ABSTRACT
Throughout history sportsmen have employed nutritional supplements as ergogenic aids to give them an edge over their competitors. In ancient times athletes and soldiers preparing for a battle consumed specific animal parts believed to confer the strength and speed of that animal (1). Today we know that flesh, in particular from game animals, is rich in creatine. Creatine is a physiological compound that plays a pivotal role in energy metabolism of skeletal muscle and brain. The first well-known athletes to announce that they were taking creatine to enhance performance were the British sprinter Linford Christie and hurdler Colin Jackson. Thereafter, creatine became the nutritional watchword of the 1996 Summer Olympic Games. Supposedly three out of four medal winners were taking creatine. This may explain why creatine is now the blockbusting nutritional supplement in sports.
