Creatine is one of the most popular supplement aids from athletes to powerlifters to gymgoers alike. I did a recap of creatine monohydrate before, it can be found here: (https://www.nathanwilliamsstrength.com/post/supplement-inside-look-creatine). There are other forms of creatine on the market though, many advertised to be more advantageous to take than monohydrate. One of these I am frequently asked about is kre-alkalyn. Below is a short recap of a research article that compared the efficacy of kre-alkalyn to monohydrate
What is it?
Kre-Alkalyn, according to manufacturer website, is a "buffered" or "pH correct" form of creatine that remains more stable in the stomach, is not degraded to creatinine, and thereby has greater bioavailability. It has been marketed as a more effective and safer form of creatine than creatine monohydrate
Background on the Study
Participants were 36 resistance trained individuals with an average age of 20. Participants were randomly assigned to three groups: creatine monohydrate with normal loading and maintenance doses, kre-alkalyn with manufacturer suggestion, and kre-alkalyn with equivalent loading and maintenance doses to creatine monohydrate. Participants were asked to maintain their current training protocol.
Results
Muscle free creatine increased in subgroups of all participants over time (7 and 28 days). No significant differences among groups were observed. Neither of the kre-alkalyn groups showed greater changes in muscle creatine content, body composition, strength, or anaerobic capacity compared to the creatine monohydrate group.
Conclusion
Directly from the article: “These findings do not support claims that consuming a buffered form of creatine is a more efficacious and/or safer form of creatine to consume than creatine monohydrate.”
I could not find much else on kre-alkalyn, maybe more research will be done over time. It should basically fall in line with monohydrate. It is certainly safe to take but with the information we have now it is not more effective than monohydrate and does not result in fewer side effects. Check out the article for yourself, listed below in the references.
References
Jagim, A. R., Oliver, J. M., Sanchez, A., Galvan, E., Fluckey, J., Reichman, S., . . . Kreider, R. B. (2012). A buffered form of creatine does not promote greater changes in muscle creatine content, body composition, or training adaptations than creatine monohydrate. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 9(43).
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