Fitness Volt
  • Bodybuilding
  • Powerlifting
  • Strongman
  • Workouts
    • Training
    • Exercise Guides
    • Workout Plans
    • Celebrity Workouts
    • Training Programs
  • Nutrition
    • Supplements
    • Diet
    • Diet Plans
    • Nutrition Tips
    • Food Facts
  • Reviews
  • More
    • CrossFit
    • News
      • Mr. Olympia
      • Arnold Classic
      • Results
      • 2022 WSM
    • Fitness Calculator
    • Profiles
    • Motivation
    • Videos
    • MMA
No Result
View All Result
Fitness Volt
  • Bodybuilding
  • Powerlifting
  • Strongman
  • Workouts
    • Training
    • Exercise Guides
    • Workout Plans
    • Celebrity Workouts
    • Training Programs
  • Nutrition
    • Supplements
    • Diet
    • Diet Plans
    • Nutrition Tips
    • Food Facts
  • Reviews
  • More
    • CrossFit
    • News
      • Mr. Olympia
      • Arnold Classic
      • Results
      • 2022 WSM
    • Fitness Calculator
    • Profiles
    • Motivation
    • Videos
    • MMA
No Result
View All Result
Fitness Volt
No Result
View All Result
Muscle Science

Creatine Ethyl Ester Vs Creatine Monohydrate

Is Creatine Ethyl Ester Better Than Creatine Monohydrate

Justin Robertson

Written by Justin Robertson

Last Updated onJuly 20, 2019

Creatine Monohydrate

Creatine Monohydrate

I have to admit something to you guys. Everyone once in a while I will write an article to teach myself something, while in turn teaching you as well. If I’m not sure about something, what better way to research and get the facts than by writing about it? This article is one of those times. You see I am coming to the end of a 2nd large bottle of creatine ethyl ester (CEE.)

Creatine Monohydrate

I always used creatine monohydrate (CM) before but I heard a lot of good things about CEE. I heard about how you don’t have to take as much because it absorbs better than CM does. I heard it will make you less bloated than CM. I heard all about how great it was and how it was more effective than CM. So I went ahead and made the switch to see how it went.

Honestly I didn’t notice any real difference from when I was on CM. So before I got a new bottle of the much more expensive CEE I thought it would be a good idea to dig into some research and see if science has shown one to be better than the other.

Before I go any further I want to clarify this article will not be about how creatine works and how it can be a great supplement to use (which it is.) There is plenty of evidence out there and study after study confirming that it helps with strength, energy and size. Perhaps that will be a topic in the future, but for now we are going under the assumption that creatine flat-out works.

The point of this article is to help determine if one type of creatine is more effective than the other. So with that out-of-the-way let’s get into it, shall we?

Creatine Ethyl Ester

First you may be wondering what CEE is? Basically it’s creatine that has been esterified. Esterification of creatine decreases its hydrophilicity which makers of CEE claim enables it to bypass the creatine transporter and be absorbed directly into the cell. The claim is that using it results in higher muscle creatine levels compared to CM and causes less muscle water retention as well. These are all claims, however, so it’s up to us to dig into the research and see if that says the same thing or not.

Scientific Study

The first study I looked at was done at the Department of Life Sciences in Kingston University, United Kingdom. This study assessed the availability of creatine from three commercial creatine products during degradation in acidic conditions similar to those that occur in the stomach. They looked at two CEE products and one CM product.

Each product was incubated in 900ml of pH 1 HCL at 37± 1oC and samples were drawn at 5, 30 and 120 minutes. After 30 minutes the two CEE products had 73% and 62% of the initial CEE still available while more than 99% of the creatine remained available from the CM product. After 120 minutes incubation 72% of the creatine from one of the CEE products was available while only 11% available from the other, while more than 99% of the creatine remained available from CM. Basically the study showed that before CEE has a chance to even get to the muscle, much of it has already degraded into creatinine.

While that’s all great I’d personally rather see a study done on actual people as well as showing training results using both products. Lucky for all of us, such a study exists. There was a study done at Baylor University in 2009 that went into great depth comparing CEE and CM.

This study examined how a seven-week supplementation regimen combined with resistance training affected body composition, muscle mass, muscle strength and power, serum and muscle creatine levels, and serum creatinine levels in 30 non-resistance-trained males. Participants were either given CEE, CM or a maltodextose placebo.

At the end of the study the results concluded that CEE did not show any additional benefit to increase muscle strength or performance over CM or the maltodextrose placebo. Additionally, total body mass, fat mass, fat-free mass, and thigh muscle mass were not significantly enhanced with CEE supplementation compared to placebo or CM groups. Increases in body water were similar to the placebo and CM groups.

Also since CEE supplementation showed a large increase in serum creatinine levels throughout the study with no significant increase in serum and total muscle creatine content, they concluded that a large portion of the CEE was being degraded within the GI tract after ingestion.

Given the research we have available it’s my opinion that there really aren’t any benefits in taking creatine ethyl ester instead of creatine monohydrate. Given how much more expensive CEE is, I don’t see any point in purchasing CEE over CM.

Perhaps if I had noticed a difference while on it I would be willing to continue with it, but I really didn’t. I’m not saying individuals should stay away from CEE and if you have found it to work for you and you don’t mind spending more for it by then all means continue using it. Everyone is different and different things work for different people.

I know people who swear by CEE and I know people who swear by CM, however, if you are unsure which to use I would recommend opting for the much cheaper, tried and true option in creatine monohydrate. Creatine monohydrate has been proven to work for many years now, and I see no reason to steer away from old faithful.

Add Fitness Volt to your Google News feed. Follow us on Google News
For the latest news and updates please follow us on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
Facebook Twitter Reddit Flipboard LinkedIn
Categories: Muscle Science Muscle-Building Supplements
Previous Post

Calf Exercises: Standing Vs Seated Calf Raise

Next Post

Does Glutamine Help Muscle Recovery?

Justin Robertson

Justin Robertson

Related

Building Muscle For Women

The Complete Guide to Building Muscle for Women

While not all women want to build bigger, more visible muscles, many do. We’re not talking about female bodybuilders or...

Jeff Nippard Minimalist Training Program

Jeff Nippard Shares an Impressive Minimalist Training Program

After introducing the benefits of minimalist training principles, fitness expert Jeff Nippard recently shared a minimalist training routine that people at all...

Should You Stop Taking A Whey Protein

Will You Lose Muscles if You Stop Taking Whey Protein?

"Will I lose muscles if I stop taking whey protein?" is probably the first thing that comes to mind if...

How To Squat Better

How to Squat Better for More Muscle

The squat is heralded as the granddaddy of leg exercises. Whether your goal is to get your legs stronger, bigger,...

Muscle Building Goals

How to Set Realistic Muscle-Building Goals for Better Results

You probably step inside a gym or training facility with goals. You're probably not there to waste time. If you’re...

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Latest

Zack Khan Alleges 2022 Mr. Olympia Judges Mistreated Big Ramy Due to Social Media

60-yo Dorian Yates Reveals ‘Excellent’ Health Results, with a Biological Age of 30-39

The Complete Guide to Building Muscle for Women

Charles Atlas Workout and Diet Program

2023 Britain’s Strongest Man Results — Adam Bishop Victorious

Rich Gaspari Takes Aim at Open Bodybuilders: They Are ‘Depending on Drugs More Than Training’

Reviews

Best Bone Broth Supplements

10 Best Bone Broth Supplements of 2023 (Reviewed & Ranked)

Body Fortress Whey Protein Review

Body Fortress Super Advanced Whey Protein Review

Best Coffee Creamer

10 Best Coffee Creamer For Intermittent Fasting of 2023 (Review & Ranked)

Fitness Volt

At FitnessVolt.com Our mission is to help our readers to achieve their fitness goals, regardless of where you’re at on your journey, we are on a mission to educate You with the latest from strength and fitness space. Read more.

Email: sm(at)fitnessvolt.com

Disclosure: FitnessVolt.com has an affiliate relationship with different brands and is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. However, our reviews are based on well research backed analysis.

Follow Us

Trending Topics

  • Mr. Olympia
  • Bodybuilding
  • Strongman
  • Powerlifting
  • CrossFit
  • At Home Workouts
  • Bodyweight Exercises
  • Best Pre-workout
  • Best Fat Burners
  • Bodybuilding Diet
  • Bicep Workouts
  • Triceps Workouts
  • Chest Exercises
  • Back Workouts
  • Leg Workouts
  • Front Squat Guide
  • Calf Workouts & Exercises
  • Forgotten Exercises
  • Jefferson Deadlift

Calculators

  • Calorie Burning Calculators
  • IF Calculator
  • TDEE Calculator
  • Calorie Calculator
  • Keto Calculator
  • RMR Calculator
  • Macronutrient Calculator
  • Creatine Calculator
  • Wilks Calculator
  • EER Calculator
  • FFMI Calculator
  • IBW Calculator
  • LBM Calculator
  • Fat Intake Calculator
  • Calories Burned Swimming
  • Calories Per Meal Calculator

  • Food Nutrition Analysis
  • Carb Cycling Calculator
  • Weight Gain Calculator
  • Weight Loss Calculator
  • Calories Burned Calculator
  • Strength Standards
  • One Rep Max Calculator
  • Body Fat Calculator
  • EER Calculator
  • Weight Loss Percentage
  • Treadmill Calorie Calculator
  • Body Surface Area Calculator
  • Running Pace Calculator
  • Bench Press Calculator
  • Protein Calculator
  • Water Intake Calculator
  • Body Type Quiz
  • Steps to Miles Calculator
  • Calorie Deficit Calculator
  • Home
  • About
  • Jobs
  • Accessibility
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Syndication
  • Sitemap
  • DMCA
  • Copyrights
  • Terms
  • Privacy

© Copyright 2010 - 2022 Fitness Volt IBC. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Bodybuilding
  • Powerlifting
  • Strongman
  • CrossFit
  • Workouts
  • Exercise Guides
    • Arms
    • Back
    • Chest
    • Core
    • Legs and Glutes
    • Shoulders
  • Training
  • Nutrition
  • Reviews
  • More
    • News
    • Mr. Olympia
    • 2022 WSM
    • Diet
    • Arnold Classic
    • Motivation
    • Videos
    • Food Facts
    • Fitness Calculator

© Copyright 2010 - 2022 Fitness Volt IBC. All Rights Reserved.