# Creatine monohydrate: why purity and manufacturing matter more than the form

> Almost all creatine research used a single form - monohydrate. What purity, production and the 3-gram dose really change, and how WOO® Creatin Monohydrat is set up.

Creatine is the most thoroughly researched supplement in sport - several hundred controlled trials exist. Almost all of them used a single chemical form: creatine monohydrate. Next to it on the shelf sits a dozen "modern" variants promising more. It is worth looking at the chemistry, the manufacturing and the dose.

## One substance, a dozen commercial forms

Monohydrate, hydrochloride, ethyl ester, buffered creatine, creatine nitrate, magnesium chelate - chemically it is always the same molecule, simply bound to different partners. The difference lies in how much actual creatine each gram of powder contains, and in stability.

Monohydrate delivers around 88% pure creatine - more than any other commercial form. Jäger et al. (2011) reviewed all the alternatives: none showed superior loading of muscle stores. Creatine ethyl ester performs worse still, because it degrades faster in the acidic stomach into **creatinine** - the inactive breakdown product.

## What manufacturing can leave behind

Creatine is synthesised industrially from sarcosine and cyanamide. That reaction can leave by-products behind: **dicyandiamide**, **dihydrotriazine** and, again, creatinine.

This matters twice over: impurities contribute no creatine - 3 g of a 90% pure powder delivers only 2.7 g of active substance. And an elevated creatinine content is a marker of sloppy synthesis or poor storage. Origin is therefore a quality question, not a marketing one.

## Three grams a day - why no loading phase is needed

The classic protocol loaded 20 g per day for five to seven days. Hultman et al. (1996) showed that taking 3 g daily for 28 days instead reaches the same muscle creatine content. Loading only accelerates the process - it does not raise the plateau.

That is precisely what the approved claim rests on: creatine **increases physical performance in successive bursts of short-term, high-intensity exercise**, at a daily intake of 3 g - the dose at which the effect was demonstrated.

## How the molecule gets into the muscle cell

Creatine does not enter muscle passively. The **CreaT (SLC6A8)** transporter in the muscle membrane is sodium- and chloride-dependent and saturable. Without supplementation, stores sit at roughly 120 mmol/kg dry mass, with a ceiling around 160 mmol/kg (Harris et al. 1992).

That explains the variable responder rate: anyone already eating plenty of meat and fish has little headroom. Vegetarians and vegans start low and respond accordingly clearly.

## How WOO® Creatin Monohydrat is set up

**[WOO® Creatin Monohydrat](/en/shop/woo-creatine-monohydrate-can)** is 100% creatine monohydrate - no flavours, no sweeteners, no fillers. It is produced by AlzChem Trostberg in Germany, the only creatine producer in Europe. The scoop holds exactly the 3 g the approved claim refers to; the 500 g tin therefore covers 166 servings. Vegan, lactose- and gluten-free. Not suitable for growing children and adolescents.

## Frequently asked questions

**Do I need a loading phase?**
No. 3 g daily fills the stores just as completely within about four weeks as a 20 g loading phase does.

**Does creatine make you bloated?**
Creatine binds water, but intracellularly - inside the muscle itself. The initial one to two kilograms of weight gain is cell volume, not subcutaneous water. Alternative forms claiming to avoid this have no evidence behind them.

**Do I have to cycle off creatine?**
There is no physiological rationale for it. Long-term data across several years show no relevant side effects in healthy adults with normal kidney function.

## Sources

Kreider RB et al. (2017), Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition - International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: safety and efficacy of creatine supplementation.
Jäger R et al. (2011), Amino Acids - Analysis of the efficacy, safety, and regulatory status of novel forms of creatine.
Hultman E et al. (1996), Journal of Applied Physiology - Muscle creatine loading in men.
Harris RC, Söderlund K & Hultman E (1992), Clinical Science - Elevation of creatine in resting and exercised muscle of normal subjects by creatine supplementation.

*WOO® Creatin Monohydrat - in the NEMAPO shop.*