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Kaged is a respected brand in the sports nutrition industry that specializes in manufacturing supplements that support muscle building, recovery, and overall athletic performance. It was founded by professional bodybuilder Kris Gethin, who serves as the current CEO of the company.
One of its best-selling supplements is Creatine Hydrochloride (HCL) — a patented formula that Kaged claims to be ultra-soluble and mixable, giving you all the benefits of creatine sans the bloating. Some also say that 750mg serving of creatine hydrochloride can produce the same effects as 3-4 grams of creatine monohydrate, establishing the notion that it’s a more efficient form of creatine. B
But is that really the case?
In this article, I explore the scientific literature to determine whether Kaged’s creatine hydrochloride is legitimately superior to basic creatine monohydrate formulas, or plain marketing bias.
Main Takeaways
- Kaged Creatine HCL is praised for its solubility due to hydrochloric acid binding, but definitive research on its edge over creatine monohydrate for performance or muscle building is absent.
- Kaged suggests a 3-gram daily intake, aligning with usual creatine advice. With 760mg per serving, taking four servings daily lowers the total to 18 or 19, making it less economical than alternatives.
- There’s no evidence that Kaged Creatine HCL alleviates the bloating common in the creatine loading phase, despite assumptions from its solubility.
Kaged Creatine HCL Overview
Kaged Creatine HCL comes in 75 servings with each serving containing 760 milligrams of creatine hydrochloride.
Creatine hydrochloride is known for its high solubility in water, a characteristic that sets it apart from every other form, making it a significant selling point for athletes, particularly bodybuilders that seek every advantage to increase muscle mass and improve athletic performance.
However, it’s also a relatively new creatine, so not much is known about it.
Is Creatine HCL As Efficient As The Claims Suggest?
The main theory implies that creatine hydrochloride is a more efficient supplement and the reasoning is two-fold: since it’s a form of creatine that’s been bound to hydrochloric acid, it is more soluble in water, which means your body is able to better absorb it. Additionally, it may be more stable and thus experience less degradation.
There aren’t many studies on creatine hydrochloride, but the one study I found concluded that creatine HCL is 38 times more soluble than creatine monohydrate. [1] In other words, it’s possible that a smaller dose of creatine hydrochloride may achieve the same effects as you would with larger doses of creatine monohydrate.
Unfortunately, there are no other studies to prove that creatine hydrochloride is as efficient as some brands claim, and at the same time, there are also no studies disproving the aforementioned claims.
Kaged references the optimal dose of creatine by stating the following on their website:
“Research on creatine shows that between 3-5 grams per day provide the most benefits. If Creatine HCL is your own source of creatine, take 4 scoops per day (3 grams).”
The first statement is true (regardless of whether you do creatine loading or not) as the recommended dose does seem to be found within that range.
However, the second statement disproves the notion that you can take less Creatine HCL and achieve the same results as creatine monohydrate if you still need to take 3-5 grams of creatine.
Kaged Creatine HCL comes with 760 milligrams (mg) per serving, which means you would need to take four servings in order to get to that optimal creatine range, but that would dilute the total number of servings down to 18/19 servings, making this supplement rather expensive.
Additionally, given that creatine is only found in animal tissue, it’s pertinent to assume that we (vegans and vegetarians) don’t have the same creatine levels as meat-eaters, so we’re bound to benefit way more from a creatine supplement, especially if it’s within the 3-5 grams of creatine per serving.
In fact, studies found that vegetarians experienced a more significant increase in muscle creatine content and athletic performance when compared to omnivores. [2][3]
Does Creatine HCL Cause Less Bloating?
Creatine bloating is a common side effect that occurs from creatine loading, a process that consists of taking 20-25 grams of creatine for 5-7 consecutive days in order to quickly increase muscle creatine stores. [4]
During the loading phase, there may be an increase in body weight due to both an increase in body mass and water intake in the muscles, which can cause bloating.
Research has shown that the loading phase can result in a significant increase in total body water. [5][6]
For instance, a study involving 13 athletes observed that supplementing 0.01 grams of creatine per pound of body weight for 7 days resulted in a 2.3-pound increase in total body water. [7]
On average, you can expect to gain 1-2% of your body mass during the loading phase, which is partially made up of water weight, which, fortunately, is temporary.
If you want to avoid bloating, the better course of action is to skip the loading phase and go straight to the maintenance dose of 2-3 grams of creatine per day.
Plus, there’s really no evidence to show that bloating can be avoided during the loading phase if you choose to take creatine hydrochloride over creatine monohydrate.
Is Kaged Creatine HCL Worth It?
There’s no reason for me to believe that creatine HCL is a better alternative to a regular creatine monohydrate supplement. Allow me to summarize everything for you below.
The three reasons why you shouldn’t get Kaged Creatine HCL are the following:
- Despite claims suggesting that it’s more absorbable than creatine monohydrate, there’s no evidence suggesting that smaller doses of creatine hydrochloride can achieve the same effect as larger doses of creatine monohydrate.
- For that reason, Kaged still suggests taking 3 grams of Kaged Creatine HCL, even though each serving only comes with 760 milligrams (mg) of creatine hydrochloride. For a creatine supplement that comes with 76 servings, you would see that number diluted to 18/19 servings if you quadruplicate the dose, which naturally would make this supplement quite expensive.
- There’s no proof it might be able to prevent you from feeling a sensation of bloatedness, even when you’re undergoing the loading phase and ingesting 20-25 grams of creatine daily.
Since there isn’t anything to suggest that taking this creatine hydrochloride is better than taking a regular creatine monohydrate supplement, I’d rather stick with an equally effective but more affordable formula.
With that being said if you’re still interested in this creatine supplement, the best place to get it from is iHerb.
Medical Disclaimer: The content on this website is meant to be informative, but it should not be taken as medical advice. The content of our articles is not intended for use in the diagnosis, prevention, and/or treatment of health problems. It’s always best to speak with your doctor or a certified medical professional before making any changes to your lifestyle, diet, exercise routine, or trying a new supplement.
References:
1. Gufford BT, Sriraghavan K, Miller NJ, Miller DW, Gu X, Vennerstrom JL, Robinson DH. Physicochemical characterization of creatine N-methylguanidinium salts. J Diet Suppl. 2010.
2. Watt KK, Garnham AP, Snow RJ. Skeletal muscle total creatine content and creatine transporter gene expression in vegetarians prior to and following creatine supplementation. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2004 Oct.
3. Burke DG, Chilibeck PD, Parise G, Candow DG, Mahoney D, Tarnopolsky M. Effect of creatine and weight training on muscle creatine and performance in vegetarians. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2003 Nov.
4. Gann JJ, McKinley-Barnard SK, Andre TL, Schoch RD, Willoughby DS. Effects of a traditionally-dosed creatine supplementation protocol and resistance training on the skeletal muscle uptake and whole-body metabolism and retention of creatine in males. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2015.
5. Powers ME, Arnold BL, Weltman AL, et al. Creatine Supplementation Increases Total Body Water Without Altering Fluid Distribution. J Athl Train. 2003.
6. Kutz MR, Gunter MJ. Creatine monohydrate supplementation on body weight and percent body fat. J Strength Cond Res. 2003 Nov.
7. Deminice R, Rosa FT, Pfrimer K, Ferrioli E, Jordao AA, Freitas E. Creatine Supplementation Increases Total Body Water in Soccer Players: a Deuterium Oxide Dilution Study. Int J Sports Med. 2016 Feb.
