I’ve had a few blood tests done since supplementing with creatine, but have been surprised not to see my blood creatinine levels elevated. Is this true for others? Shouldn’t you see higher levels from taking creatine?
You body gets rid of what it doesn’t use as I recall. It won’t stay in your system, you’ll piss out the excess.
Yes your body finds a way to get rid of it. Out of curiosity, how long have you been supplementing creatine and how far apart where your blood tests?
DG
I believe Creatinine is produced as a result of muscle damage, not necessarily Creatine supplementation.
Why would you want high Creatinine levels anyway?
[quote]HK24719 wrote:
Why would you want high Creatinine levels anyway?[/quote]
You don’t, its toxic.
Because the creatine you supplement is not the same as the creatine kinase levels in your blood. creatine kinase is a waste product in a way. you have to actually convert creatine into phosphocreatine before creatine kinase is produced. The conversion into phosphocreatine only takes place when atp is used. So pretty much your creatine kinase only goes up in relation to how much atp you use and how much damage is done to your muscle during the atp use.
It has nothing or almost nothing to do with how much creatine you supplement. The only effect I’ve seen creatine supplementation have on kanise levels is that one can work at a higher level for longer…using more atp and causing more muscle damage. This would create more kinase. But your kinase levels are only elevated for a short time after workouts. Even extremely high levels of kinase only lasts for 3 to 7 days. We’re talking kidney failure threatening levels of kinase.
[quote]risian wrote:
Because the creatine you supplement is not the same as the creatine kinase levels in your blood. creatine kinase is a waste product in a way. you have to actually convert creatine into phosphocreatine before creatine kinase is produced. The conversion into phosphocreatine only takes place when atp is used. So pretty much your creatine kinase only goes up in relation to how much atp you use and how much damage is done to your muscle during the atp use.
It has nothing or almost nothing to do with how much creatine you supplement. The only effect I’ve seen creatine supplementation have on kanise levels is that one can work at a higher level for longer…using more atp and causing more muscle damage. This would create more kinase. But your kinase levels are only elevated for a short time after workouts. Even extremely high levels of kinase only lasts for 3 to 7 days. We’re talking kidney failure threatening levels of kinase.[/quote]
The OP was asking about creatinine, not creatine kinase.
HK: I’ve been on creatine for probably 18 months. I don’t cycle, just include a small scoop in every protein shake. I’ve had three blood tests in the last 3 months, and none showed elevated creatinine levels.
Risian, are you saying that creatinine measured in standard blood tests is the same as creatine kinase? What is the difference between creatine and creatinine anyway?
[quote]forlife wrote:
HK: I’ve been on creatine for probably 18 months. I don’t cycle, just include a small scoop in every protein shake. I’ve had three blood tests in the last 3 months, and none showed elevated creatinine levels.
Risian, are you saying that creatinine measured in standard blood tests is the same as creatine kinase? What is the difference between creatine and creatinine anyway?[/quote]
how much is “one scoop”? lol
creatine converts to creatinine which is a toxin and must be filtered out via the kidneys or ailments, maybe death will occur.
Kidney transplant patients bloodwork keys around creatinine levels in the body to tell whether they have functioning kidney(s) or not.
Do you need a physiological explanation of how creatine works? lol
DG
Newdamage good call. I read creatinine as creatine and just thought he must be talking about a CK level. The crazy thing is I read each reply as creatine as well. The mind is a crazy thing.
Forlife - No it is not the same. Ignore everything I said about Creatine Kinase. Dirty Gerdy hit it on the head. Creatinine is filtered in the kidneys and flushed out your urine. The fact that you don’t have a high level in your blood means your kidneys are doing their job.
But the OP still has a valid theoretical question.
Creatinine is used to measure kidney function because it is fairly constant for most people…it does not mean that it can CAUSE kidney damage by being elevated…only that it may indicate kidney damage…
A person with more muscle mass would have higher creatinINE levels
However, since creatinINE is a metabolite of creatine…it would stand to reason that supplementing with creatine would show a bit of a rise in ceatinINE…if it does not…it would suggest that the supplement is pretty well worthless…your body has no more creatine (from which creatinINE is derived) than before supplementation…
Theoretically…
I should have kept reading before posting…yeah…i guess thats the answer… even if creatine supplementation led to MORE creatinINE being created, you should not find it elevated in the blood if your kidneys are excreting it properly…