stores can be maintained through a regular diet which includes significant sources of protein, such as meat and fish, and through daily supplement doses of between two and three grams of additional creatine.
Drinking this supplement in warm beverages, such as creatine and caffeine rich coffee in the morning, can have a positive effect on its absorption into the body. Creatine has a low solubility rate, meaning it does not dissolve easily into water or most other liquids. When it is ingested as a powder, the body can have difficulty making it soluble enough so that it can be absorbed. The results are that the supplement is either eliminated completely from the body as waste, or the body experiences intense diarrhea as a result of the stomach attempting to produce enough liquid to make it soluble.
Mixing creatine and caffeine infused warm drinks, including hot tea, the supplement is better prepared for entry into the digestive tract. This combination helps eliminate diarrhea and subsequent dehydration, both of which can severely limit an athlete's performance. Some studies have indicated that caffeine can hinder the release of creatine from muscles, however, these studies used conflicting data that did not allow an adequate amount of time for any stored creatine reserves to be completely flushed from the systems of the participants. As with any supplement, a doctor should be consulted first to determine if there are any possible health concerns to consider.
