Creatine is a well known muscle building supplement, and many athletes use it as their supplement of choice. But does it have carbs? The short answer: No. The long answer… well, let’s go into more detail.
Carbs are simply carbohydrates that are not stored as fat in the body. They are used up quickly and excreted from the body in large quantities. When you workout your body uses up fat for fuel but requires energy to produce ATP (adenosine triphosphate), an energy source that is stored in the muscles. This energy can be replenished by the intake of carbs, which the body breaks down to glucose and gives to the muscles as glycogen, or glucose. The problem arises when the carbs consumed by the body are not of the right type and consequently are not metabolized properly resulting in low levels of ATP and elevated levels of glycogen.
So what happens when your workout? When your muscles are tired from working for hours at a stretch your body stops producing ATP and starts burning up glycogen for fuel. This is why most bodybuilders take carbs before and after a hard workout.
However, when you are in a workout or are eating carbs to fuel your muscles, your body will not have adequate amounts of ATP and thus high levels of glycogen will accumulate in the muscles. In such a scenario, it becomes essential to replenish your glycogen stores immediately after a workout session. This is where creatine enters the equation.
You may be wondering why creatine is used for an athlete. The answer is simple. The creatine supplements contain enough ATP that your muscles will have enough energy to replenish glycogen levels quickly after your workout. So if your workout session is long enough, and you take carbs after the workout, you will replenish your glycogen store which will help you win the next stage.
Now that you know the answer to the question ‘does creatine have carbs?’ you can easily avoid this common dilemma among bodybuilders and athletes. You need to keep a balance between working out and eating right. You should not fast while trying to gain muscle mass as this will disrupt your workout schedule and hamper your gains. However, if you are taking carbs to replenish glycogen levels, then by all means go ahead and eat some bananas, yoghurt or anything that contains carbs.
