Never mix creatine with coffee…

Welp. Guess I won’t be putting creatine in my coffee anymore

Damn. 10 years of daily creapure creatine all gone into my coffee. Felt like it’s been working, especially in cognition (10-20g). It’s a never ending merry go round of what to do and what not to do in this industry. 🫠🥊

You sure that wasn’t the heat changing the compound? How did they administer ?

My preworkout is Coffee 🤦‍♂️

I would generally not mix any supplements into hot beverages. If there is a 1% chance to destroy some molecules, leave it.

Yes, but who cares about muscle thickness when it comes to creatine use? Its water saturated within the muscle. Its temporary

Gotta add nicotine as well

Answer from Grok: You're right to be skeptical about the reasoning provided, especially concerning the timing and the specific mechanisms mentioned. Let's break this down: ### Creatine's Broad Benefits Creatine is well-documented for its benefits beyond just muscle relaxation time. It primarily works by increasing phosphocreatine stores in muscles, which helps regenerate ATP (adenosine triphosphate) more rapidly during high-intensity, short-duration activities. This leads to improved strength, power, and muscle mass over time. Here are some key points: 1. **Energy Production**: Creatine enhances the availability of ATP, the energy currency of cells, which is crucial during explosive movements like weightlifting or sprinting. 2. **Muscle Hydration**: Creatine draws water into muscle cells, increasing cell volume, which can signal anabolic processes and contribute to muscle growth. 3. **Protein Synthesis**: There's evidence that creatine can upregulate pathways involved in muscle protein synthesis, such as the mTOR pathway, which is essential for muscle growth. 4. **Recovery and Reduction of Muscle Damage**: Creatine can help reduce muscle damage and soreness post-exercise, potentially aiding recovery. These benefits are not solely dependent on the timing of creatine intake relative to caffeine but are more about consistent supplementation and the physiological state of the muscles. ### Critique of the Timing Argument The argument that creatine and caffeine should be separated by 3-4 hours due to their opposing effects on muscle relaxation time is somewhat narrow. While it's true that caffeine can prolong muscle relaxation time by affecting calcium release, this doesn't necessarily negate all of creatine's benefits. The studies cited (1996 by Vandenberghe et al. and 2022 by Erosina et al.) focus on specific outcomes like knee extension torque and muscle thickness, but they don't comprehensively address all aspects of creatine's effects. - **Muscle Relaxation Time**: Even if caffeine prolongs muscle relaxation time, creatine's other mechanisms (like increased ATP availability and muscle hydration) still operate independently. The impact on relaxation time might be more relevant for certain types of exercises (e.g., those requiring rapid force generation) but less so for others. - **Individual Variability**: The effects can vary widely among individuals. Some might not experience a significant reduction in creatine's benefits when combined with caffeine, especially if their primary goal is not solely related to the specific metrics measured in those studies (e.g., knee extension torque). ### Suspicion About the Reason Your suspicion is valid because the focus on muscle relaxation time as the primary reason for separating creatine and caffeine might oversimplify the issue. Creatine's benefits are multifaceted, and while the interaction with caffeine might affect certain aspects, it doesn't necessarily mean creatine's overall efficacy is compromised. The 3-4 hour separation recommendation seems more precautionary than absolutely necessary for all individuals. ### Conclusion Creatine should indeed work in other ways to help with muscles, regardless of the timing relative to caffeine intake. Its benefits on energy production, muscle hydration, protein synthesis, and recovery are likely to persist even if caffeine is consumed concurrently or shortly after. However, if your primary goal is to maximize the specific benefits related to muscle relaxation time (e.g., for activities requiring rapid force generation), then separating the intake might be beneficial. But for most people, the overall muscle-building and performance-enhancing effects of creatine are likely to remain significant.

It makes coffee taste awful, so there's that too

I’ve never heard someone say knee extension so many times

Creatine commonly taken AFTER workout by athletes/bodybuilders

Fuck

What a fucking useless segment based on a 30 year old study

How about stop drinking coffee and stop taking creatine

How much time delay must there be? I take my creatine first thing in the morning, then ~20 minutes later I start drinking my coffee.

@paulsaladinomd great insight but not much of a solution. What about nicotine?

Excellent information! I was not aware of this.

Literally drinking coffee with creatine in it right now. 😐

I dunno. I still eeked strength gains drinking coffee all day alongside creatine.

Well shit.

I've read that heat can turn creatine into creatinine which is less effective, perhaps this is part of the equation.

Damn, I have been taking since June and always with my coffee - ah well better late than never!

I pour into a cup of water, mix and chug it.

Oh good. I mix mine with decaf

Would you ever go back to a carnivore diet with proper electrolyte supplementation?

@DZRishmawy hit hardest.

fuck

Hey @BioLayne I would love to get your thoughts on this.

My creatinine blood test came back abnormal, I told my doc that I take 5g of creatine a day, he told me to stop. Thoughts???

Most people would do better with no caffeine and I know that’s hard to hear but it’s true

Well shit….there goes a lot of creatine I’ve consumed over the years. With that being said, that’s looking at muscles only. I feel like I notice a cognitive difference with creatine even when taken with coffee.

Hear me out. You should have more context here. First of all, these studies target pre-workouts and not coffee specifically. I take my creatine in my coffee first thing in the morning, and not just because of the intramuscular effects - I also take it for brain health.

I was told this by an old meat head in a supplement store 5 years ago. I have never heard about it since. Meatheads know.

Awesome advice 🙏