Does Creatine Make You Bloated?
Reading Time: 8 minutes If you feel tired or sluggish one day while in the gym, on the athletic track, on the Gridiron, or wherever you need to perform athletically. The implication here is that you would need a whole new supplement stack.
We have to prioritize the fundamentals of health and fitness for us to perform at our peak. It includes things like getting a good sleep cycle, hydrating well, consuming good fruit and fresh produce, protein, regular workouts, etc… Once you have all those things in place, though, the next thing to consider is your supplement routine.
Every single year, the health and fitness supplement industry is worth billions upon billions.
We spend our hard-earned money on various supplements in hopes for us to attain our health and fitness goals and when done right, these supplements can be very beneficial.
Creatine supplements specifically are incredibly popular in the fitness community but some people say it can make them bloat. So this is what we’re hoping to unpack today as we explore the wonder that is creatine and the potential side effects.
So, does creatine give you bloating?
How Does Creatine Work?
Creapure® Creatine Monohydrate Creatine supplements are among the most popular supplements and are particularly very popular amongst athletes and bodybuilders. Creatine supplements can help people who use their muscles a lot, and who stress their muscles a lot.
But why?
Well, creatine aids the muscles to contract. This doesn’t just mean that it benefits the muscles when you choose to flex and strike a double bicep pose in the gym mirror. Muscle contractions are what cause every single movement the muscles help with to take place.
ATP in the body: it is used as an Energy Source in Muscles.
Muscle cells take in ATP and use it for energy. If the cells in your muscles are batteries that make the muscles go, ATP is the lithium ions that you use to power batteries. When we intake creatine it combines with a Pi and forms Phosphocreatine.
This helps create creatine in the body which enables the body system to synthesize more ATP. The more ATP the body is capable of generating, the more effort the muscles can exert, the longer they can sustain that effort and ultimately the more productive our training sessions will be.
The challenge is that ATP decays rapidly and splits into Adenosine Diphosphate (ADP). ADP is worthless to the muscles, or the muscle cells, that is, it can’t energize them further.
Creatine supplements support the body’s conversion of ADP back into ATP, which the cells can use for energy. If you were able to only complete 9 reps of a certain exercise, with a certain weight, without creatine, creatine could help you perform 10 reps, or maybe even the 9 reps with some heavier weight.
It may not map too much, but it is little things in this way that plot the way most in the rec center. Creatine can not only help you in short high-intensity bursts of activity but also increases muscle endurance and stamina for those longer and more drawn-out sessions.
What Is Creatine Bloating?
Now, as amazing as creatine is, one of the biggest downsides for many is that it can create bloating.
Creatine is an incredibly safe supplement. Today, it is one of the safest on the market We even make creatine naturally, and eat it in some of our favorite foods, so it can’t be all bad. Unfortunately, the fact that it is said to cause bloating is one of the main reasons that so many people hesitate to use creatine supplements.
So what exactly is creatine bloating and should you be concerned?
Creatine bloat is not something serious, it is just a common side effect of taking the supplement due to holding water. Creatine has a molecular structure that allows it to transport more water around the body. This is what is called a ‘hydration shell’.
This indicates that when skeletal muscle creatine levels rise, it also increases the amount of water in the muscle, specifically within the muscle cells. But the good news for those who want to get big and jacked is, that this makes the muscles appear bigger and fuller.
You have so much fluid on board, the body responds by trying to get rid of it in the form of urine.” Until that process plays itself out though, water remains in the body, leaving you looking puffy and feeling bloated and sluggish, as if you chugged a gallon of water in one sitting.
Key Takeaways On Creatine And Bloating:
So, we’ve established in terms of does creatine make you bloated, well yes creatine is super beneficial, but we’ve also established that it can lead to bloating.
But is bloating a dangerous problem, or is it simply cosmetic?
With that said, here are some major takeaways about creatine and bloating.
Creatine Bloating Is Common
If you take creatine for the first time and suddenly experience bloating and sluggishness, of course, you may wonder if something is wrong, or that you’re having a negative reaction to it. In reality, almost everything is probably OK.
So, while it feels gross to look puffy and bloated, thanks to creatine’s molecular makeup, water retention is a pretty common side effect of the drug.
And if you load with creatine at first, you’ll be drinking more liquid so you will feel more bloated.
Creatine bloating is nothing to worry about 99% of the time but remember this.
Creatine Bloat Is Rare But Can Be Severe
Although creatine bloat is completely normal, one thing we should bear in mind is that in extremely rare cases it can be more serious.
If you are constantly holding on to water, the excess fluid in your body can lead to challenges with your other organs.
Your kidneys, for instance, will have to work overtime to filter the extra liquid. They can take more damage, the more they work.
Frequent creatine bloating can also put a severe strain on the heart and the blood vessels.
That is also why cycling creatine on and off makes sense. Look for a pH-balanced formula that will help to reduce the bloat.
You Will Be Peeing A Lot
If you were methanol vodka or were a vaping slob, you would have to urinate a ransom.
Your kidneys will filter and process all the water you retain, and any excess will be excreted. So you will be peeing and pooping a lot, but also drinking a lot to make up for the fluids.»
If you suddenly find yourself needing to pee several times in the night, do not be alarmed.
Not Everyone Gets Bloat
So while creatine bloating is relatively common, the key takeaway is that not everyone has to experience said side effect. For some people, it’s simply a function of their genetics, and they do not experience bloating with creatine.
Just as there are creatine non-responders and people who do not benefit from creatine, there are those who drool tons of creatine and do not bloat1, no matter how much they drink, or how much they drink.
How Does Creatine Bloating Feel?
Have you ever eaten Chinese takeout or any other form of food rich in sodium, and found yourself feeling thirsty?
No matter how much water you chug you can’t seem to get rid of the thirst. When it finally subsides, you feel bloated and fatigued and don’t want to move. If so, that’s kind of what creatine bloat is like, minus the thirst.
Creatine bloat can cause your stomach to bloat and swell up, along with your muscles. Your face will look puffy and you’ll feel as if you’ve just drank heaps of water, or eaten a very large meal. It’s not very comfortable and it certainly isn’t comfortable when working out.
Usually, creatine bloat tends to subside after a while, though sometimes it can cause you to feel fatigued and lethargic, and even uncomfortably bloated, as if you have trapped wind or gas.
How To Avoid Creatine Bloating?
So, if you are thinking of using a creatine supplement, by now you’re probably worried that it’ll make you feel bloated and look puffy. If so, then don’t worry, because there are things you can do to avoid creatine bloating.
To begin with, you’ll want to be mindful of your dosages. We’ll go into this a little later on, but reducing your dosage could help. You could also switch types of creatine and go with a different type instead. Again, we’ll look at this in more detail shortly.
The last option is simply to avoid creatine altogether and find an alternative supplement such as BCAAs, or maybe even a pre-workout. Or mix a bit of creatine with pre-workout to get a small benefits-less effect.
Does Creatine Make You Bloated?
If you’re feeling very impatient today, or if you simply don’t have enough time to read what we’ve looked at earlier because you need to go hit the gym, you may be wondering whether creatine is right for you or not.
So, too long, didn’t read, does creatine make you bloated?
Well, yes it can do, though not everybody will suffer. It is however, a common side effect of this awesome supplement, so if you are prepping for a bodybuilding contest or a photoshoot, and you’re cutting and want to look as lean and ripped as possible, creatine might not be ideal.
How To Beat The Bloat?
So, you’re taking creatine and you’ve accepted that it’s going to make you look and feel bloated, but is there anything you can do to help combat the bloat, so to speak? Well, yes there is.
Reduce The Dose
3g-5g of creatine would be considered a normal daily intake for most individuals, but they are consuming double that in certain cases. If you have bloat and are completing y more than 5g of creatine a day, drop your dosage.
Skip The Loading Phase
Creatine loading: Consume 20 g of creatine/day, for 5 days. This is typically divided into four individual 5g doses. And then of course there’s all the water the creatine gets mixed with – this much creatine alone can bloat a person! The most effective way to eliminate creatine bloat is just to skip the loading phase altogether.
Creatine Binds Amino Acids in Energy Supply
An alternative to a standard creatine supplement without the potential for bloat is buffered creatine, combining creatine monohydrate with an alkaline agent.
Take Creatine Right Before Training
Lastly, for how to prevent creatine bloat, you can also consume your creatine around the time of training.
Muscles usually only take in creatine when they are taking in nutrients. If you dry scoop creatine immediately before exercising, the body might use up more of the creatine and store less, which results in less water retention and less bloating.
Ironically, we have to drink it together a lot of water together, because the drier you are, the more water you good keep.
Conclusion
Okay, so, does creatine make you bloated?
Yes it does, or at least, it can do.
Creatine is a very beneficial supplement that is designed to improve athletic performance, endurance, and physique, in numerous ways. Its main drawback, however, is the fact that it can cause you to feel bloated.
If you suffer from creatine bloat, take a look at the recommendations we’ve left above, and you’ll be beating the bloat in no time.
