By: Author L. Rea

Editor’s Note: I remember speaking a few weeks ago to Author about this breakthrough. It is damn exciting and adds a viable, new twist to creatine that transcends the scientific failures of our day like creatine ethyl ester, liquid creatine and judging by the new studies, Kre-Alkalyn. I have my bottles on the way, please give this bad boy a shot at TigerFitness.com!

–Marc Lobliner

 

From The Innovators Who Brought You Humapro, Here Is Cyclo-Creation!

The Cyclo-Creation™ formulation is synergistically structured around a little known compound called cyclo-creatinephosphate (CCP). CCP is combined with an elite phosphate and recovery matrix for all athletes and sports players who need to naturally and safely (17,21) increase their VO2max and oxygen capacity before key events or training periods. When taken in the build-up to competition, CCP + our elite phosphate and lactic acid buffering synergists, helps to prime your body with a scientific nutrient matrix proven to support prolonged enhanced anaerobic and aerobic exercise performance potential significantly. If you need a real performance edge – you need Cyclo-Creation™.

Cyclo-Creation™ is not just another creatine hydrate, salt, alcohol or ester. Once metabolized by the body, those are all still just regular creatine once they enter the blood stream with different levels of creatinine by-product waste. So what is the difference between them? Some have better solubility and absorption than others so some deliver more actual free creatine into the blood stream than others and some induce greater or lesser formation of the waste product creatinine. It’s simply dose dependent, but it is still creatine. Nevertheless, don’t underestimate this important ergogenic: Creatine is certainly one of the most effective performance aids to date. Even after over 20 years of athletic use and scientific study validation, few performance nutrition products have been as safe or effective (17). Nonetheless, cyclo-creatine phosphate (CCP) has been in research since before the 70’s and still on going. So Cyclo-Creation™ is far from a new compound nor is it lacking scientific research. However, Cyclo-Creation™with CCP from ALR Industries is beyond anything else currently available in performance nutrition that is intended to support significant increases in functional performance and work-load capacity. With the added post-performance benefits of greater functional lean muscle gains, greater recovery and fat loss, maybe it’s time to try Cyclo-Creation™ and take that next big step toward your performance and physique goals.

Cyclo-Creation™ is the application of many years of studies and research to formulate a new generation in nutritional performance enhancement. At this time there is an on-going Medically Reviewed Clinical Study to validate the significant positive results experienced by the preliminary Cyclo-Creation™ test group study, a PhD White Paper review and a peer reviewed University study performed at Nova Southeastern University in collaboration with Billy Beck III Performance Center. Can you tell we are feeling rather excited about the formula preliminary study results so far? Just science applied…Not bragging…yet. What makes the pronutrients in Cyclo-Creation™ so special?

Cyclo-Creation™ Has Been Scientifically Formulated to:

1)     Dramatically prolong lean tissue glycolysis, and exhibition of a 2-5-fold delay in depletion of both ATP and the total adenylate pool: This means more reps, more sets and significantly longer performance at optimal levels with greater endurance. Significant anaerobic and aerobic work-load capacity increase for over-all performance enhancement.

2)     Significantly decrease serum levels of myostatin and increase GASP-1: Regardless of the sport or performance of our choice we need greater lean mass and faster recovery to do it better. Less of the lean tissue growth inhibitor myostatin means greater lean mass and recovery to perform better. †

3)     Increased Cellular Glycogen/glucose 3-fold: Do I really need to explain that more cellular glycogen means elevated performance potential? For physique athletes it also means muscle volumization without added functional movement loss. †

4)     Increase intracellular IGF-1 during training an average of 78% and post training 25%: Localized IGF-1 is the anabolic hormone that tells your muscles to recover, adapt and grow. †

5)     Stimulate activation of anabolic signaling molecules in muscle cells such as 4E-BP1 and p70-S6K: An increase in multi-pathway anabolic signaling results in a synergistic anabolic response that acts to dramatically increase recovery, over-compensation and performance potential. †

6)     Significantly increase the number of athletes that respond to creatine-type supplementation as a result of the unique synergistic formulation found only in Cyclo-Creation™†

Cyclo-Creation™: Perform Better Longer and More Often…Never Settle for Average!

Cellular Energy Super Food for those who expect more!

Cyclo-Creation™: What’s in it and why…

Cyclo-Creatine Phosphate: The creatine analog cyclo-creatine has been a subject of human, and other mammalian research or application studies dating back well before the 1970s (7,8,10,11,15,16,17). Naturally the focus of this writing is not medical claims nor suggested applications but is a compilation of known synergistic effects resulting in physical and mental performance enhancement. Cyclo-creatine is pretty interesting stuff due to the good properties it shares with creatine hydrates, salts, esters and alcohols plus the positive effects that are both unique to itself and those that exceed other forms of creatine.

Existing research on cyclo-creatine itself shows significant potential for increased anaerobic/aerobic work-load capacity as well as duration beyond that of common creatine hydrates, salts, esters or alcohols. In short, the ability to perform longer better and more often in comparison to conventional creatine and creatine products while still maintaining many of the other functional performance benefits of conventional creatines.

Cyclo-creatine has been shown to triple glycogen loads in chicks. During total ischemia in vitro the heart muscles utilized the cyclo-creatine phosphate for synthesis of ATP, had greatly prolonged glycolysis, and exhibited a 2-5-fold delay in depletion of both ATP and the total adenylate pool, relative to controls (10). Since ATP is cellular energy, a 200-500% delay in muscle cellular ATP exhaustion with prolonged glycolysis obviously offers potential for dramatic increases in muscle functional performance capacity with enhanced recovery. During ischemia, muscle is a closed anaerobic system and must utilize endogenous (already inside the muscles) energy stores to maintain cellular ATP levels (11). Under ischemic/anaerobic (anaerobic, meaning without blood oxygen flow to working tissue such as occurs during all out sprints, weight lifting and other 100% maximum muscle contraction performances) conditions this would obviously be of significant benefit when attempting personal best records and performances. When the potential for a 3-fold increase in glycogen stores is added to these effects in addition to the lactic acid buffering effects of creatines, the term cellular energy super food doesn’t seem so far off.

The Unique Cyclo-Creatine Take Home Points?

A)    200-500% delay in ATP depletion as compared to other creatines†

B)    A 300% increase in cellular glycogen stores†

C)    Delayed and decreased lactic acid build-up†

To sum it up…Perform Better Longer and more often!

Creatine Diphosphate: Creatine Diphosphate is a highly bio-available creatine salt that not only provides all of the performance increase benefits of creatine but also acts as an additional source of phosphate to accelerate and fuel the cellular phosphorylation of creatine and cyclo-creatine to the form the body stores and uses for cellular energy regeneration: creatine phosphate and cyclo-creatine phosphate. In one study (11) it was shown that 75% of cellular creatine existed as creatine phosphate, but 98% cyclo-creatine cellular content existed as cyclo-creatine phosphate. That is 23% more usable phosphogen!

Creatines and Buffering of Lactic Acid

Creatines have the ability to act as a buffer for lactic acid, slowing down the rate of lactic acid buildup in your muscles during exercise. By slowing down the rate of lactic acid production, creatine reduces the immediate muscle pain you feel while you are exercising, which allows you to be able to exercise at a higher intensity for a longer period of time with less muscle pain, due to lactic acid. According to “Nutrition for Health, Fitness, and Sport,” as little as two to three grams of creatine a day can be enough to effectively slow the rate of lactic acid buildup (12).

Effects of Oral Creatines and Resistance Training on Serum Myostatin and GASP-1

In an interesting human study researchers were able to evaluate the positive effects of creatine upon mysostatin and GASP-1 (13). Myostatin is a catabolic regulator of skeletal muscle mass. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of resistance training for 8 weeks in conjunction with creatine supplementation on muscle strength, lean body mass, and serum levels of myostatin and growth and differentiation factor-associated serum protein-1 (GASP-1). The results showed training induced decreases in serum myostatin to be significantly amplified by creatine supplementation. Obviously those in the creatine group also gained more lean mass and had greater strength gains than the placebo group.

Results of Oral Creatine Supplementation upon Young Adults

The purpose of this study was to compare changes in muscle insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) content resulting from resistance-exercise training (RET) andcreatine supplementation upon young adults (14). The protocol was for 8 weeks and utilized both creatine and placebo supplemented subject groups. The results showed that RET placebo group increased intramuscular IGF-I content by 54%, and the RET creatine group realized an increase in intracellular IGF-1 content of 78%. There were nodifferences in IGF-I between vegetarians and non-vegetarians.So?

IGF-1 – short for Insulin-like Growth Factor-I, is a natural substance produced by the body, primarily in the Liver after being stimulated by growth hormones, it has lots of physiological effects on the body’s different cells. What does IGF-1 do and why would you want more?
- New development of muscles tissues by initiating muscle stem cells
- Hyperplasia (increase numbers of cells)
- Hypertrophy (increase size of cells)
- Improve the capacity of misused nerve to raise, and fixes broken nerves
- Improved protein production and decline protein degradation resulting in enhanced recovery
- Improved RNA creation

Read On For a Complete Explanation About What Creatine Is!

Glycocyamine: About 75% of those supplemented with creatine monohydrate reap the benefits and 25 % get zilch. About 95% of those supplemented with cyclo-creatine enjoy the significant results, but 5% still get zilch. This is very possibly due to either an over efficient liver (like that is a bad thing) or an issue of solubility. More likely it is a combination of the two, but still some are losing out. The best solution is to add a formula synergist that is a precursor of creatine that is converted to creatine in the liver. Glycocyamine is simply creatine that is missing a methyl group in its structure. This means that glycocyaminecan increase the number of creatine responders due to occupying the liver with making rather than degrading creatine, and even better for those who have over-efficient livers. Therefore glycocyamine acting in synergy with cyclo-creatine and creatine in a synergistic manner means 1+1+1 = 4 and more creatine enters the circulatory system and eventually muscle cells. Additionally glycocyamine appears to have significant positive effects upon insulin sensitivity (15,16) which is great for increased nutrient up-take in lean tissue and inhibits fat cell feeding. One problem: When the liver converts glycocyamine into creatine it significantly depletes the livers all important methyl groups. This potentially can reduce production of SAMe (S-Adenosyl Methionine), a very important anti-oxidant, and therefore could inhibit detoxification of homocystine. Hmmmm, Betaine anhydrous…

Betaine anhydrous:  When betaine anhydrous is metabolized it donates a methyl group to the liver for each of its metabolites. In short, the use of glycocyamine should not occur without the addition of betaine anhydrous to donate methyl groups for good health. Betaine, also called betaine anhydrous or trimethylglycine (TMG), is a substance that’s made in the body, where it’s involved in liver function, cellular reproduction, and helping make carnitine. It also helps the body metabolize homocysteine, an amino acid and acts to stimulate recovery by increasing anti-oxidant production like SAMe.

Taurine: Taurine is considered to be the second most abundant amino acid in the body’s muscle after glutamine. However, with new research scientists are beginning to think that taurine is the most abundant in the body’s Type II muscle fibers, even more so than glutamine, which has led to much speculation for power athletes.Bratman, Steven. Taurine.Natural Health Bible.2000; 420-421. Taurine has been known to increase muscle mass, muscle strength, power, reduce muscle damage caused by exercise, accelerate recovery between workouts, and may also have an insulin-like effect in the body. Taurine has several critical functions and can act similarly to creatine in that it expands the body’s cells by helping the muscle cell itself hold more water, thus increasing cell volume without inhibition of range of motion. It has been theorized that all these may be very important to high performance athletes as it helps in protein synthesis and thus muscle hypertrophy. Additionally, another theory is that taurine enhances structural contractile capabilities in the muscle itself and thus may aid the lifter in handling heavier weights. High muscle concentrations of taurine also seem to be of the utmost importance in aiding high performance athletes such as Crossfit and MMA.

One study I recall on taurine— Hamilton EJ, Berg HM, Easton CJ, Bakker AJ. The effect of taurine depletion on the contractile properties and fatigue in fast-twitch skeletal muscle of the mouse.Amino Acids. 2006 Oct; 31(3): 273-8. Epub 2006 Apr 4. This study examined the effects of taurine depleted muscles. Simply put it was found that normal to slightly higher levels of taurine increases force production in skeletal muscle but taurine levels may fall during exercise. Thus a fall in taurine levels decreased force output. Therefore, one can draw an indirect conclusion based on this study that It can be seen that by supplementing with taurine, which has been known to increase and maintain optimal levels of taurine in the body, performance and muscular power will be optimized. This is due to a correlation between optimal performance and normal/optimal taurine levels. In other studies Taurine has been shown to positively affect cellular hydration and metabolism in humans (1), increase work aerobic work-load capacity and duration in humans and rats (2,4), support nitric oxide production and inhibition of inflammation in humans (3), increase fat oxidation in training humans (5) and the addition of creatine, glucose/taurine/electrolyte supplementationfor humans promoted greater gains in fat/bone-free mass, isotonic lifting volume, and sprint performance during intense resistance/agility training suggesting the ergogenic synergy between taurine and creatine (7).

In summary, the amount of support research that explains the results we have seen thus far for Cyclo-Creation™ in the preliminary human performance study has created quite a stir in the performance communities. Research and additional University and Clinical Studies validation is underway currently. We hope to bring you even more information this year.

†These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA.  This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

References:

1)     Nestle NutrInst Workshop Ser. 2011;69:115-26; discussion 126-30. Epub 2012 Jan 18. Effect of cell hydration on metabolism.

2)     Scand J Med Sci Sports. 2011 Apr 21. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0838.2011.01314.x. Mitochondrial nutrients stimulate performance and mitochondrial biogenesis in exhaustively exercised rats.

3)     Am J Cardiovasc Dis. 2011;1(3):293-311. Epub 2011 Sep 10.Role of taurine in the vasculature: an overview of experimental and human studies.

4)     J Cardiol. 2011 May;57(3):333-7. Epub 2011 Feb 19.Effect of taurine supplementation on exercise capacity of patients with heart failure.

5)       Int J Sport NutrExercMetab. 2010 Aug;20(4):322-9. The effect of acute taurine ingestion on endurance performance and metabolism in well-trained cyclists.

6)       Med Sci Sports Exerc. 1998 Jan;30(1):73-82.Effects of creatine supplementation on body composition, strength, and sprint performance.

7)     Physiol Rev. 2000 Jul;80(3):1107-213.Creatine and creatinine metabolism.

8)     Med Hypotheses. 2001 Sep;57(3):310-2.Does supplemental creatine prevent herpes recurrences?

9)     Annesley, Thomas Michael, Cyclocreatine-3-phosphate as a synthetic energy source in normal and tumor cells. Rice University, Houston, Texas PhD, 1979.

10)   Relative abilities of phosphagens with different thermodynamic or kinetic properties to help sustain ATP and total adenylate pools in heart during ischemia. Turner, David M.; Walker, James B. (Dep. Biochem., Rice Univ., Houston, TX 77251, USA). Arch. Biochem. Biophys., 238(2), 642-51 (English) 1985. CODEN: ABBIA4. ISSN: 0003-9861. DOCUMENT TYPE: Journal CA Section: 1 (Pharmacology)

11)   THE JOURNALO F BIOLOGICCAHLE MISTRY Vol. 255, No. 9, Issue of May 10, pp. 3924-3930, 19M Printed m U.S.A.

Energy Metabolism of Skeletal Muscle Containing Cyclocreatine Phosphate DELAY IN ONSET OF RIGOR MORTIS AND DECREASED GLYCOGENOLYSIS IN RESPONSE TO ISCHEMIA OR EPINEPHRINE*

12)   Nutrition for Health, Fitness, and Sport”; Melvin H. Williams; 2002

13)   Mol Cell Endocrinol. 2010 Apr 12;317(1-2):25-30. Epub 2009 Dec 22.Effects of oral creatine and resistance training on serum myostatin and GASP-1.

14)   International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, 2008, 18, 389-398 © 2008 Human Kinetics, Inc. Dept. of Human Kinetics, St. Francis Xavier University, Antigonish, NS, Canada. Effect of Creatine Supplementation andResistance-Exercise Training on Muscle Insulin-Like Growth Factor in Young Adults.

15)   J PharmacolExpTher. 1993 Sep;266(3):1454-62. Antihyperglycemic action of guanidinoalkanoic acids: 3-guanidinopropionic acid ameliorates hyperglycemia in diabetic KKAy and C57BL6Job/ob mice and increases glucose disappearance in rhesus monkeys.

16)   Mol Pharm. 2009 May-Jun;6(3):1006-11. The orally active antihyperglycemic drug beta-guanidinopropionic acid is transported by the human proton-coupled amino acid transporter hPAT1.

17)   Eur J Appl Physiol. 2008 May;103(1):33-40.

18)   Matthews, R.T., et al. Creatine and cyclocreatine attenuate MPTP neurotoxicity. ExpNeurol 1999; 157(1): 142-9.

19)   Matthews, R.T., et al. Neuroprotective effects of creatine and cyclocreatine in animal models of Huntington’s disease. J Neurosci 1998; 18(1): 156-163.

20)   Creatine Uptake in Isolated Soleus Muscle: Kinetics and Dependence on Sodium, but not on Insulin Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, UK

21)   ©Journal of Sports Science and Medicine (2009) 8, 591-599 http://www.jssm.org Received: 31 July 2009 / Accepted: 18 September 2009 / Published (online): 01 December 2009 Effects of sodium phosphate loading on aerobic power and capacity in off road cyclists

 

What is Creatine?

Creatine is a compound that can be made in our bodies or taken as a dietary supplement. Thechemical name for Creatine is N-(aminoiminomethyl)-N-methyl glycine or methylglycocyamine.The most commonly used supplemental forms of creatine are salts, esters and alcohols. Natural creatine is synthesized in the liver, pancreas, and kidney from the three amino acids – L-Arginine, Glycine and L-Methionine. Following its biosynthesis, creatine is transported to the skeletal muscles, heart, brain, and other tissues. Most of the creatines are metabolized in these tissues into creatine phosphates which are the immediate usable form of creatines. Some creatines undergo phosphorylation at higher rates than others. As an example, most creatine salts, esters and alcohols are phosphorylate in cells at a rate of about 75% leaving about 25% in its free form. Cyclo-creatine is phosphorylated at a rate of about 98% thus providing the greater benefits of increased cellular cyclo-creatine phosphates in comparison.†

How much Creatine do we have in our body?

This varies based on the amount of muscle mass you have and your weight. On average a 160 pound person would have about 120 grams of creatine stored in their body.

Where Creatine is stored in our body:

It is believed that about 95% of the creatine in our body is stored in our muscles. The remaining 5% is stored in various other parts of the body including the brain, heart and other tissues.

Mechanism of Action for creatine:

Although creatine’s mechanism of action is not completely understood, the predominance of research demonstrates the following:

1)     Creatine provides additional energy for muscles

In your body you have a compound called ATP (adenosine tri-phosphate). ATP is a high energy containing compound. What is important to know about ATP is that the body can very quickly get energy from an ATP reaction. You have other sources of energy such as carbohydrates and fat but they take longer to convert into a usable energy source. When you are doing an intense quick burst activity, such as lifting a weight or sprinting, your muscles must contract and need a quick source of energy. This immediate energy comes from ATP.

When your muscles use ATP for energy a chemical process happens where the ATP is broken down into two simpler chemicals ADP (adenosine di-phosphate) and inorganic phosphate. This process of ATP turning into ADP releases the energy which gives your muscles the ability to contract and perform. Unfortunately, we do not have an endless supply of ATP. In fact, your muscles only contain enough ATP to last about 10-15 seconds at maximum exertion. ADP cannot be used to create more energy for your muscles.

This is where creatine comes in, or more specifically the creatine phosphates (CP). The majority of creatine that is stored in the muscles bonds with abundant phosphorus stores in the muscles and is converted into creatine phosphates (CP). CP is able to react with the ADP in your body and convert ADP back into ATP. You can think of creatine phosphates like recyclers. That is, it recycles ADP back into energy producing ATP. More ATP in your body means more potential energy for your muscles. More cellular stores of creatine phosphates means greater and prolonged levels of ATP.

2)     Increases the size of muscle.

This is the process of pulling fluid into the muscle cells and thus increasing the volume of the muscles. Creatine has been shown to pull water into your muscle cells, which increases the size of muscles.

3)     Buffer Lactic Acid build-up

New research has shown that creatine can help buffer lactic acid that builds-up in the muscles during exercise. Lactic acid is what causes that burning feeling you get in your muscles during exercise and the soreness you feel the next day. Scientifically it is a complicated process. Basically the creatine bonds with a Hydrogen ion and that helps delay the build-up of lactic acid. More research needs to be done to see the extent of this event.

4)     Enhances Protein Synthesis

There is some data to indicate that creatine helps put the body in a more anabolic state where protein synthesis can occur. The more protein synthesis, the greater the muscle gain.

Is the 120 grams of creatine in my body enough?

Maybe. The whole idea behind taking creatine as supplement is that if you workout, you burn-up a lot of creatine. If you take a creatine supplement, you will have more energy because the ATP energy cycle will last for a longer time. Unfortunately your muscle’s creatine supply is not limitless. The average human has between 3.5 and 4 grams of creatine per kilogram of muscle.

Once you use up the creatine in your muscle you have to rest your muscles and wait a while before you can exercise the muscle again. Studies have shown that the human muscle can store up to 5 grams of creatine per kilogram. So, by taking a creatine supplement you can raise your levels from 3.5 to 5 grams of creatine – and thus enjoy more of the benefits of creatine. Vegetarians tend to have significantly lower creatine stores due to not ingesting meats containing creatine and seem to reap even greater performance benefits from supplementations.

†These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA.  This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

References:

1) Toler, Creatine is an ergogenic for anaerobic exercise. Nutr Rev. 1997; 55:854-857

2) Vandenberghe, et al., Caffeine counteracts the ergogenic action of muscle creatine loading. J

Appl Physiol. 1996: 80:452-457

3) Feldman, Creatine: a dietary supplement and ergogenic aid. Nutr Rev. 1999; 57:45-50

4) PDR For Nutritional Supplements; Medical Economics-Thomson Healthcare; 186-9, 2001

5) The Merck Index; Chapman and Hall EPD. 1996