Krea7 is from German based company ironmaxx.de. This product states that increases performance in speed and strength training. This review will aim to examine the ingredients within this product to understand how it can achieve these claims.

Tri-creatine malate/ creatine disodium phosphate/ creatine alpha-ketoglutarate/ tri-creatine citrate/ creatine hydrochloride/ creatine pyruvate

Creatine is defined as a nitrogenous organic acid that occurs naturally in humans and aids in the supply of energy to cells in the body, (1). The majority of creatine, 95%, can be located in the skeletal muscle with the rest distributed to the brain, heart and smooth muscles.

Creatine has been found to increase the replenishment of ATP stores in the skeletal muscles (70). It is attributed to a greater rate of phosphocreatine resynthesis during the rest periods. Higher sprint speeds reported (2). There have been numerous theories proposed as to why creatine is a benefit to short term high intensity exercise (3). One theory is that the increased amount of phosphocreatine, (PCr), can be used as an immediate buffer to ATP which reduces the dependence of glycolysis which delays the production of lactate and hydrogen ions during exercise thus prolonging the activity by delaying the onset of fatigue, (4).

Sodium bicarbonate

Sodium bicarbonate is a molecule which acts as a buffering agent against acidity within the muscle which is a factor of fatigue (5) this can enhance physical performance in elite and novice athletes by prolonging exercise and giving greater muscle force production (6). There are mechanisms in place for sodium bicarbonate to be a fat-burning agent (increasing ketone production and lipolysis and causing minor increases in metabolic rate) (7,8), but these have not yet been linked to actual weight loss in trials and further research is needed to elucidate these effects.

Citric acid

The main function of citric acid is the reduction of physical fatigue (9). The reason for this is due to citric acid being a major component of the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle. TCA cycle is the process of converting carbohydrates, fats and proteins into carbon dioxide and water (10). By increasing citric acid it activates the TCA cycle and in turn speeds up ATP production thus replenishing energy.

Xanthan gum

Xanthan Gum are water soluble dietary fibres, which have been reported to reduce total cholesterol; however there seems to be insufficient evidence to confirm this theory. (10)

Acesulfame K

Acesulfame K is a sweetener that is calorie free. This ingredient is used in many products and is used to make the product taste sweeter and does not have any nutritional benefit.

Sodium cyclamate

Sodium cyclamate is a sweetener that is calorie free. This ingredient is used in many products and is used to make the product taste sweeter and does not have any nutritional benefit.

Sucralose

Sucralose is a sweetener that is calorie free. This ingredient is used in many products and is used to make the product taste sweeter and does not have any nutritional benefit.

Saccharin sodium

Sodium saccharin is a sweetener that is calorie free. This ingredient is used in many products and is used to make the product taste sweeter and does not have any nutritional benefit.

Steviol glycosides

Stevia or steviol glycosides does not have any nutritional benefits as it is a sweetener and sugar substitute extracted from the leaves of the plant species Stevia rebaudiana

Silicon dioxide

Silicon Dioxide doesn’t add any nutritional benefits to this supplement. The main reason for silicon dioxide in this supplement is that it aids in the even distribution of the active ingredients in this supplement.

Creatine has been proven in a wide range of studies that it can increase muscle mass and improve short intermittent exercise. The one sport where it has had no effect however is in swimming, this is due to an increase in body mass which will in turn cause a drag effect. some people can be non responders to creatine however, in order to eliminate this it is recommended to consume carbohydrates whilst taking it. The other ingredients within this product can also allow for greater muscle production for a longer period of time. This product is recommended to be taken pre workout. This supplement is recommended for people/athletes who want to increase muscle mass and increase short term high intensity exercise. This product has no banned substances when referring to the WADA prohibited list when observing the label/ ingredients posted on the website.

*NOTE – This product has not been tested in a laboratory and may contain other substances that may not appear on the label

1 – Balsom, P. D., Soderlund, K., & Ekblom, B. (1994). Creatine in humans with special reference to creatine supplementation. Sports Medicine. 18(4), 260 – 280.

2 – Greenhaff, P.L., Bodin, K., Soderlund, K., Hultrnan, E. (1994). The influence  of  oral  creatine supplementation  on  muscle phosphocreatine  resynthesis  following  intense  contraction in man. American Journal of Physiology, 266(5), 725-730.

3 – Jones, A. M., Atter, T., & Georg, K. P. (1999). Oral creatine supplementation improves multiple sprint performance in elite ice-hockey players. Journal of sports medicine and physical fitness, 39, 189-196.

4 – Hultman, E., Soderland, K., Timmons, J. A., Cederblad, G. & Greenhaff, P. L. (1996). Muscle creatine loading in men. Journal of Apllied Physiology. 81(1), 232-237.

5 – Casey, A., Constantin – Teodosiu, D., Howell, S., Hultman, E., & Greenhaff, P. L,. (1996). Creatine ingestion favourably affects performance and muscle metabolism during maximal exercise in humans. American Journal of Physiology. 271(1), 31-37.

6 – Verbitsky, O., Mizrahi, J., Levin, M., & Isakov, E. (1997). Effect of ingested sodium bicarbonate on muscle force, fatigue, and recovery. Journal of Applied Physiology, 83(2), 333-337.

7 – Linderman, J. K., & Gosselink, K. L. (1994). The effects of sodium bicarbonate ingestion on exercise performance. Sports Medicine, 18(2), 75-80.

8 – Galloway, S. D. R., & Maughan, R. J. (1996). The effects of induced alkalosis on the metabolic response to prolonged exercise in humans. European journal of applied physiology and occupational physiology, 74(4), 384-389.

9 – Smith, G. I., Jeukendrup, A. E., & Ball, D. (2007). Sodium acetate induces a metabolic alkalosis but not the increase in fatty acid oxidation observed following bicarbonate ingestion in humans. The Journal of nutrition, 137(7), 1750-1756.

10 – Sugino, T., Aoyagi, S., Shirai, T., Kajimoto, Y., & Kajimoto, O. (2007). Effects of citric acid and L-carnitine on physical fatigue. Journal of clinical biochemistry and nutrition, 41(3), 224.