Bodytalk
Question: What's your opinion of creatine as a sports enhancement supplement? With creatine, please
use cautionAnswer: Creatine continues to be the drug of choice for most athletes, coaches, trainers and sports enthusiasts.
For those unfamiliar with creatine, here's what we think it does. During short bouts of intense exercise, it's believed that creatine slows down the normal decline in energy that your body experiences. As a result, a person may be able to train harder, and thus reap greater benefits from their workout.
These benefits include gains in strength, power, and fat-free muscle mass.
Creatine is useful only for "anaerobic" forms of exercise such as weightlifting and sprinting; it does not have much effect on aerobic activity or endurance training.
Creatine doesn't work for everyone.
Somewhere between 15 percent and 25 percent of those who take creatine will not benefit from its use. These are usually individuals who have high levels of muscle creatine to start with.
However, those on the low end of the creatine scale - athletic vegetarians, for example - are more likely to reap creatine's benefits.
As of this writing, the only negative side effects associated with creatine are dehydration and cramping in some individuals.
However, there have not yet been studies conducted on creatine's long-term use and possible effects on the liver and kidneys.
Individuals who use creatine often gain weight. Although this added weight is not body fat, the fear of gaining weight is probably what discourages the widespread use of creatine among women. The women who do use supplemental creatine, however, experience the same relative benefits as men.
All of the studies conducted on creatine thus far have used creatine monohydrate. You can also purchase creatine citrate and creatine phosphate, but their manufacturers cannot make any claims as to its effects, because the research doesn't exist to substantiate it.
How much creatine should a person take? Be sure to follow the directions printed on the product label. There is no benefit to taking more creatine than the recommended daily dosage. This is the case in both the loading and maintenance phase.
Here's a tip if you decide to use a creatine supplement: Studies show that creatine taken with a carbohydrate drink - orange juice, for example - can accumulate in muscle tissue as much as 60 percent more than if taken with water.
Q: Will fat cells come back after liposuction? Is this form of surgery safe?
A: Fat cells will not regenerate in the same location after liposuction, unless you put on an inordinate amount of weight. If you do gain a lot of weight (30 percent or more over your ideal weight), your body will manufacture more fat cells after liposuction.
Liposuction is relatively safe. Techniques have greatly improved since the early '80s, when it was first introduced.
As with any surgery there is still a risk, and the postoperative pain can be quite severe.
Liposuction has no effect on skin tone, and any effect on your health is negligible.
If you do choose to have liposuction surgery, I hope it's a decision of last resort. Most people can lose unwanted body fat and become healthier by exercising regularly and eating a nutritious low-fat diet.
This formula is superior to liposuction, because it works better for keeping the fat off, and because it improves your health and well-being.
Stephenie Karony is a certified health
and fitness instructor, a personal trainer and the author of
"Body Shaping with Free Weights." Send questions to her at
P.O. Box 262, Wailuku Hi. Her column appears on Wednesdays.