IMHO Most ppl who retain too much water over dose and should cut back by half , but how much to cut back is up to you.
They are likely getting enough by food intake.
Just like anything else a blood test now and then takes a lot of the guess work out of it .
I'm 56 and I "believe" I feel better and recover somewhat faster.
There are a lot of things that can’t be explained away by a single study ,simply because there are to many factors to take into consideration, physical stress as an example.
As you are well aware there are many ways to physically stress the body .
Bodybuilding, jogging, swimming, cycling ..ect…ect.
I have a friend that is an avid jogger and he could swallow a jar of creatine and never acquire any noticeable water retention .
Same goes for another friend who is in a cyclist.
Both enjoy their sport and are out there every day doing it.
I believe that maybe the difference between them and us bodybuilders.
If we were expelling energy on a daily basis such as they are, we may not retain as much water .
Who knows ?
Most all of these two classes of athletes use creatine with very little water retention.
Some of the studies I have read in the past also suggest creatine may have therapeutic applications for, muscle atrophy, fatigue, gyrate atrophy, Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease and other mitochondrial cytopathies, neuropathic disorders, dystrophies, myopathies and brain pathologies.
In knowing this I chose to take it , even if I do retain some water.
It is a issue that is simply resolved by discontinuing its use.
Easy enough !
Any cyclist of joggers reading that use creatine and if so how about sharing your experience with it .
Department of Physical Education and Athletic Training, Palm Beach Atlantic University, West Palm Beach, Florida 33416, USA.
[email protected]
Seventeen active males (age 22.9 +/- 4.9 year) participated in a study to examine the effects of creatine monohydrate supplementation on total body weight (TBW), percent body fat, body water content, and caloric intake. The TBW was measured in kilograms, percent body fat by hydrostatic weighing, body water content via bioelectrical impedance, and caloric intake by daily food log. Subjects were paired and assigned to a creatine or placebo group with a double-blind research design. Supplementation was given for 4 weeks (30 g a day for the initial 2 weeks and 15 g a day for the final 2 weeks). Subjects reported 2 days a week for supervised strength training of the lower extremity. Significant increases before and after the study were found in TBW (90.42 +/- 14.74 to 92.12 +/- 15.19 kg) and body water content (53.77 +/- 1.75 to 57.15 +/- 2.01 L) for the creatine group (p = 0.05). No significant changes were found in percent body fat or daily caloric intake in the creatine group. No significant changes were noted for the placebo group. These findings support previous research that creatine supplementation increases TBW. Mean percent body fat and caloric intake was not affected by creatine supplementation. Therefore weight gain in lieu of creatine supplementation may in part be due to water retention.