Q: You say that the majority of creatine in each serving I take converts to useless creatinine. If this really is true, why am I still getting results?
A: Your body naturally produces about 2 grams of creatine a day. When you supplement with 5 grams (5,000mg) of creatine, you'll likely only get the benefit of 200-400mg of actual creatine (and 4,600mg of toxic creatinine). Most of the creatine is lost when added to liquid, and even more is broken down as it passes through your acidic stomach. However, the additional 200-400mg still provides you with a 10-20% increase in your pool of available creatine. That’s why you will still experience some results with your current brand of creatine.
Q: Every new creatine product claims they're the “next best thing”. So what makes Kre-Alkalyn® any different?
A: Over the past decade alone, there have been many improvements in the science of creatine delivery, including insulin stimulators, liquid serums, along with various new forms of creatine which includes effervescent, titrate, di-creatine and, most recently, esterfied creatine. However, these technologies cannot deliver an effective, concentrated dose of creatine without converting to creatinine since they are not above pH 7 and 100% stable...like Kre-Alkalyn®.
Even more important is the fact that KA isn't necessarily a product. Rather it's a technology... and an ingredient other companies can use in their creatine-based products. In other words, other companies shouldn't view Kre-Alkalyn® as competition. It is the solution to a larger problem - conversion to creatinine. Which means their customers will get even more value and benefits from their products.
Q: Why is Kre-Alkalyn's® patent such a big deal?
A: Most people have no idea how hard it is to earn a patent. Kre-Alkalyn's® patent process took nearly 1.5 years to complete. All of the research behind it was intensely scrutinized, independently tested and verified. Then, finally, on June 4, 2002 it was awarded official U.S. Patent #6,399,661.
There are literally hundreds of patents on creatine, but Kre-Alkalyn's® specifically covers ALL pH levels from 7-14 (the slow and non-conversion zones), plus the actual manufacturing process used to buffer the creatine itself. There are currently 30 other patents for Kre-Alkalyn® now pending worldwide. Each one will require independent scientific panels to once again verify the original research and efficacy of the product.
Q: I read somewhere that Kre-Alkalyn® is supposed to be “10x More Effective” than regular creatine. Is this true?
A: It's all in how you look at it. If unbuffered creatine degrades by 90% in liquid or stomach acids, then Kre-Alkalyn® would be “10x more effective” since it remains 100% stable (100% vs. 10%). Unfortunately, many supplement companies falsely advertise that their creatine products force muscle cells to absorb creatine at levels far beyond their natural capacity. However, basic science tells us this is simply impossible. For example, you cannot force 14 ounces of water into an 8-ounce glass—100% capacity is 100% capacity.
Furthermore, if someone could figure out a way to stabilize creatine other than manipulating its pH levels, the real question becomes this: Would it really work any better than Kre-Alkalyn®? The key word to focus on here is “better”. Like I said above, once you’ve saturated your cells with creatine, they simply won’t take in anymore, regardless of the form or type.
Q: Why is Kre-Alkalyn® made with Creatine Monohydrate? Aren’t there better, more effective forms of creatine you could’ve used?
A: You may have noticed that since the introduction of creatine to the marketplace in the early 90’s, there have been numerous versions, or forms, of creatine that have since become available. Even though a few have shown some promise, they simply do not have the research and track record of creatine monohydrate. It’s a known fact that creatine monohydrate is, by a huge margin, the single most studied form of creatine in history, let alone the most studied supplement ever.
To answer your question, we could have easily used creatine phosphate, creatine pyruvate or even creatine citrate. Our patented pH-Correct™ technology would work equally as well on any of these creatine forms. However, countless researchers agree that the monohydrate form of creatine is superior to all others with regard to its overall bioavailability. So when it came down to it, we decided to stick with a proven winner…and then make it better!
Q: Since Kre-Alkalyn® uses the monohydrate form of creatine, if I “stacked” it with another form, like titrate, would I get even better results?
A: “Stacking” Kre-Alkalyn® with another form of creatine is simply unnecessary. Remember, you cannot force 14 ounces of water into an 8-ounce glass—100% capacity is 100% capacity. There is a point where your body won’t absorb anymore creatine no matter how much or which form you take, even Kre-Alkalyn®. Ultimately, this would represent a total waste of money.
Q: I’ve been using creatine for years and never experienced any of the problems you claim that unstable creatine causes. So why should I care or even bother switching to Kre-Alkalyn®?
A: I can think of at least three important reasons why you should give this some serious thought:
1) The single biggest reason to use creatine is to achieve the results you desire. But if the majority of each dose you take is converting to creatinine, can you really be 100% sure you’re getting the most from your current brand? Or are you actually just getting by and short-changing yourself?
2) When your creatine converts to creatinine, it means you are ultimately wasting good money. Like most people, I’m sure you work way too hard to make it in the first place.
3) Even if your brand only converts to creatinine by a mere 1%, do you really want even that much extra toxin in your body? While I certainly don’t want to resort to using scare tactics to make my point, consider the fact that even though many studies show using traditional creatine supplements to be “safe” short-term (<10 years), we simply do not know what the effects of excess creatinine are long-term. In fact, new evidence is quickly emerging that may link long-term creatinine exposure with kidney failure and other ailments. But only time will tell which studies are correct. The bottom-line is, why take chances and waste good money when you don’t have to?
Q: If I remember correctly from my biology and anatomy books in high school, the human stomach is extremely acidic. What happens to Kre-Alkalyn® once it reaches the stomach?
A: Some industry experts, and even some medical doctors, say that even a “buffered” creatine like Kre-Alkalyn® will convert to creatinine in the stomach, just like any other creatine product. But after examining the facts, you’ll clearly see why this isn’t so. In order to digest food and kill bacteria and viruses, our stomachs generally maintain a pH values around 3 (or sometimes lower). But whenever we eat and drink, the pH value inside the stomach rises, depending on the overall pH of what was ingested. This signals your stomach’s internal feedback mechanism to begin secreting hydrochloric acid to lower the pH level.
By going back to our anatomy and physiology books, we’ll rediscover how the stomach walls actually produce hydrochloric acid. Your stomach does not contain a hydrochloric acid reservoir awaiting the ingestion of food. If such a reservoir did exist, the acids inside would actually burn right through the stomach wall. Instead, the walls produce this acid on an “as-needed” basis.
The components in the cells of the stomach wall that produce hydrochloric acid (HCl) are carbon dioxide (CO2), water (H2O), and sodium chloride (NaCl) or potassium chloride (KCl). Or as we scientist like to write: NaCl + H2O + CO2 = HCl + NaHCO3, or KCl + H2O + CO2 = HCl + KHCO3.
It’s important to understand that as the pH of the stomach rises, it automatically will try to lower the pH back to normal levels. But if the pH value drops too low, especially due to an overproduction of acid, the stomach doesn’t know what to do. That’s why you sometimes might find it necessary to take an over-the-counter antacid to neutralize this excess stomach acid and relieve gas pains.
Notice that the byproduct of making hydrochloric acid is sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) or potassium bicarbonate (KHCO3)—a buffer, which raises alkalinity. Similarly, research shows that Kre-Alkalyn® causes a net gain of alkalinity in the body. Since Kre-Alkalyn® is synthesized with buffering agents, it passes through the stomach acids, the intestines and finally into the bloodstream. All of this is to simply say that the pH of the stomach is buffered long enough to allow for full absorption of Kre-Alkalyn®
To the contrary, when you ingest low pH creatine products, the stomach walls produce very little hydrochloric acid, resulting in small amounts of alkaline buffer being produced and delivered to the blood stream, not to mention a low blood pH.
