The carnivore diet, an all-animal product eating plan, has gained traction, particularly among strength athletes. At the same time, creatine, a well-researched supplement, is widely used in the fitness community to enhance performance. This article explores the intersection of these two seemingly disparate approaches, examining their individual effects and potential interactions.
Understanding Creatine
Creatine, derived from the Greek word for "meat" ("kreas"), is an amino acid present in high concentrations in skeletal muscle. Approximately 95% of the creatine in the body is stored in muscles, with the remainder found in the heart, brain, and testes. Creatine is available in high concentrations in skeletal muscle, and people who eat animal-based foods have more muscle creatine stores than vegetarians. A normal-sized person would have to consume around 2-3 grams of creatine per day to maintain their normal creatine stores, although this also depends on their activity level and muscle mass.
Creatine phosphate, also known as phosphocreatine (PCr), is the phosphate-storage molecule of muscle. In the brain, creatine is also synthesized in a two-step reaction, although most of this synthesis happens in the kidney, liver, and pancreas. Creatine supports your goals of increasing muscle in a short period when you combine it with resistance training workouts. Creatine itself draws water into muscle cells, leading to growth.
Benefits of Creatine Supplementation
Taking creatine as a dietary supplement, particularly creatine monohydrate, has potential benefits for athletes and those engaging in short-duration but high-intensity exercises. Creatine monohydrate is the most popular among users and the one that’s commonly mentioned in research studies.
- Increased Muscle Size: Creatine builds muscle mass by increasing the formation of new proteins.
- Gain Strength: Muscle strength declines with age, in addition to the loss of muscle. Creatine may have positive effects on muscle strength.
- Improves Exercise Tolerance in Heat: Exercising in hot environments can decrease your performance, and creatine can help improve tolerance.
- May Slow the Progression of Neurological Diseases: These conditions include Amyotrophic Lateral sclerosis (ALS), Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), and Parkinson’s Disease (PD).
Creatine Loading and Maintenance
A “creatine loading phase” means consuming a high dose of creatine in a short period for up to one week, followed by a lower maintenance dose. The purpose of a loading phase is to rapidly fill your muscles with creatine to maximize your performance, although note that this is not necessary. The loading phase is then followed by a maintenance phase, with a daily dose of 3-5 grams to maintain optimal creatine levels. The final phase is the pause phase, which means you stop taking creatine supplements for 2-4 weeks.
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Potential Side Effects
For those who take creatine, the most commonly reported side effect is weight gain due to water being drawn into your muscles. A weight gain of 2-4.5 pounds is especially noticeable during a creatine loading phase wherein you take higher dosages. Digestive issues may also occur. Studies reveal that creatine supplements lead to water retention, which is only temporary. This bloating is more noticeable during the first few days of taking creatine.
Is Creatine Safe?
Despite what some people believe, creatine is generally safe at recommended doses. It is widely researched. Based on protocols, a person would have to consume about 3 grams of creatine per day in their diet, especially as they age. There’s also research showing that athletes who did heavy training took 15-25 grams of creatine monohydrate (the most common form of creatine supplement) for 4 - 12 weeks. They didn’t report any side effects. Supported by lots of research, creatine monohydrate is generally safe and reliable. As long as your creatine supplement does not contain prohibited substances, it will not result in a failed drug test. That being said, it’s important that you carefully choose a creatine product.
Older adults who do resistance training or need help improving their cognition may benefit from taking a creatine supplement. Creatine can also benefit females. Creatine is a safe way to increase your exercise performance, build muscle, and even boost brain function.
The Carnivore Diet: An Overview
The carnivore diet is based on the consumption of animal flesh, organs, eggs, and small amounts of low-lactose dairy, eschewing carbohydrates almost entirely. Proponents of the carnivore diet claim that its tenets are supported by substantial evidence, but the fact is that research on the carnivore diet specifically - and its relevance to strength athletes or recreational lifters - is scant. Influencers and fitness figures ranging from people like Dr. Paul Saladino to Brian Johnson (who goes by the moniker “Liver King”) go to bat for the carnivore diet on a regular basis.
Potential Benefits and Risks
Modern studies on low-to-no-carbohydrate dietary interventions do display notable weight loss and improvements in some markers of cardiovascular health (though these metrics aren’t significantly different from a more traditional diet). However, much of this research is carried out on subjects who suffer from chronic diseases or are obese, and thus may not be relevant for healthy, active athletes.
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Self-reported data from an online survey of meat-only eaters showed improvements in health and well-being, reductions in Body Mass Index (BMI) values, a reduced reliance on diabetic medication, and elevated cholesterol. However, due to the research being conducted via survey rather than in direct clinical observation, there’s no way to empirically determine whether or not the diet itself created these effects.
Notably, some literature does draw a correlation (note: not a causative relationship) between high meat intake and mood disorders, incidences of colorectal cancer, and all-cause mortality. Although many studies do infer that consuming animal meat may not be harmful in large quantities, they don’t conclusively comment on meat-only diets.
Though the carnivore diet does provide many if not all essential nutrients your body needs to survive, it may fall short of meeting current dietary recommendations. Meat exclusivity may lead to deficiencies in vitamin C and calcium, which may create unwanted health outcomes such as chronic fatigue or fever.
Many dietary habits that stigmatize, prohibit, or exclude certain foods or food groups may lead to a worsening of your relationship with food as a whole. While powerlifters and bodybuilders alike are familiar with what it takes to cut weight for a meet or prep for a big show, a rigid or restrictive approach to your diet long-term may cause undue mental stress.
Impact on Cardiovascular and Gut Health
Low-carbohydrate diets (which the carnivore diet certainly counts as) have been repeatedly shown to improve certain markers of cardiovascular health. However, a highly-specific diet as a means of bolstering your heart may be overkill if you’re metabolically healthy. For healthy populations, paleo-esque diets - meal plans that omit foods not naturally found on Earth - do tend to create weight loss and improve blood lipid profiles, but this may be due to reducing the consumption of highly-processed foods, rather than the merits of the diet itself.
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The carnivore diet may have a negative impact on your gut health. By removing carbohydrates and fermentable fiber, you might experience lower amounts of protective postbiotics, which help manage internal bacteria. Plant foods have also been shown to have a positive influence on your risk of colorectal cancer later in life as well. Conversely, one case study on the carnivore diet did showcase some potentially positive outcomes related to gut microbiome and bloating, but more research is needed to confirm this kind of finding.
Effects on Performance
If you enjoy lifting weights, you probably rely on the energy from carbs more than you think to bust through a squat plateau or squeeze out one last rep on the bench press. Carbohydrates are great for fueling your expression of strength in the gym, but they aren’t an essential source of fuel for resistance training. If you’re in the gym to change your physique or bulk up, the carnivore diet may prove to be a detriment to your training sessions.
Diets that eschew carbohydrates may negatively impact longer workouts (think 45 minutes or more), or training sessions that contain high amounts of volume (in excess of 10 working sets). That aside, if you can manage to adequately tax your muscles in the gym without the fuel provided by carbohydrates, you can still grow.
Strength athletes who work with the barbell might fare a bit better on the carnivore diet than an intermediate or advanced bodybuilder. If you train more than once per day, for instance, you might find it difficult to recover enough muscle glycogen between workouts without relying on an external carb source. It can be hard to push through a two-hour session if you neglect carbohydrates or certain micronutrients. The further you are into your strength career, the more volume (and higher intensity) you need to make progress. That benchmark might preclude you from adopting the carnivore diet long-term.
Creatine and the Carnivore Diet: A Synergistic or Conflicting Approach?
Given that the carnivore diet is primarily composed of meat, which naturally contains creatine, one might wonder if supplementation is necessary or beneficial.
Creatine Intake on a Carnivore Diet
Research shows that people who eat animal-based foods have more muscle creatine stores than vegetarians. A normal-sized person would have to consume around 2-3 grams of creatine per day to maintain their normal creatine stores, although this also depends on their activity level and muscle mass. Since the carnivore diet emphasizes meat consumption, individuals following this diet will likely have a higher baseline creatine intake compared to those consuming a standard diet.
Potential Benefits of Supplementation
Even with a higher baseline, creatine supplementation can still offer benefits. Here's why:
- Saturation: Supplementation can help saturate muscle creatine stores more quickly and potentially to a higher level than diet alone. This can lead to enhanced performance in high-intensity activities.
- Individual Needs: The optimal creatine intake can vary based on activity level, muscle mass, and individual physiology. Athletes or those engaging in intense training may require more creatine than what can be obtained through diet alone.
- Specific Goals: If the goal is to maximize muscle growth, strength gains, or cognitive function, supplementation might be a useful strategy even on a carnivore diet.
Considerations and Potential Drawbacks
- Kidney Health: It's important to note that individuals with pre-existing kidney conditions should consult with a healthcare professional before starting creatine supplementation, as it can increase creatinine levels. While creatine itself doesn't damage healthy kidneys, it can put additional stress on impaired kidneys. Creatine supplements can increase creatinine levels. Eating a large amount of meat can briefly increase creatinine levels for 6-12 hours.
- Water Retention: Creatine supplementation can lead to water retention, which may be a concern for some individuals. This effect is usually temporary and can be managed by ensuring adequate hydration.
- Digestive Issues: Some individuals may experience digestive issues with creatine supplementation, although this is relatively rare.
The Importance of a Balanced Approach
While the carnivore diet may provide a higher baseline creatine intake, supplementation can still be beneficial for some individuals. However, it's crucial to consider individual needs, health status, and potential drawbacks before starting creatine supplementation.
The Impact of Diet on Kidney Function and Creatinine Levels
It is easy to be convinced that such a product exists. These are two of the most common measures of kidney function and they are usually (but not always) interpreted like this: lower creatinine levels and higher eGFRs mean better kidney function. I have heard many stories of people, some of them patients that I care for in my office, spending money on pills and foods with the hope that they will cure their kidney disease or keep them off dialysis. And if a supplement like this did exist, I'd be shouting about it from my office rooftop and encouraging all my patients to start taking it. Unfortunately, there is no such thing. Because of the complicated way in which kidneys lose their ability to function, it is just not realistic to expect individual foods - such as cabbage, cauliflower or red pepper - or supplements (like nettle tea) to reverse the scarring caused by 20 to 30 years of conditions like diabetes and vascular disease (disease of the arteries, veins and lymph vessels or blood disorders). It just cannot happen.
On the other hand, while no specific food or supplement can single-handedly improve kidney function or creatinine levels, there are a few factors that can affect creatinine readings in blood tests. Here are the most common ones:
- Creatine supplements: Creatine supplements can increase creatinine levels.
- Medicines: Certain medicines can increase creatinine levels.
- Meat consumption: Eating a large amount of meat can briefly increase creatinine levels for 6-12 hours.
- Water intake: Drinking a lot of water just before a blood test can temporarily lower creatinine levels.
Even though these factors can change the blood test results, they do not have a lasting impact on kidney function. These effects only last a few hours, or a couple of days at most, and do not improve or worsen kidney function.
Improving or maintaining kidney health requires adopting a kidney-healthy food and fluid plan rather than relying on individual "superfoods" or supplements. I recommend:
- Reducing animal protein: Limiting the consumption of animal protein may lessen the burden on the kidneys and promote better overall kidney health.
- Lowering sodium (or salt): Minimizing salty foods helps maintain proper fluid balance and blood pressure.
- Limiting sugary beverages: High intake of sugary drinks can contribute to diabetes and obesity, which are risk factors for kidney disease.
- Controlling diabetes: Managing diabetes through a balanced food and fluid plan and medicines plays a crucial role in maintaining kidney function.
- Eating more fruits and vegetables: Eating more fruits and vegetables can help you decrease body weight and blood pressure, as well as maintain a healthy acid-base balance, benefiting kidney health.
- Practicing home cooking: Preparing meals at home allows better control over ingredients, reducing the amount of unhealthy additives and extra sodium.
When it comes to kidney health, there is no magical food or quick fix. Rather than wasting your money on an internet product that is unlikely to give you any benefit, focus on adopting a consistent kidney-healthy food and fluid plan that includes less animal protein, more fruits and vegetables, reduced sodium, controlled diabetes and home-cooked meals.
Be sure to talk to your doctor or dietitian to see what food and fluid plan would work best for you.