The muscles of athletes do not tire

1992/10/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Osasuna

Some UK athletes who have participated in the Barcelona Olympic Games have taken a substance to eliminate fatigue. The team's doctor, Malcolm Brown, and coach, Malcolm Arnold, have confirmed that some team members have ingested large doses of creatine. Creatine is found in the meat and helps transport more energy to the muscles.

There is no sports authority that prevents the consumption of this substance, but Ron Maughan, of the department of occupational medicine and environment of the University of Aberdeen, claims that the ingestion of substances authorized by the International Olympic Committee is forbidden. It is not clear if you apply what is said to creatine.

According to Steve Jennings, of the AMS in Hull, who gave creatine to British athletes in the Ergomax product, the international federation of amateur athletes has said that creatine is not included in the list of prohibited substances.

4 kg of meat approximately 4 g of creatine. According to AMS, athletes should take 8 g/day in one week and then continue with the maintenance dose, ie 2.6 g/day.

Roger Harris, physiologist of the Animal Health Research Company, located in Newmarket, has carried out studies on the influence of creatine and has explained that workers often eat a lot of meat. In Australia, for example, quarries workers consume 15 g of creatine per day.

Harris says creatine helps the athlete in many ways. First it provides a source of energy for the reserve to the muscles. Subsequently, creatine neutralizes the acids that cause fatigue and accumulate in the muscles. Finally, creatins help to transfer energy through cells to proteins (which are the ones that contract the muscles).