creatine in milk

Creatine in Milk: What You Need to Know

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If you’re considering mixing milk with creatine and wondering about the safety, benefits, or whether milk contains creatine, we have all the answers for you.

Milk naturally contains 0.02 grams of creatine per 100g, making it an excellent liquid to mix with creatine for consumption at any time of the day. Milk is very healthy and offers numerous benefits, as it is rich in calcium, zinc, vitamin D, phosphorus, electrolytes, and leucine (one of the three amino acids that make up creatine). Additionally, it contains small amounts of creatine.

Milk can be a great pre-workout or post-workout drink, especially when taken along with creatine powder.

Let’s dive deeper into the topic to understand how milk benefits your health, how well it mixes with creatine, and which type of milk is best—whether whole milk, skim milk, or different types of animal milk like cow, goat or sheep. We’ll also explore options for lactose-intolerant individuals.

Creatine in Milk: What You Need to Know

First of all, the most popular, affordable, and widely available milk is cow’s milk. Nutritionally, cow’s milk is excellent, it tastes great, and offers numerous health benefits. Let’s consider it our default choice as it is the most widely consumed.

Per 100g, here’s the nutritional profile of whole cow’s milk:

  • Vitamin D: 1 µg
  • Calories: 61 kcal
  • Protein: 3.2 g
  • Fat: 3.3 g
  • Saturated Fat: 1.9 g
  • Carbohydrates: 4.8 g
  • Sugars: 4.8 g (mainly lactose)
  • Calcium: 120 mg
  • Vitamin A: 47 µg

This nutritional profile is quite beneficial. Since milk naturally contains carbs, mixing it with creatine is a great idea if you’re working out early in the morning and don’t have enough time to make breakfast.

However, there are some factors that might affect the effectiveness of creatine when mixed with certain liquids. Let’s explore whether mixing creatine with milk could impact its effectiveness.

Does Creatine Mix Well with Milk?

Creatine monohydrate is known for its poor absorption. It’s said that when creatine is mixed with milk, around 30% of it may convert into creatinine. Whether this can be entirely avoided is a debatable topic.

Creatine monohydrate begins to degrade as soon as it gets wet. You could dry scoop it for optimal results, but dry scooping a lot of creatine can be uncomfortable and hard to swallow.

Some people dry scoop and then drink water immediately, but this essentially has the same effect as mixing it with liquid, leading to potential degradation.

The best tip or recommendation is to drink the creatine and milk mixture as soon as you prepare it. You can store it in the fridge for a short time, but it’s generally safer and more effective to drink it right after mixing.

Another important aspect to consider is that creatine absorption is enhanced when taken with carbs, as the insulin spike helps drive nutrients deep into the skeletal muscles. Since milk naturally contains carbs, it can be a great pairing in theory and practice—many bodybuilders mix creatine with milk. For an added boost, you can even consider adding raw honey.

The degradation of creatine is well-known, which is why many brands recommend a loading phase. Since around 30% of creatine can be lost when mixed with liquids, consuming a higher amount during the loading phase (up to 25g a day) ensures that your skeletal muscles still get saturated with enough creatine.

What Do Studies Say?

A recent study has shown interesting results, creatine is stable in its solid form but begins to break down quickly when dissolved in liquids, especially when exposed to acidic environments or warm conditions. The breakdown is not related to the amount of creatine present but rather to the pH level and temperature.

Lower pH levels and higher temperatures speed up the degradation. For example, at room temperature, creatine degrades within a few days. The degradation is even faster when creatine is mixed with acidic juices. In any case, refrigerating and storing the mixed creatine in a cold environment can slow down this process.

You may have noticed that there aren’t any creatine supplements available in liquid forms. Creatine is primarily found in the form of powder, pills, or capsules, and occasionally in jellies.

Therefore, as mentioned earlier, it’s best to consume creatine immediately after mixing it with milk or to store it in a cold place if not used right away.

Appropriate Creatine Dosage

he fact that around one-third of creatine may degrade before you even consume it shouldn’t be too concerning, as you can easily make up for the loss. First of all, remember that creatine can be naturally obtained from food sources.

If you’re eating a protein-rich diet that includes red meat and fish, chances are you’re already getting up to 2g of creatine naturally from your daily diet.

You can calculate your daily creatine needs with this formula: Maintenance Dose = Body Weight (kg) × 0.03g/day. For example, for a 70kg person, the formula would be: 70kg × 0.03g/day = 2.1g/day.

In gym culture, the recommended daily dose is typically around 5g a day for any individual. This might be a lot for some people, so we recommend starting with smaller doses. Generally speaking, 5g of creatine is safe to consume.

However, we do not endorse doing a loading phase as a beginner or if you don’t have experience with creatine supplements.

A loading phase involves consuming up to 25g of creatine each day, divided into five scoops taken a few hours apart. This phase typically lasts for 5-7 days, fully saturating your muscles within a week.

This can be quite risky, especially for people with gastrointestinal problems, as it may lead to kidney issues.

If you ever decide to try such a regimen, consult with a healthcare provider before starting to supplement creatine at such high doses.

Which Milk is Best to Mix with Creatine?

All types of milk are quite similar, but there are some minor differences. Generally speaking, it doesn’t matter which milk you use to mix with your creatine, as there won’t be any significant differences in how creatine interacts.

Whether it’s goat’s, sheep’s, cow’s, or another type of animal milk, creatine will work the same. However, let’s take a look at some key differences:

  • Calories and Fat Content: Sheep’s milk is higher in calories and fat compared to cow’s and goat’s milk, with sheep’s milk having the highest fat content.
  • Protein: Sheep’s milk is the most protein-rich among the three, while cow’s and goat’s milk have slightly less protein per 100g.
  • Calcium: Similar to protein, calories, and fat content, sheep’s milk is also the richest in calcium.
  • Vitamins A and D: Sheep’s and goat’s milk contain more Vitamin A compared to cow’s milk, but cow’s milk is often fortified with additional Vitamin D.
  • Cholesterol: All three types of milk contain similar amounts of cholesterol.

All in all, it comes down to personal preference. Choose the milk that is most convenient, affordable, and available to you. Using any of these specific types of milk will not significantly affect your absorption in any particular way.

How About Vegan Milk Options?

If you are lactose-intolerant or prefer vegan options, using plant-based milks like soy, oat, or almond milk with creatine is perfectly fine. These milks can be mixed with creatine just as you would with animal-based milk.

Generally, vegan milks aren’t as nutritious as animal milk, but they are a great alternative if you’re lactose intolerant or simply prefer the taste. Here’s a breakdown:

  • Calories and Fat Content: Almond and oat milk have the lowest calorie and fat content, while soy milk is closer in nutritional profile to cow’s milk but still relatively lower in calories and fat.
  • Protein: Soy milk is the most protein-rich option among vegan milks. Almond and oat milk contain significantly less protein.
  • Calcium: Many vegan milks are fortified with additional calcium, making them comparable to cow’s milk in this regard. However, naturally occurring calcium in cow’s milk is generally considered better absorbed than the added calcium in vegan milks.
  • Vitamins A and D: Most vegan milks are fortified with vitamins A and D, but the amounts can vary by brand, so it’s important to check the labels.
  • Cholesterol: Vegan milks are naturally cholesterol-free.

As we’ve already mentioned, it ultimately comes down to personal preference. While animal milk is nutritionally superior to vegan milk, you can choose the option that best suits your individual needs.

Best Way to Take Creatine

The best way to take creatine might be to dry scoop it, but this can be uncomfortable and feel like a tedious, unenjoyable chore.

Milk is a great alternative, as it not only mixes well with creatine but also provides additional nutritional benefits, including support for bone health and essential vitamins and minerals.

If you’re lactose intolerant or don’t enjoy vegan milk options, you can simply mix your creatine with water or your favorite juice.

Just be sure to drink the mixed creatine right away, as letting it sit for too long can cause it to degrade, reducing its effectiveness.

Note that a high glycemic index helps with creatine absorption by stimulating an insulin spike. Milk falls into the low glycemic index range, between 27-34. Adding some raw honey to your creatine mixture can be effective in increasing absorption. Remember what we said? Carbs help with creatine absorption.

In this context, fruit juices can also be effective, as they have a higher glycemic index, between 41-68. In short, adding raw honey to your milk mixture will yield better results.

Conclusion

In conclusion, milk naturally contains small amounts of creatine, up to 0.02g per 100g. Mixing creatine with milk is a popular way of supplementing creatine. It tastes good, is easy to digest and drink, and offers a wide range of benefits.

Additionally, milk naturally contains carbs, and if you add some raw honey to it, you have an excellent pre-workout drink that can boost your performance. Remember, creatine can be quite effective as a pre-workout supplement.

Overall, we recommend mixing creatine with milk. Milk is highly nutritious, good for your health, loaded with vitamins and minerals, and supports bone health.

You can think of milk as a superfood, and mixing a superfood with a super-supplement will yield amazing results for you.

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