# Glycerol and Creatine: Heat training



## Jael (Jul 30, 2015)

I was looking up hydration supplementation (From Gatorade to Glycerol), currently living in Hawaii hydration is important as the weather is pretty hot year round. I came across this article that I found pretty interesting as it uses Creatine, which was primarily used by strength/body builders for its increase in muscle gain/strength, however it was not used by endurance athletes as it has shown to provide no significant benefit for longer endurance events and lead to dehydration (Also the death of Two Rangers IIRC).

The article shows the effective use of Creatine with Glycerol to decrease body temperature and increase water retention in heat training. Here are the results and conclusion of the test for those who don't want to read the article as it is fairly long and very detailed.

*Results*
BM and total body water increased by 0.90 ± 0.40 kg (_P _< 0.01; mean ± SD) and 0.71 ± 0.42 L (_P _< 0.01), respectively following supplementation. Despite the significant increase in BM, supplementation had no effect on V ˙ O 2 and therefore RE. Both HR and Tcore were attenuated significantly after supplementation (_P _< 0.05, for both). Nevertheless, thermal comfort and rating of perceived exertion was not significantly different between pre- and post-supplementation. Similarly, no significant differences were found in sweat loss, serum osmolality, blood lactate and in plasma volume changes between pre- and post-supplementation.
*Conclusions*
Combining creatine and glycerol is effective in reducing thermal and cardiovascular strain during exercise in the heat without negatively impacting on running economy.

JISSN | Full text | The effects of creatine and glycerol hyperhydration on running economy in well trained endurance runners

What are your thoughts on this type of supplementation/training? Could it be of use to the Mil?


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## Etype (Jul 31, 2015)

Creatine leading to the death of soldiers is more speculation than anything.

Have you found any studies that actually show creatine to cause dehydration?

Excess creatine is excreted in the urine. Any water soluble nutrient/toxin/whatever would contribute to dehydration if you weren't drinking enough water.

ETA-
Also, your statement about creatine not being used and not having benefit for endurance events is untrue.  Creatine has been shown to help  buffer lactic acid.


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## Jael (Aug 3, 2015)

Apologizes for the delay.


Still looking for official studies, what I’m seeing are things written without any base of research EX: Ross Bailey, head athletic trainer at Texas Christian University believes that creatine is the cause of frequent cramping and pulled hamstrings among athletes at Texas Christian. "We have no scientific evidence, but the use of creatine is the only thing that has changed" and the following which has cites but none I can read off hand at Quinnipiac University Chemistry in Sports and Fitness: A Case Study Collection - Creatine Case Study - Equilibrium


Excerpt: Muscle cramps and dehydration are also associated with creatine use.[1-4]  In fact, the Association of Professional Team Physicians has warned that creatine use may result in “dehydration and heat-related illnesses, reduced blood volume, and electrolyte imbalances”.[3]  Like other side effects of creatine supplementation, dehydration results from the intake of large doses of creatine.  Dehydration occurs because a large portion of the body’s water content follows creatine into the skeletal muscle, thereby reducing urination and potentially leading to impaired thermoregulation and subsequent heat exhaustion.[1,2]


I utilized the below in stating creatine was ineffective for a particular type of running.


http://www.benning.army.mil/tenant/75thRanger/content/PDF/RANGER TOP 20 Supplement List.pdf


Edit: Grammar, spelling and to add the following link Creatine Supplementation in Athletes: Review study shows no benefit to endurance training and creatine supplementation.


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## poison (Aug 4, 2015)

Glycerol works for increasing performance and reducing dehydration, but you have to take in a lot of it, and most people have gastric issues with large amounts. Hey, sodium bicarbonate increases performance markedly too, but it's nasty as fuck. Oh well.


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## JWoody (Aug 4, 2015)

If you Google scholar creatine, there are some good studies on there.  There is some good info to read.


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