Safely Taking Creatine While Fasting - Tips and Guidelines

How to Take Creatine While Fasting Safely and Effectively

Creatine and fasting are two popular health and fitness strategies. But is it safe and beneficial to take creatine supplements while intermittent fasting or doing longer fasts?

This comprehensive guide covers how creatine works, the benefits and risks of supplementing it, and provides tips on optimizing your creatine intake during various fasting protocols. Topics include:

• Creatine overview - absorption, transport, mechanisms
• Evidence on creatine's effects on muscle, performance, cognition
• Safety - side effects, contraindications, dosing
• Taking creatine before, during, and after different types of fasts
• Potential benefits of combining creatine and fasting
• When creatine may not be advisable during fasting

Let's dive in and explore how to integrate creatine supplementation into your lifestyle in a way that works with, not against, the potential benefits of fasting.

What Is Creatine?

Creatine is a molecule produced naturally in the human body to supply energy to muscles and other tissues. It is synthesized in the liver, pancreas, and kidneys from the amino acids arginine, glycine, and methionine.

Most of the body's creatine is stored as creatine phosphate, or phosphocreatine, in skeletal muscle tissue. When muscle cells need immediate energy during exercise, phosphocreatine releases its phosphate group to produce ATP, the key energy molecule used for muscle contractions.

We also obtain creatine from eating meat and fish, which contain about 1 to 5 grams of creatine per pound. However, vegetarians often take creatine supplements since they get little to none from their diet.

Creatine Absorption and Transport

When creatine is ingested as a supplement, it moves through the gut into the bloodstream, where it can enter muscle tissue in two ways:

• Active transport - creatine is pumped into muscle cells via a transporter protein
• Passive diffusion - creatine diffuses directly into muscles down its concentration gradient

Our muscles can only store a limited amount of creatine. Excess is broken down and excreted as waste.

Mechanisms of Action

Supplementing creatine is thought to enhance athletic performance and improve health in several ways:

• Increases phosphocreatine stores in muscles
• Buffers metabolic acids during intense exercise
• Raises anaerobic threshold
• Allows faster muscle glycogen replenishment
• May increase muscle cell hydration and growth signaling
• Provides neuroprotective effects in the brain

Proven Effects of Creatine

Extensive research has been done on the effects of creatine supplementation in sports, cognitive health, and various disease states. What does the evidence say?

Building Muscle and Strength

Many studies confirm creatine enhances muscle mass and strength gains from resistance training programs. A meta-analysis in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition found participants adding creatine to training increased muscle mass on average by 2 to 5 pounds and bench press strength by 5 to 15 pounds versus training alone.

Improving High-Intensity Exercise Capacity

Phosphocreatine from creatine acts as a temporal energy buffer during short, intense bursts of exercise like sprints or weights. Multiple reviews demonstrate creatine supplementation consistently increases performance in:

• Sprints and repeated bouts of brief, intense exercise
• Single and repetitive max lift strength tests
• Interval training or sports with intermittent high-intensity efforts

However, creatine appears less effective for enhancing endurance exercise capacity.

Supporting Cognitive Function

Creatine plays important metabolic and neuroprotective roles in the brain. Studies show supplemental creatine may improve:

• Memory and intelligence test scores
• Mild cognitive impairment in elderly
• Symptoms of Huntington's, Parkinson's, and ALS
• Recovery from concussions and strokes

More research is underway on creatine's nootropic and neuroprotective potential.

Is Creatine Safe?

Current evidence indicates creatine is quite safe for most people when used appropriately. No serious side effects have been conclusively linked to creatine supplementation.

Common Minor Side Effects

Some users report minor side effects like:

• Water retention/bloating
• Muscle cramps
• Digestive upset
• Weight gain

Proper hydration can minimize side effects. Cycling on and off creatine may also help.

Contraindications

Creatine is contraindicated for:

• Those under 18 years old - effects on growing bodies not established
• Pregnant or breastfeeding women - lacks safety data
• People with kidney disease - may increase stress on kidneys

Safe Dosing Guidelines

To avoid potential harm, follow these creatine dosage guidelines:

• Take no more than 3-5 grams per day
• Start with lower dose and gradually increase as tolerated
• Split dose - smaller amounts throughout day maximizes absorption
• Take breaks - cycle on and off creatine every 8-12 weeks
• Stay very well hydrated - helps reduce side effects

Creatine While Fasting - Pros and Cons

Now that we've covered the basics of creatine, let's examine the potential upsides and downsides of combining creatine supplementation with various types of fasting.

Potential Benefits

• Preserve muscle mass - Creatine may counteract increased protein breakdown during fasts
• Enhance ketosis - Some evidence shows creatine may raise ketone levels
• Improve cognitive function - Creatine's neuroprotective effects may help during fasts
• Increase workout performance - Maintain intense training during intermittent or short-term fasts

Potential Drawbacks

• Dehydration - Creatine may exacerbate dehydration from fasting
• Digestive issues - Some users experience cramping or diarrhea from creatine
• Medication interactions - Effects of some drugs may be amplified by creatine
• Blood sugar effects - Creatine can lower blood glucose levels

Due to the potential risks, check with your doctor before taking creatine while fasting, especially if you take any medications or have diabetes.

Taking Creatine Before Fasting

It is generally considered safe to continue taking creatine leading up to a fast as usual. In fact, loading up on creatine immediately before fasting could offer advantages:

• Maximizes muscle creatine stores
• May assist with protein sparing during fast
• Can improve exercise ability at the start of the fast

Consider doing a creatine loading protocol of 20 grams per day for 5-7 days before an extended fast. Spread doses throughout the day and stay very well hydrated during this time.

Taking Creatine During Fasting

Taking creatine while fasting is riskier than normal supplementation due to compounds effects of dehydration, low blood sugar, and gut issues. Weigh pros and cons carefully for your situation.

Intermittent Fasting

Taking 5 grams or less of creatine during the eating window of an intermittent fast is likely safe for most healthy adults. Time doses around workouts for optimal results.

24-48 Hour Fasts

Using a smaller dose of creatine like 2-3 grams may be cautiously appropriate on one day fasts. However, avoid creatine when fasting longer than this due to amplified dehydration and blood sugar risks.

Extended Fasts

Do not use creatine for fasts longer than 48 hours, as side effects and health complications would be more likely to occur.

Taking Creatine After Fasting

Once you resume normal eating, it is fine to restart creatine supplementation. Some strategies include:

• Allow 1-2 days eating normally before adding creatine back
• Start with a lower dose like 2 grams then gradually increase back to normal
• Do a proper loading protocol to replenish muscle creatine after longer fasts
• Closely monitor hydration and gastrointestinal symptoms

This conservative restarting approach allows the digestive system to recover and reduces potential side effects when adding creatine back in.

The Takeaway

With careful dosing and monitoring, creatine and intermittent fasting can be safely combined by healthy adults looking to enhance fitness, cognitive, and longevity goals. However, due to heightened dehydration, blood sugar, and other risks, reserve creatine only for shorter fasts of 24-48 hours maximum.

Rehydrate very well, time creatine doses for post-workout if exercising, start will smaller amounts, and watch closely for potential adverse effects. As always, check with your doctor before supplementing creatine alongside fasting.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new treatment regimen.