Creatine is well known in sports and has also been very well researched scientifically. A summary of various studies with over 500 results shows how safe and effective creatine is. It doesn't matter whether you're young, sick, healthy, active or sedentary.
But which form of creatine is best? Does one variant work better? Are there any side effects?
Here we compare creatine hydrochloride (HCL) to creatine monohydrate. Learn about the benefits and differences of the two types of creatine and which is the best choice for your goals.
What is creatine?
First of all, creatine is a naturally occurring compound in the body that contributes to the production of energy during physical activity.
It is also a supplement in the sports sector which has been proven to increase athletic performance.
At the cellular level, creatine is necessary for survival and can be obtained from the diet through meat consumption. With a purely plant-based diet, attention should be paid to the supply of the amino acids glycine, methionine and arginine, because the body can use them to produce arginine itself.
Creatine's main job is to "recycle" energy. It helps convert adenosine diphosphate (ADP) and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) during physical activity.
So creatine can increase the energy available to muscles during strenuous exercise, allowing muscles to generate more power. In addition, the performance can be maintained longer by the intake of creatine.
3 benefits of creatine
-Creatine can help you sprint faster, lift heavier, and get more reps.
- When combined with strength training, creatine increases lean mass gains.
-Creatine can increase mental performance.
However, since there are many different forms of creatine on the market, we will now clarify which ones are best to take and which are the most common forms.
Creatine Monohydrate vs HCL: What's the Difference?
Creatine monohydrate is the most common form of creatine and is also commonly used in research.
Creatine monohydrate contains one water molecule. The water content makes up about 12%.
Then there is anhydrous creatine, which is called creatine base. It is the same as the monohydrate except that the water molecule is missing. In an aqueous environment such as the stomach, it then converts to creatine monohydrate.
Creatine HCL consists of the creatine base and an additional hydrochloride structure (HCL), which makes HCL more acidic and can also taste saltier.
There are hardly any studies on creatine HCL and therefore statements such as "absorbs better" or other advantages cannot be scientifically confirmed at the moment.
Because creatine is more acidic, it dissolves more easily in liquids, giving it a slight advantage over the monohydrate form. In terms of price, however, HCL is significantly more expensive.
performance
As already mentioned, there are hardly any studies on HCL and thus none on the effects of athletic performance.
Creatine monohydrate has been scientifically researched and the positive properties have been proven. This makes creatine monohydrate a very safe supplement and even high doses of 30g/day over 5 years do not pose a problem for healthy people.
Statements about HCL on these topics are currently difficult, since there are hardly any scientific studies, but that does not mean that HCL is particularly impure or similar. Is.
side effects
Basically there are no side effects.
Gastrointestinal symptoms such as flatulence or stomach pain can still occur. If you have these symptoms, HCL might make more sense for you, as it is easier to dissolve in water and can be more stomach-friendly.
Most side effects occur during the "loading" phase. However, creatine is not necessary here and can be omitted here. This might fix your problems too.
Other forms of creatine
Creatine monohydrate and creatine HCL are the most well-known forms. But there are a few more such as:
-creatine nitrate
-Creatine Ethyl Ester
-liquid creatine
-Creatine Citrate
-Creatine Pyruvate
But again, none of the forms of creatine have been studied as well as creatine monohydrate. However, the creatine forms are often more expensive than the classic creatine monohydrate, which is not justified at all.
Conclusion
Creatine monohydrate is definitely better studied and the "little" and reigning champion.
HCL might make sense if creatine monohydrate causes stomach upset.
Of course, as more studies become available on the other forms of creatine, things may change.