Creatine pyruvate

What is creatine pyruvate?

Creatinepyruvate is a novel form of creatine that has been developed to improve the absorption of creatine compared to the traditional creatine form creatine monohydrate. Creatine pyruvate consists of 60% creatine and 40% pyruvate.

Where does creatine pyruvate come from?

Creatine pyruvate is produced synthetically by the German company Degussa AG under the name Creapure™ Pyruvate. This is the same company that produces the well-known Creapure™ creatine monohydrate.

Benefits of creatine pyruvate

Creatine pyruvate has the advantage that it is more soluble in water than creatine monohydrate and can therefore also be used as a component of sports drinks or in the form of effervescent tablets. After consumption, the creatine pyruvate molecule breaks down into creatine and pyruvate in the acidic environment of the stomach and could thus, at least theoretically, provide the benefits of creatine on the one hand and the supposed performance-enhancing effects of pyruvate on the other. Advertisements claim that the bioavailability of creatine in the form of creatine pyruvate is higher than that of creatine monohydrate. Studies comparing these two forms of creatine have shown that creatine pyruvate has the same benefits as creatine monohydrate in terms of muscle strength, muscle mass and power in response to weight training.

The absorption of creatine pyruvate compared to creatine monohydrate

One study compared the absorption of creatine pyruvate and creatine monohydrate and concluded that creatine pyruvate resulted in slightly higher creatine plasma concentrations than creatine monohydrate (2). However, the authors of this study could not find any significant differences in the absorption rate, which they attributed to the small number of blood samples taken during the absorption phase. The authors of the study concluded that it is unlikely that there are large differences in bioavailability between these two forms of creatine, as the absorption of creatine monohydrate is already close to 100%.

Creatine pyruvate compared with creatine citrate

A study comparing creatine pyruvate and creatine citrate concluded that creatine pyruvate is superior to creatine citrate in terms of its ability to maintain muscle strength during intermittent maximum intensity exercise (1). The additional benefits of creatine pyruvate were attributed to the pyruvate component, which could improve aerobic metabolism.

Side effects and safety

Of the few studies using creatine pyruvate, none reported significant side effects and given the unrivaled safety and safety profile of creatine monohydrate, creatine pyruvate is likely to have a similarly positive safety profile.

Recommended use

Companies selling creatine pyruvate claim that due to its better absorption profile compared to creatine monohydrate, there is no need for a loading phase with doses of up to 20 grams of creatine per day before moving on to a maintenance dose of 2 to 5 grams per day.

Creatine pyruvate supplements

As creatine pyruvate is still a fairly new form of creatine, there are not yet many supplements on the market that contain this ingredient. Further positive studies may be required before more supplements containing this ingredient come onto the market.

Combination with other supplements

Creatine pyruvate - like any other form of creatine - can be combined with an almost countless number of other products, of which protein supplements and creatine-free pre-workout products are among the most popular. Beta-alanine is another popular nutrient that increases high-intensity training capacity via a different mechanism than creatine, so combining creatine pyruvate with beta-alanine is a good idea.

References:

1. Jager R, et al. The effects of creatine pyruvate and creatine citrate on performance during high intensity exercise. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. 2008;5:4.
2. Jager R, et al. Comparison of the new forms of creatine in raising plasma creatine levels. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. 2007;4:17.