Creatine Ethyl Ester (CEE), also known as cre-ester or creatine ester, is a form of creatine monohydrate with an attached ester group.
In the human body, CEE is broken down to the creatine form that helps in development of the muscle cells in bodybuilders as well as improved performance by athletes.
Reported Effects
1) Boosts energy and endurance.
2) Provides faster recovery from fatigue
3) Increases strength and muscle mass.
Reported effects include:
Increases energy and endurance in the body – CEE has been reported to be quite efficient for increasing energy and endurance in the muscle cells. Therefore, this creating supplement is widely taken by bodybuilders and athletes for better performance in their strenuous workouts.
Supports faster recovery from fatigue – Another important benefit reported for CEE is its ability to provide faster recovery from muscle fatigue after workouts. As a result, the bodybuilders and athletes can get back to their exercises and other workout mode faster as they take less time to recover.
Increases muscle mass and strength – One of the widely accepted and most promising reasons for bodybuilders and athletes to take this creatine supplement is its ability to increase muscle strength and muscle mass in a short time. Most people have experienced increased muscle mass and strength within 2 to 4 weeks after the intake of CEE.
Reduces water retention and bloating effect – Unlike other forms of creatine, especially creatine monohydrate, CEE reduces retention of water thereby eliminating the effect of creatine bloating. Because creatine supports faster absorption within the body, it fills up the body weight through increased muscle cells and not water.
Reported dangers
Creatine ethyl ester has not been reported to be toxic in the human body.
Since the creatine component increases retention of water molecules from the body, intake of CEE may result in dehydration. Therefore, it is highly recommended that anyone having this creating supplement for building muscle and body strength must have sufficient amounts of water. For male athletes, this can mean up to 13 cups a day for the average active male.
FDA Approved?
Supplements of creatine ethyl ester have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
Studies
As per some studies conducted on the possible effects of creatine ethyl ester on rats suggest that CEE breaks down to ethanol and creatine in the gut and, therefore, does not act as a bioavailable source for the body tissue. Further, these studies reported that there was no observed increase in the creatine level in the blood cells of the rats.
As per a study conducted in 2003 in the UK, creatine ethyl ester was not found to be as effective as the creatine monohydrate supplements. This study was conducted to compare the effectiveness of CEE against its monohydrate form and also to ensure whether creatine gets converted to creatinine after intake.
The study took into account the presence of free creatine and compared different creatines such as creatine monohydrate, MRIs CE2, and SANs CM2 Alpha. After incubating for around 2 hours in 900mL HCL with pH 1 HCL, the results demonstrated that creatine monohydrate showed better results compared to CEE. Therefore this study suggested that the market claims of CEE being better than creatine monohydrate might be false.
As per a study conducted at the Baylor University, Texas, creatine alone was found to be a better option than using creatine ethyl ester. Based on the experiment conducted in this study, when two different groups were treated with creatine and CEE separately, after a few weeks, people taking the ester form did not show much improvement in their muscle, but people who were taking only creatine showed remarkable improvements.
As per an earlier study published in 1955, creatine ethyl ester may get converted into the creatinine form in an acid environment.
Supplements using this Ingredient:
1. Magnum Nutraceuticals Big C
2. BSN CellMass
4. Universal Animal Pump
5. Mega-Pro CEE
6. Infinite Labs CarnoCre
7. MRI Black Powder
8. SNI Creatine Ethyl Ester
9. Axis Labs Creatine Ethyl Ester
10. MRI CE2 Hi-Def
Conclusion
Creatine ethyl ester is a very well-known supplement that is used to provide energy for bodybuilding and weight training. It helps athletes and bodybuilders to regain faster from any fatigue after strenuous workouts and also supports for quick development of muscle cells.
Compared to other creatines, CEE doesn’t look to be nearly as effective. Even monohydrate looks to outperform CEE. Various commercial products available on the market use CEE as the main ingredient along with other compounds, such as L-isoleucine.