(FATED - 1998)TEXTO PARA A PRXIMA QUESTO:THE NEW M

(FATED - 1998) 

TEXTO PARA A PRÓXIMA QUESTÃO:

THE NEW MUSCLE CANDY

EXPERTS WRESTLE WITH QUESTIONS ABOUT CREATINE

BY KAREM SPRINGEN AND MARC PEYSER

 

            AMERICANS ASSUME THAT ANYTHING natural must be safe. That's the buzz about creatine, a muscle-building supplement that's become as common as sweaty towels in gyms across the country. Since it hit stores in 1992, creatine - sold as powder, capsules, candy and even chewing gum - has become a $100 million industry, boosted by endorsements from athletes including Baltimore Orioles outfielder Brady Anderson. Even casual jocks report Schwarzenegger-like growth. Dr. Ray Sahelian, coauthor of "Creatine: Nature's Muscle Builder." Says he has bigger muscles at 40 than he did when he was 20 - and he lifts weights only 15 minutes a day. "It's miraculous," Sahelian says.

            But like so many dietary miracles, creatine may have a serious downside. Its safety has come under intense scrutiny after the recent deaths of three collegiate wrestlers. The FDA, the Centers for Disease Control and NCAA are investigating the athlete's deaths and whether creatine played a role. True, the wrestlers had all been wearing rubber suits while riding stationary bikes. Wrestlers have always done outlandish things to make weight, yet no college wrestler had died in at least 15 years. "What's different?" says Jeff Kovan, director of sports medicine at Michigan State. "The only thing people have seen is, creatine has become a big issue."

            The irony for wrestlers is that creatine adds bulk, rather than reducing it. It gives athletes extra power by 

increasing energy available to the muscle, allowing them to recover more quickly and thus get stronger faster. The process also happens naturally: creatine is made in the human liver and kidneys and ingested in meat fish. Yet athletes often consume 20 or more grams a day - the amount found in 20 eight-ounce steaks. Some scientists believe that in high doses, creatine may contribute to dehydration because liquid shunted into the muscles robs the rest of its ability to cool down via sweat. No one knows exactly how creatine works and what doses might be safe. Its long-term effects have never been studied because it is an unregulated supplement, not a prescription drug.

            Though users have complained about nausea, diarrhea and cramps, manufacturers insist creatine has no side effects. If it were so dangerous, they argue, it wouldn't be used so widely. "You can call any professional football team, and everybody's taking it," says Matthew Vukovich of Experimental and Applied Sciences, the first U. S. company to sell creatine. Although some universities now advise their athletes to avoid the supplement, its popularity remains strong, even at up to $50 for a month's supply. Robert Presti, who runs The Vitamin Store in New York City, says creatine is his best-selling sports supplement. The controversy won't stop him from taking it, either. "My body has responded well to it," says Presti, 33. Then again, he doesn't exercise in a rubber suit.

 

With Jennifer Lach in New York

NEWSWEEK, JANUARY 12, 1998

 

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