The Starvation Response

No one should ever eat like this....

Your body works like a factory, with many thousands of workers and departments all using different resources and producing many different products. Conventionally this factory (your body) runs on energy. Energy is a vital substance delivered everyday and without it, the factory could not run at an optimum level.

Your body...

Let's say for example the factory loses half of it's contracted energy. Production immediately will go down, customers lose faith with the company, workers become disgruntled and agitated. Work ethic and incentive collapses. Sure some customers get their ordered products but they're sub-optimal. Some areas of the factory have to shut and some people subsequently lose their jobs.

This is exactly what happens with us when we decide to drastically cut our food intake.

But...who can blame us. We got the size we are by overindulging in foods only ever meant for a once in a blue-moon treat. Logically, anyone would assume that to lose the same weight again, you would simply not eat as much? Oh if only it was so simple!!

If we turn back to our factory analogy; energy doesn't enter into the factory  and come out the other end as a product without undergoing other processes. In the same way when we take food into our bodies we don't immediately undergo the desired movement. Food undergoes a million different processes before the subsequent energy reaches the final goal. If we compare to the factory again and immediately cut our food intake in half and expect ourselves to perform at the same level. Yeah right! Like that'll happen. Instead, like the factory, certain parts of your body shut down, your can't perform to the same standard. At this stage you start to lose a few pounds and everything is going great!!

As usually in this industry people generally have unrealistic goals in that they want to 5 stone, have a six pack, a perfect ass and 0% bodyfat. So when they drastically cut out food they in some instances can lose 7lbs, maybe even a stone within a month...then....BANG. They hit a plateau! No more weight comes off. They become annoyed with themselves, depress themselves with negative thoughts and give up of leading a healthy lifestyle.

But why does this happen? 

To the factory....!

As we said earlier, if energy supplies are halved, the factory performs at a sub-optimal level (like us). But each time some energy is delivered it's stored specially so that it can be used when it's most important. 

This happens with our bodies as well. Our body thinks to itself "oh no i'm getting barely any food at the minute, look how poorly i'm performing." It then begins a procedure called the starvation response. Any food that touches your lips within this period is prioritised to head towards your fat stores! This is to enable your body to help spread out the energy consumed over a longer period. Your body will remain in this state for as long as you continue this 'sparrow-eating.' The ironic thing about eating like this is that most people end up in the long run putting on even more weight than usual as their body's metabolism has slowed down so much. In actual fact, some individuals who diet like this over many years can actually destroy their metabolism beyond repair. 

Eating like a sparrow if for sparrows!!

So in total an individual maybe loses 7-14lbs by dieting like this, they reach their goal for the desired event (usually a wedding, formal etc.) afterwards they eat as normal and put on 7-14lbs plus more! Restricting calories should never be your first step in trying to lose weight. Many, many other steps come before this should ever be considered. 

If anything is removed from someones diet, something healthy should immediately replace it.

Thanks for reading guys!

Ethan

Why is bread so addictive?

Everyone, and I mean everyone who has ever tried to limit or cut carbs from their diet has screamed this at the bread bin in the kitchen! But who can blame us! Who doesn't love a nice crusty loaf cut into beautifully thick slices followed by the wonder of ingredients you can place in between these two tasty components and the application of an equally addictive sauce.

Pure Bliss...

The "School Lunch Box Survey: 2004" took data on the content of school lunch boxes UK wide. They found that 69% contained a white bread sandwich. It's the naturally progression of life. You drink breast milk, move onto baby food followed by your first sandwich. Then for the next 11 years you probably had at least one per day. But lunch time isn't the only time bread makes an appearance. It's eaten for breakfast, lunch, dinner, supper and snacks. 

So what?! It's only bread! I'll just eat something else! It can't be that hard! 

These are usually statement we tell ourselves when we set ourselves the challenge of cutting out bread. But within days, even hours sometimes, we experience varying degrees of:

• Fatigue
• Hunger
• Mood swings
• Decreased performance at work or home
• Depression

But why? 

Why? Why?!WHY!!!

If everyday since your were; lets say 4 years old someone injected you with heroin but one day when your 30 something and decide you want to be healthy, live an active lifestyle and get into shape. You need to stop using heroin and live drug free. To live drug free you decide to just destroy all your stash and never go near heroin ever again. Many of us would hazard the obvious guess that it's not so simple.

For a brief moment this addict lives in a pure utopia of bliss!

But what does this have to do with bread? Heroin is a derivative of opium, the same stuff used to make morphine. 

Bread is sourced from the very popular grain called wheat. Wheat is subsequently made up of many components but most importantly it contains gluten. Now, I can hear you thinking; "This guy isn't going to try and tell us wheat is bad for us?" Well you'd be wrong, but that is for another blog. 

Zioudrou et al. (1979), Teschemacher, (2003) and Fanciulli et al. (2005), plus many more studies have found that the exposure of gluten to a diet causes direct stimulation of morphine receptors within the brain. Lets swing back to the heroin addict, heroin stimulates the exact same morphine receptors. You must remember however that each of us have been designed totally unique and so to one person a simple slice of bread can be their daily fix, for others who have a lower tolerance and a well established bread addiction a larger dose of bread is required to satisfy these strange desires!

What am I saying? Basically we're all heroin addicts. And I'm not joking. To expect someone to just give up bread after eating it for decades is as ludicrous as expecting a heroin addict to give up using after decades. That's why so many of us fail to keep away from breads. We give in so easily. To enable us to give up bread/wheat we need to gradually reduce our exposure, switching to wholegrain is the first step definitely not the end goal. Wholegrain bread still contains gluten and so therefore addictive but it's a stepping stone. Gradually ween yourself down and simultaneously replace with a wheat-free source of carbohydrates: for example: potatoes, rice or even gluten free breads.

Soon the desire to devour a ham sandwich will be forever a distant memory and you will be on the road towards a healthy lifestyle.

Stay tuned to discover why wheat is so bad for you besides it's addictive qualities!

Thanks for reading,

Ethan

Learning From Each Other.

So folks this week i found out I'm successfully graduating with a 2:1 BSc Hons Degree in Physiotherapy, which i am over the moon about! 

People have been congratulating me all week, praising me for for hard work and wishing me good luck for the future. But as I have officially finished the last stage of formal education I have really started to reflect on the past couple of years, especially regarding my educational and professional and professional life. 

Yes I have graduated with (what society would dictate) a decent degree level but can I really take the credit!? In short; I would say the majority of my progression has been down to the time given and the caring attitude from my peers, colleagues, friends and family. Yes they maybe didn't put pen to paper or strip off in class to do countless physio assessments! But, they  carried me through all the difficult parts, and, nurtured what little knowledge I had, developed it, and fined tuned it.

I've met a lot of different people in the last few years, many of whom I will never forget because they took their own time ( and sometimes money) and they decided they would use these two valuable resources many of us hold dear, to help me become better at being....well, me! NOT because they thought I was some prodigy, genius, on the road to discovering a cure to cancer or how to turn water into fuel, but simply because of the kindness in their own hearts to help someone who was finding it tough. And we all know life is tough, no matter what your doing whether its: Uni, work, socially etc.  

On my last placement during of University, each week some of my colleagues took 1 - 2 hours out of their own time to teach me certain aspects I was struggling with. In fact, during these 1 -2 hours per week I often learnt more than the countless lectures i attended in University. Now this doesn't mean that lectures are in no way helpful, they definitely are but It allowed me to improve myself as a Physiotherapist and wherein the situation where lets say these kind individuals didn't take this time to talk to me, I may have been totally lost during the final stages of my Uni career.

As you all know I'm also heavily involved in the world of fitness, nutrition etc. Although i say i'm heavily involved, there is a wealth of knowledge for me to develop. I have had the amazing opportunity to question various trainers and nutritionists to 'pick their brains,' ask them questions and for their opinions! Anyone I contacted, were more than helpful, answering any question I put to them. This again does not reflect on me, as i'm sure these individuals have answered the same question time and time again. The fact is, they again, took the time out of their own schedule to help another individual.

So what am I saying? 

Yeah, certainly go get the qualifications, learn the ropes, the basics. But while you're doing that, I want you all to go and talk to others, learn from them, their experiences, ups and downs. Question them on aspects you're struggling with and don't be afraid, they will have experienced the struggle on the way as well. 

BUT....

In 10 years time when YOU are the expert, and someone wants to learn from you....do them the kindness that others showed you early in your career.

So, as I'm about to graduate in a couple of weeks I just want to thank all those who have supported me as I am about to start into step into the big bad world of employment, jobs, finance and continual professional development. Special thanks to: my girlfriend, parents, andrew and james (two of my tutors), all the physios at Ballymena Outpatients, friends (especially Reuben, Karl, Gareth: for keeping me sane), all the staff at Style n Sport and Creative Gardens, everyone who has ever taken the time to talk to me....

Any success I may have later in life, will come majorly from these people. Thank You!

Help Each Other!

Thank for reading!

Ethan

Lose Fat in just 6 weeks........

Fat Burners.....

Want to get ripped in just 6 weeks? Rock hard abs with the crunches! Burn your fat off in days! The secret pill that's putting personal trainers out of business!

Any of the above statements sound familiar?

Often seen on the sidebars of webpages or crammed into advertising pages in health and fitness magazines, such claims are often accompanied by ludacris before and after pictures.

The above image can display some of the more ridiculous images, but below are the all too familar advertisements often seen in magazines:

Beautiful, minimally dressed woman on the front packet, if she takes them maybe I'll look like her?

Green tea is meant to be really good for you, a super concentrated dose is bound to be even better!

 I WANNA BE A RIPPED FREAK!

Anything with 'grenade' in the name must be really aggressive against fat!

And so on.....

As i sit and read these claims on various supplement websites, the same echoes around my head....

"Where is the evidence?!"

What you most likely didn't know is that these pills are not classed as pills, according to many governments around the world (particularly the USA), these pills are classed as foods and so are not regulated by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration).

Because of this precise fact, these companies that create and make such claims, do not have to provide evidence. Interestingly when evidence has been provided, who do you think has funded the research? Thats right, the same company that created the product! For some reason I think there may be an issue of bias within these studies??

Without sound evidence, how can anyone continually fall victim to the exaggerated, over-sexualised, impossible and down right lies that these people portray to be gospel truth! For people whose job involves a lot of critiquing, it is easy to immediately stop the supplement salesman in his path and demand some evidence. On the other hand, the majority of the general population has no time to critique or research supplements. They want results fast to keep in line with their busy work-horse lifestyle and if a new pill claims to drop lbs of fat in just 2 weeks without going to the gym they will literally through money at them! In fact, 33.9% of people who have attempted weight loss, have admitted to using a 'fat-loss pill' with the highest prevalence in women and those on low incomes (Pillitteri et al. 2008).

These bold claims and a chance to save even more time by not going to the gym is incredibly enticing!

In years gone by weight loss pills began as typical one ingredient powders or herbs etc. making just the simple claim of weight loss. Nowadays we face the highly concentrated doses of various powders herbs, chemicals that have been broken down, reshaped and given funny names that none of us can pronounce never mind understand what the do. To aim to keep this article as simple as possible, below we have listed the most common of fat burner ingredients:

• Caffeine
• Green Tea Extract
• Yohimbine
• CLA (Conjugated Linoleic Acid)
• Raspberry Ketones
• Pyruvate

Caffeine:

When we refer to caffeine here, we are not referring to a simple cup of hot rich Arabica beans, freshly grounded and filtered in the morning. Instead we are referring to synthetic, lab-created powders lace with many different chemicals from the manufacturing process. That being said not all fat burners use such poor quality caffeine, but many do. Caffeine is the most common of all fat burner ingredients and is available in many different forms, foods, pills, liquids. It has long been claimed to increase fat metabolism and fight the good fight in our battle with excess fat. Thankfully it is such a heavily researched substance, that many papers are available for review. 

The consumption of this substance firstly causes a massive surge of activity of the neurons within the brain, which leads to the activation of the pituitary gland and subsequently a release of adrenaline (Bassini-Cameron et al. 2007). This increase in adrenaline is then the direct cause of an increase in an individuals heart rate and blood pressure (British Heart Foundation 2012). Synergistically this has been linked to an increased fat oxidation.

A study by Leijten et al. (1984) has suggested that caffeine also causes an increase in the availability of fat as a fuel source by delaying the breakdown of cyclic AMP. These findings have been shown to increase further when said individual takes part in low intensity exercise (Graham et al. 2008).

A study by Acheson et al. (1980) found that caffeine was shown to provide short-term thermogenic effects on the body.

Theses effects however seem to occur only in the very short term and in no way can allow for a sustainable and permanent weight loss regime, as pointed out by Westerterp-Platenga et al. (2005). Ironiclly it has also been found in repeated studies that an increase in metabolism and fat oxidation deminishes when the individual has a higher body fat percentage (Leblanc 1985).

Green Tea

Along with increased fat oxidation, metabolism and decreased fat percentages, green tea also boasts a lowering of LDL cholesterol, increase of HDL cholesterol and increasing insulin sensitvity, reversing the adverse effects of many obese individuals diets. 

Meng et al (2003) notably stated the cause of increase fat metabolism with the consumption of green tea was due to the inhibition of COMT and as green tea also contains caffeine it allows the body to free up fat for metabolism by inhibiting the degrading of cAMP. 

As with caffeine, green tea works better with individuals who are not habitual drinkers of the tea (Viechtbauer et al. 2009). The effectiveness of green tea is also limited by a persons genetics, with some ethnicities stating no effect whatsoever and an effect spectrum of 40% each way of the median (Miller et al. 2012)!

Yohimbine

Yohimbe, and its subset yohimbine, are fat-burning compounds, primarily used to lose fat during short term fasting. Yohimbine is also an aphrodisiac and can aid erectile dysfunction. It is also a general stimulant. Yohimbine works by increasing adrenaline levels in the body, as well as inhibiting a regulatory process in fat cells, which normally suppresses fat burning. 

This then functions in the same way that caffeine does. Though with that being said, users often dissociate coffee, tea and fizzy drinks as stimulants causing collective effects on the adrenal glands. This may eventually lead to adrenal fatigue.

The effects of yohimbine are partially negated by food intake, which is why it is often taken in a fasted state.

Unfortunately however Yohimbine can cause extreme anxiety in those individuals who are already prone to it.

CLA and Pyruvate 

These two popular fat burner ingredients have shown some promising results in particular studies to increase fat metabolism (Gaullier et al. 2004, Blankson et al. 2000). With that being said current trials only show a minimal increase in fat metabolism and weight loss. With individuals having to take very high dosages to have any effect. This obviously would not be feasible financially.

Raspberry Ketones:

This is the new kid on the block! To date there are absolutely no human trials on the effectiveness of raspberry ketones in burning fat! The few animal studies available involved rats and when the dosages used were translated to humans, you would have to take upward of 5g-10g per serving. For example a 100g bag costs £15 on myprotein.com but if your taking 1 serving of 10g per day, you only have 10 servings for £15. Totally financially unfeasible.

There are many other popular ingredients used in fat burners:

- Chromium 

- Forskolin 

- Fucoxanthim

- Hydroxycitric Acid

For these four ingredients there is no significant evidence for their use as a fat loss method. 

To summarise:

Of all the fat loss ingredients, only caffeine and green tea extract have been shown to cause a significant effect in regards to fat loss. This though has been totally dependent on a number of factors: habitual caffeine intake, current fat percentage, genetic predispositions. Regardless The effect of even caffeine and green tea in minimal at best. That being said organic green tea and coffee (as opposed to fat burner pills) have a range of health benefits - not just aiding in fat metabolism. 

In otherwords.....

DONT WASTE YOUR MONEY OF FAT BURNERS!!

Many Thanks,

Ethan

Coffee: I need my fix! The Health & Fitness benefits and drawbacks of coffee.

Coffee, Good? Or Bad?

Most of us need a kick start in the morning or a little pick-me-up during the day but the topic of coffee consumption has been scorned by religions and health gurus yet fully supported and enforced by others. So, what are the benefits or adverse effects of your morning cup of Joe!

A lot of the possible benefits or drawbacks of coffee depend on how it is produced and processed, so let's start at the beginning.

A coffee plantation in Brazil.

Coffee is one of the highest grossing crops / commodities in the world. In 2010 there were an estimated seven million tonnes of coffee produced worldwide, with the market share dominating in Brazil and Vietnam. After crude oil, it is the second most traded commodity in the world and has a total estimated value of $100 billion!

Two types of coffee bean exist: 

Coffee Arabica and Coffee Canephora.

Different countries have a degree of varying conditions; pH, water retention, water fall, humidity, all of which contribute to the unique taste of each type of coffee and their subsequent health benefits or potential drawbacks. But it's during the production process that the Coffee bean is at it's most vulnerable regarding it's nutritious qualities.

Traditionally beans were picked only when ripe and only then, were processed. But now, coffee beans are strip picked, regardless of ripeness. Then they are sorted by their size and colour to then fall into production.

The production process:

1. Flesh is removed from the coffee bean leaving a layer of mucilage
2. Coffee bean is fermented to remove this layer
3. Washed with fresh wtaer to remove fermentation residue, leading to mass water waste
4. Seeds are then dried. 
1. Different drying techniques can cause a degree of flavour and nutritional changes. If dried in bulk with layer upon layer, it can lead to further fermentation, lowering the sucrose content of the bean. 
5. Roasting is the next stage as is the most commonly sold state, but, can easily be done at home! The roasting changes the bean physically (increasing in size) and chemically by lowering fibre content and increasing sweetness.
1. As roasting continues, oils develop, most notably caffenol which is released when the coffee bean reaches a temperature of 200 degrees Celcius. These oils are responsible for the different tastes and aroma provided by different coffees. 
6. Chaff is produce along the roasting process but is removed by simple bursts of air.

This colour chart gives an array of different flavours and tastes

To summarise the above diagram: Lighter colours have a more potent flavour due to an increased amount of oils and acids whereas in darker colours which have been roasted for longer, these same oils and acids are destroyed.

Darker roasts also have less fibre but to balance this they have an increasingly sugary taste.

Decaffeination 

This is an optional stage of the process for those of us who wish to take away the effects of caffeine from coffee.

Standardised decaffeination is performed by using two main solvents: methylene chloride and ethyl acetate; however, these two solvents have continuously been proven to cause a variety of reactions within the human body.

These two chemicals are also known to strip the coffee of some of the taste and actually leave more caffeine in it than you once thought. 

A new method called 'The Swiss Water Process' has revolutionised the decaffeinating procedure. 

No chemicals are used at all in this process, making it a far safer product for human consumption. To explain, watch the video below for a more in depth explanation.

Brewing the perfect coffee. 

Different coffee beans from different origins require their own preparation. Some require a fine grind, another may require lose grind. But the most common grind is a medium grind. Filtering is the next stage, and it is at this point where flavour and taste can be affected. Metal filters apply their own degree of flavour so it has been for years, recommended that paper based filters are used. Paper based filters can be messy, so as of recent the coffee industry has started using new gold-based filters, which don't allow for any effect on taste and cut down on paper waste.

Instantised Coffee.

The convenience of instant coffee has caused a surge in popularity in the past decade, with many people allowing for the decrease in taste (caused by freeze drying) for the benefit of being able to brew a cup of Joe whenever they please. But, Instant coffee, although convenient, has many features that differ significantly from freshly ground beans.

• Acrylamide, a well known cancer-causing substance, is of an extremely high incidence in instant coffee. The chemical does occur naturally in coffee beans but during the processing of instant coffee this increases by nearly 4000% when compared to instant coffee.
• Instant coffee has also been stripped of significant antioxidants 
• Also stripped of caffeine content

The above drawbacks of drinking coffee are based on evidence linking them only to excessive consumption. Those who drink only moderate amounts of coffee do not display these adverse effects. So from this we can determine that the proven benefits of drinking a moderate amount of coffee < or = to 3.5 cups per day.

To summarise:

Coffee can be of a massive benefit to us as individuals, it can also present with adverse effects but this only occurs over a very long period of time.

It has also been proven that coffee even though decaffeinated still presents with many of these health benefits. However, it has been proven that traditional decaffeinisation can cause various health problems and so the Swiss Water Process is always the encouraged method. 

Thanks for reading, 

Ethan 

Creatine: What is it? What do all the different types mean?

Creatine: 

What is it? What do all the different types mean?

Creatine.....Not Even Once!
Unless you want crazy strength and muscle mass!

What is Creatine?

Creatine occurs naturally within the body as a nitrogenous organic acid. Its purpose is to allow for an increase in energy through to catalytic production of Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP). Basically it's your magic formula to Popeye's spinach! 

It gives you more energy. And it occurs naturally within our body. It also id found it high amounts within different foods such as:

• Herring
• Salmon
• Tuna
• Pork
• Beef

The theory behind creatine supplementation is that through ingesting excess amounts of creatine our muscles will become saturated with the compund, giving us copious amounts of energy when under physical stress i.e. exercise.

To begin our analysis of creatine as a supplement we must first look at the different types of creatine on offer in the universe that is "Supplements."

1. Creatine Monohydrate:

Powerbeck Creatine Monohydrate
Available at: http://www.stylensport.co.uk/default.aspx?scid=3&pid=5440

Creatine Monohydrate is the most pure form of any creatine supplement. Containing a molecular formula of: C₄H₉N₃O_2. 

It is the most studied supplement in the history of health and fitness, with copious amounts of studies dictating its physiological effects, its side effects, dosages and varieties. It should be noted that any type of creatine product, even the varieties mentioned below, all are derived from creatine monohydrate.

When creatine enters into a shaker of water it immediately enters into a chemical process. The water catalyses a reaction turning the creating molecule into a totally worthless waste product called creatinine (do not confuse). The more acidic the liquid is, the quicker this process occurs. Regardless, once the mixture reaches the stomach, it mixes with gastric (stomach acid) which has a pH level of 1-2. This significantly quickens the breakdown of creatine. Because of this creatine is usually advised to be consumed with large quantities of water, slowing the process up. Another reason to drink lots of water with creatine monohydrate is that creatine causes an osmotic effect, in that it draws water towards muscles (with it various extra nutrients and minerals), this however can prevent water from going to vital organs and prevents adequate removal of waste products like creatinine, therefore stressing the kidneys. This couple with the fact that when an individual is supplementing with creatine, they are usually following a strenuous exercise routine, it could lead to dehydration within some individuals! The osmotic effect occurs more so in cheap creatine products which are often laden with sodium particles, causing further osmotic effects.The recommend amount of water is up to 150% of your daily recommend intake.

Creatine monohydrate requires a loading phase. This loading phase requires a dosage of 0.3g/kg of bodyweight/per day for five to seven days. This is to allow the muscles to become saturated with the compound.

Positive Side-Effects:

• Neuroprotective
• Cardioprotective
• Increases in strength due to an increase in ATP production
• Increases in body mass due to increased strength allowing for delayed fatigued during a workout
• Protection from cancer: This is based on creatines protection from oxidative stress which has been linked to cancer.

Neagtive Side-Effects:

• Stomach cramping: Can occur but only if a sub-optimal amount of wtaer is consumed
• Diarrhea: Can occur if excess dosages of creatine are consumed
• May cause restlessness if taken to close to bed.
• Causes a certain amount of flase weight gain due to water retention, which will be lost on ceasing creatine
• May exacerbate baldness: This is due to increased DHT production whilst consuming creatine. DHT has been linked as one of the main causes of male pattern baldness, but, no studies have yet been carried out to investigate creatines possible link.

The safety of creatine:

As already mentioned creatine is the most studied supplement on teh market and no topic has been researched more than to investigate creatines safety for human consumption. Creatine has been proved time and time again to be perfectly safe for human consuption in healthy individuals. Those who are succeptible to kidney disease or those who have been daignose with it or who only have one kidney whould still seek out a medical opinion. The only study to prove creatine was damaging to an individual with one kidney, resulted in only one subject out of a group of 68. This particular individual had been taking a dosage of 8 times the recommended amount. (Groeneveld et al. 2005, Greenwood et al. 2003, Lopez et al. 2009, Greenwood et al. 2003, Shao, Hathcock, 2006 and Bender et al. 2008)

Overview: Creatine Monohydrate 

As a whole creatine monohydrate is an extremely useful supplement to use (depending on your goal). All anyone has to do is take the correct dosage and ensure you drink an adequate amount of water which you should be doing anyway. The increase in strength and mass will take you much closer to your goals

2. Micronized Creatine Monohydrate:

Micronized creatine monohydrate is basically what it says on the tin (Tub): The creatine molecules have simply been broken down into a smaller form. In theory this has been to allow for a faster absorption rate. In theory this should but the differences between the two have not been clinically studied. So by paying more for this supplement you are taking a chance. That being said there are no other differences between monohydrate and micronized and both will have as strong a desired effect.

3. Liquid Creating / Creatine Serum:

DO NOT BUY!!!

READ THAT AGAIN!!!

This creatine has been bound will a liquid body (supposedly to increase its biological availability). Remember before when we talked about creatine entering into a breakdown reaction as soon as it touched a liquid? Some of these liquid proteins available in supplements stores have been sitting for weeks, continually losing their % of creatine (Astorino et al. 2005, Gill et al. 2004). Avoid this product at all costs.

4. Creatine Ethyl-Esther:

The science behind creatine ethyl-esther is that by binding creatine to an organic-methylated compound it can be absorbed faster into the bloodstream. This has been notably disproved by a study performed by the University of Tulsa and again by Katseres, ready et al (2009). They found that when compared to creatine monohydrate, there was more serum creatine within the muscle fibres with creatine monohydrate and significantly less with ethyl-esther. This is partly due to the fact that once 'bound' to another molecule, the substance can no longer be called creatine, thus becoming less effective. Basically another waste of money! 

5. Tri-Creatine Malate:

This form of creatine has been chemically bound with malic acid. The theory here is that due to it's increased osmotic qualities, the malic acid allows the creatine to become more water soluble, thus increasing it's bioavailability. The problem with this form of creatine is that it on average contains a very low percentage of creatine: usually around 20-35%, whereas creating monohydrate is closer to 85-95%. So yes the substance may be absorbed quicker into the bloodstream but it contains notably less creatine. And, again because the structure of the creatine has been altered to contain malic acid, it becomes denatured further. The science behind it logically makes sense but unfortunately this product is not worth the money.

6. Conjugated Creatine:

Conjugated creatine has proposed benefits on two parts, firstly it is micronized like "micronized creatine." But secondly and more importantly it has been chemically bound to conjugated linoleic acid. The proposed benefits include: 

• Enhanced strength
• Enhanced endurance
• May strengthen the heart
• May help the heart recover faster after surgery
• May increase bone density
• May alleviate depression
• May improve memory in the elderly

As a general everyday gym goer only the top three are of any real importance to us. But more importantly these claims are still being studied. So in essence the future may bring us some ground breaking supporting evidence for conjugated creatine but as of now it will be safer for your finances if you stick with alternative mentioned later!

7. Creapure Creatine:

Reflex Creapure Creatine:
Available at: http://www.stylensport.co.uk/default.aspx?scid=3&pid=5592

Creapure Creatine is another form of pure creatine monohydrate. It is a patented variety originating in Germany an essentially its manufacturing process ensures that it contains no impurities, meaning little/no water retention and no side effects of cramping or diarrhea. You will usually pay slightly more for a Creapure product but you can be assured of its quality. In actual fact, Creapure products are becoming cheaper as the years go on as more an more supplements aim to incorporate it. So thumbs up to Creapure.

8. Kre-Alkalyn Creatine:

EFX: Kre-Alkalyn Creatine
Available at: http://www.stylensport.co.uk/default.aspx?scid=3&pid=5590

Kre-Alkalyn Creatine is the gold standard at the minute for creatine supplements. It is a succesfully patented, perfectly identical compound to creatine monohydrate. In essence the creatine has been buffered to created a more alkalyn value. This means that little to no creatinine is produced as a waste product, ensuring that most, if not all creatine is absorbed by the muscle fibres within the body. Because of this we can ensure that kidney health is maintained 100% and there are no side effects whatsoever. It also means that lower dosages of creatine are required,saving you money and time in the long run and no loading phase is needed at all. The product works from day one. The only drawback is that it usually costs more compared to its monohydrate counterpart. But, not at the following weblink: http://www.stylensport.co.uk/default.aspx?scid=3&pid=5590

To summarise:

1. Creatine Monohydrate: The original and most studied supplement. Cheapest and most readily available. A limited number of side-effects but these can be easily avoided. 100% safe.
2. Micronized Creatine: Similar to monohydrate but studies are lacking in its proposed claims to be more readily absorbed.
3. 
   
4. Liquid Creatine: WASTE OF MONEY! DO NOT BUY! (that was easy)
5. Creatine Ethyl-Esther: Scientifically unfounded, based on made up claims that have been proved wrong!
6. Tri-Creatine Malate: Scientifically proven to achieve its claims of increased absorption but has an extremely low creatine content that of which has been chemically denatured. Not worth the money at all!
7. Conjugated Creatine: Research is still ongoing regarding the extra benefits compared to monohydrate. Regardless the creatine has again been chemically denatured and so at this moment in time, not worth your money and most likely never will.
8. Creapure Creatine: As per monohydrate but with little to no side effects. May require loading phase as creatinine is still produced
9. Kre-Alkalyn Creatine: The gold standard, totally worth every extra penny. No side-effects, no loading phase and a lower dosage.

Further Summary:

Creatine Monohydrate: Great supplement!

Creapure Creatine Monohydrate: Even better supplement!

Kre-Alkalyn Creatine: The best creatine money can currently buy!

All three of these supplements are available at www.stylensport.co.uk at brilliantly competitive prices! Their shop and online store is full of great deals on nutrition, gym clothes, accessories, general sportswear, bags, trainers and gym equipment. Check out their site or visit them in store at:

20 Church Street, Ballymena, Co. Antrim, BT43 6DE, Northern Ireland

or 

Give them a call on: 02825645371

Please feel free to comment below or send me an email at el-personaltraining@hotmail.com if you have any questions!

Thanks for reading,

Ethan