Comment · Thu, August 22, 2013 · Ceretropic
Why doesn't the body produce more creatine?
Original post in this thread
tsarnicky · 13 points
I'm somewhat new to nootropics and I know quite little about human bio in general, but just from common sense this question concerns me.
Why wouldn't the body just synthesize more creatine if it has only positive effects? Is it likely that higher levels of creatine cause unknown long term downsides? As I understand it all other dietary supplements, nootropics etc which people take daily/regularly cannot be synthesized by the body.
Sorry if I'm missing some basic point, or if some article has explained this. I did a search of this sub and looked over the FAQ but I didn't see an answer to this question.
What they were answering
Direct reply to the original post — see the thread post above.
u/MisterYouAreSoDumb · Ceretropic
The rate at which the body synthesizes creatine is dependent not only on both the L-arginine:glycine amidinotransferase enzyme and guanidinoacetate N-methyltransferase, but the amount of dietary L-arginine, L-methionine, and glycine intake. The expression of both those enzymes are dependent on genetic variations, as well as the body's ability to produce S-adenosyl methionine using the methionine adenosyltransferase enzyme.
So a lot of different things control the ability for the body to naturally produce enough creatine to provide enough ATP. Whether it's due to dietary deficiencies, or genetic variations, exogenous creatine supplementation can take up the slack.
Many people say that creatine supplementation can harm the kidneys. However, studies have shown that not to be the case.