What is the least expensive brand of Creatine Ethyl Ester that is the most effective?

Answer 1

What makes you think that Creatine Ethyl Ester is more effective than Creatine Monohydrate in the first place?

To quote from Dr Paul Cribb at:
http://www.ast-ss.com/dev/qa_search/full_text.asp?ID=2706

I can't find a single research paper that documents supplementation with a creatine-ethyl-ester product. The only information available on creatine-ethyl-esters is the advertising-marketing spin produced by the companies that sell it.

If someone can obtain something science-based that may substantiate some of the claims about this product, I like to see it because some of the claims are quite amusing. One of the claims made by marketers of creatine-ethyl-esters is that it’s proven to be better than creatine monohydrate. In what way?

I’m not sure because I can’t even obtain a document showing me this compound is for real, let alone research that may suggests it is better than creatine monohydrate. If this product is proven to be better than creatine monohydrate then the evidence should be readily available to consumers.

The lack of scientific evidence on creatine-ethyl-esters might tell you something about the integrity of the companies that sell this product. If we take a closer look at some of the other claims then the scientific spin starts to become transparent.

Firstly, there is no need to “attach” an ester group to the creatine molecule. Nothing suggests that this attachment will make creatine any more bioavailable. Some marketers claim that this attachment prevents degradation by the liver. Creatine is actually synthesized in the liver, morons.

Secondly, the ester attachment allegedly, enables this form of creatine to permeate the muscle cell membrane (outershell). Thus, more creatine can enter muscle cells. This is a straight out lie. The only way creatine and other amino acid compounds enter cells is via transporters.

The real research on this topic demonstrates that creatine is absorbed into the blood stream without a problem. A 5 gram dose of creatine monohydrate saturates blood plasma for up to an hour. Creatine transport into the muscle cell occurs when the concentration outside the cell is greater than inside the cell.

I believe the whole “creatine ester” thing is a scam; a by-product of the steroid (make it sound like a drug) stigma. And it's you, the consumer who is paying for the sham.

When companies advertise claims such as “absorbed faster than regular creatine”,or “20 times anabolic that regular creatine” these are very specific. Either there is research that supports the claim or there isn't. If the company can't back-up the claim up with supporting science that means they are simply making it up out of thin air. As a consumer, you have the power to call these companies on their bluff; demand them to produce the evidence.

The truth is that these companies won't accommodate your request because they can't accommodate your request. There is no evidence to support the very specific marketing claims that are made about creatine-ethyl-esters. Therefore, you should be wary of any company making very specific claims about this product.