While I’m sure all of you have heard of caffeine, the active ingredient in things like coffee and soda that gives you that extra kick, I’m willing to bet that only some of you have heard of creatine. Don’t worry, you’ll get the scoop on creatine (no pun intended) by the end of this article. Although these supplements have more in common than meets the eye, the first is worth pointing out straightaway: they are two of the most misunderstood compounds today. So, let’s take a look under the hood.

Caffeine
What it is:
Caffeine is a chemical compound found naturally in cocoa beans, coffee beans, tea leaves, and artificially in things like energy drinks and soda. It actually acts in the wild as mother nature’s pesticide, killing or harming the bugs who consume the caffeine-producing plants. In humans, it acts as a stimulant on the Central Nervous System (CNS), producing the familiar feeling of extra energy, or “wings” if you just downed a couple cans of Red Bull.
Myths:
First of all, caffeine is not addictive. If exposed to high amounts of the chemical, your body increases its ability to respond by increasing the amount of receptive sights. Think of it as slowly turning a funnel into a colander—you need larger and larger quantities to fill the void (maybe a rough analogy, but you get the gist). Your body adapts the other way too, though, by decreasing the receptive sights as you decrease caffeine intake. No physical dependency is present, although there can be some jitters and difficulty concentrating if you consume too much. Caffeine associations with osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease, and cancer have all been dispelled. Caffeine is a mild diuretic (causes you to urinate), but this is usually offset naturally by simply drinking more water.
Benefits:
Ah, we finally come to the interesting part. Recent studies have shown caffeine consumption to decrease memory loss, the risk of Parkinson’s Disease, Alzheimer’s Disease, liver disease, type 2 diabetes, colorectal cancer, and produce a mild anti-inflammatory effect . Studies with performance have shown increased endurance and muscle fiber recruitment, allowing more repetitions produced overall during the workout . Caffeine is also a great fat-burner with the distinction of being one of the only chemicals proven to increase metabolism when resting and fat metabolism during exercise.
My Recommendations:
Generally, try to keep it under 300 mg/day, although going over that—even doubling it on occasion—probably won’t hurt healthy individuals. 1,500 mg/day may cause death. If you want to get the fat-burning effects, consume 50-100 mg an hour before each meal. If you want to build strength, consume 150-200 mg an hour before a workout. Remember: a cup of coffee has 90-150 mg per cup.

Creatine
What is it?
Creatine is an organic compound that occurs naturally in mammals. It’s primary use is in your muscles as creatine-phosphate, which serves as a short-term energy source for activities under six seconds (sprinting, jumping, lifting heavy weights, etc).
Myths:
This is going to be short. Many think creatine is unsafe because of how potent its effects are. Soldiers taking creatine gained almost twice as much weight as those that didn’t and had emmense strength gains. People relate this to steroids, and stay away. The fact is, creatine has been around for nearly 30 years and hundreds of scientific studies have failed to show ANY harmful effects.
Benefits:
Creatine has been shown to significantly help gains in strength, power, speed, and size. Loading creatine (20 grams/day) during periods of inactivity such as a broken leg has been shown recently to decrease muscle losses by 27 times when compared to a placebo. The same study also showed about nine times lower levels of endurance and strength losses in the subjects taking creatine. It's also been shown to help slow the progression of some muscle-wasting diseases like MS and Lou Gherig's Disease (ALS). Some other health effects such as better cognition and such have been reported, but not proven conclusively.
Advice:
Why not take it? Take 5-20 grams/day, divided into two or more doses. You’ll find creatine at any supplement store like GNC or local health clubs in powder or pill form.