duced cramps to little or none. Although no adverse side effects have been reported in the literature from clinical trials, concern has been raised by some physicians, athletic trainers, and dieticians regarding: 1.) a possible suppression of endogenous creatine synthesis; 2.) a possible enhanced renal stress/liver damage; 3.) anecdotal reports of muscle cramping when exercising in the heat; 4.) anecdotal reports of muscle strains/pulls; and, 5.) unknown long-term effects of creatine supplementation(Kreider 2-3). There are three theories today which answer the question, "How do dietary supplements work?"(Phillips 13) The first theory is when you have an adequate amount of a substance that your body needs. Take Creatine for example, "a human body normally only needs two grams a day." That is the adequate amount or the minimum your body needs to stay healthy, but lets say you stored five grams of Creatine, which is the maximum your muscles could hold to give you a more optimal amount. The reason why an athlete would need more Creatine is that they exert more physical activity and burn more ATP than a standard person would. This makes him consume more body resources than the average person. So, adding more Creatine to your diet would give you better results. The second theory states that "not all but most supplements have a mutating effect (Phillips 15)." 1.) "By volumizing your cells to hold more resources then normal(15)." 2.) "Create a drug like effect on cellular processes(15)." With this scenario, the dietary supplement can exert a positive effect on muscle metabolism and/or performance. The third theory and most important relating to my paper states that a supplement might help you build muscle, enhance athlete performance and improve your health by simply making up for the deficiency. This has basically been what most dieticians, nutritionists, doctors, etc. have viewed supplements as a means of protecting your body against vitamin ...
