Key Points
Serious lifters know that creatine monohydrate is the best safe and effective legal anabolic ingredient on the market. In 1912, Harvard researchers first discovered that ingesting creatine could increase the creatine content in our muscles. But, it wasn’t until the 1992 Olympics that creatine proved itself on the world’s biggest stage as a natural performance enhancer. Since the initial Harvard research through to today, creatine has been studied hundreds of times with the research firmly demonstrating its ability to help athletes get bigger and stronger safely and effectively.
With all the real-world results and clinical research backing creatine monohydrate, supplementing with it would seem like a no brainer. However, traditional creatine monohydrate is not without problems, and some researchers feel that it’s bioavailability could be improved upon. [1] Some of these problems include creatine’s poor solubility in water (everyone hates to see the clumpy mess at the bottom of their shaker because they know that creatine didn’t end up in their muscles), its conversion to creatinine (a waste product) if left in a liquid solution for too long, and the gastrointestinal (GI) distress or stomach pain that some users experience.
This presents a dilemma for someone evaluating their creatine options. If they try regular, low-quality creatine monohydrate, they run the risk of having a lifting session interrupted by GI discomfort and a mad rush to the restroom. If they opt for alternative forms of creatine, like creatine ethyl ester, they face a different set of challenges. Consumers have had to gamble on alternative creatine forms that don’t have the same clinical research backing them. Or worse, they’ve spent money on alternative forms of creatine that rapidly convert tocreatinine in the case of creatine ethyl ester. [2]
Through an exclusive partnership with AnaBio Technologies, Kaged® has taken a novel approach to solve the creatine problem with a unique and patent-pending microencapsulation process. Utilizing a proprietary protein matrix, the creatine monohydrate in CreaClear® is encased in dairy protein which protects the protein molecule as it passes through the stomach for delivery straight to the gut where you need it most. This microencapsulation technology also provides superior solubility and stability in liquid.
Through this unique microencapsulation technique, less creatine is broken down in the stomach, and more of it is taken up by cells and the target tissue.[3] The microencapsulation matrix basically acts like an elite security force that safeguards creatine’s transport from your shaker to your muscle tissue, escorting creatine past hazardous and harsh environment of your GI system.
In fact, the microencapsulation technology used in CreaClear® is so revolutionary, in order to accurately test its creatine content, it must be pre-digested to mimic the different human digestion phases, from salivary to intestinal phases. This type of testing is required because the microencapsulation was made to remain stable and withstand typical environmental conditions so that it only breaks down in the body when it’s most bioavailable, or easiest for your body to absorb and utilize.
CreaClear is truly on the cutting edge of sports nutrition science, and it is a superior solution to the stomach challenges caused by regular creatine monohydrate. You can use the loading protocol of consuming 20 grams a day for the first 4-5 days and then switch to 5 grams per day to maintain your creatine saturation. This loading protocol has been the method used in most performance studies. More experienced lifters or regular creatine users can jump straight into the maintenance phase and use 5 g per day. No matter which approach you choose, adding the scientifically superior power of CreaClear to your training and nutrition will quickly set you on the path to increased muscle size, strength, and athletic performance.