creatine and insulin ?

[Atherjen]

Sorry gurls my I did a search and can't seem to find the answer to my questions exactly.
Well I started taking creatine last week. I loaded with it for 5 days, 20g 4x a day. Now I am using 5g post workout for mainenance.
My quesitons is I hear so much that creatine is best absorbed when taken with a hi GI carb, such as dextrose or glucose to cause an insulin spike. I don't have any dextrose, but was wondering what else would be good to take, and how much. I hear at least 50g simple carbs, but mostly from guys, is it the same amount for woman or else. I don't want the simple carbs and sugars to cause me to gain fat.
Thanx in advance

 

[wilson6]

The amount of insulin that is required to augment creatine uptake is near supraphysiologic (means really high). To get there it would take at least 100 grams of pure glucose or maltodextrin to spike the insulin to that level.

See the following paper.

Am J Physiol. Vol. 275, Issue 6, E974-E979, December 1998

Stimulatory effect of insulin on creatine accumulation in human skeletal muscle

G. R. Steenge, J. Lambourne, A. Casey, I. A. Macdonald, and P. L. Greenhaff

School of Biomedical Sciences, University Medical School, Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham NG7 2UH, United Kingdom

This study investigated the effect of insulin on plasma and muscle creatine accumulation and limb blood flow in humans after creatine administration. Seven men underwent a 300-min euglycemic insulin clamp combined with creatine administration on four separate occasions. Insulin was infused at rates of 5, 30, 55, or 105 mU · m2 · min1, and on each occasion 12.4 g creatine was administered. During infusion of insulin at rates of 55 and 105 mU · m2 · min1, muscle total creatine concentration increased by 4.5 ± 1.4 (P < 0.05) and 8.3 ± 1.0 mmol/kg dry mass (P < 0.05), and plasma creatine concentrations were lower at specific time points compared with the 5 mU · m2 · min1 infusion rate. The magnitude of increase in calf blood flow (plethysmography) was the same irrespective of the rate of insulin infusion, and forearm blood flow increased to the same extent as the three highest infusion rates. These findings demonstrate that insulin can enhance muscle creatine accumulation in humans but only when present at physiologically high or supraphysiological concentrations. This response is likely to be the result of an insulin-mediated increase in muscle creatine transport rather than creatine delivery.

 

[Atherjen]

thanx wilson, great studies.. so in order to get the full effects of creatine I need to spike my insulin really high then.
but I still am not sure what I should be taking to spike my insulin? is a hi GI fruit alright? or honey?
100g seems like ALOT of sugar to me!! I'm afraid it would lead to fat gains somewhat?
any other ladys here take creatine with simple carbs????

 

[wilson6]

The creatine will work fine without the carbs. 100 grams of simple sugar in one shot is quite a bit for a female.

W6

 

[Atherjen]

thats what I thought.. wayy to much sugar. I think I'll stick with having a high GI fruit.. such as a banana along with my post workout shake and creatine.