When sports fans think of Mark McGwire they think of a man who hit the most home runs in a single season. The name, Mark McGuire, is synonomous with power and strength. Hitting seventy home runs is not an act of God, but one of extrodinary physical prowess. It takes energy to be able to knock run after run some 400 yards out of the park. In sports, today more than ever, athletes like Mark McGuire are turning to the aid of a natural training supplement called creatine. While the use of supplements to enhance performance is nothing new to athletes, never before has one been so effective.
             "Creatine was discovered in 1832, by a French scientist, Michel Eugene Chevreul, who extracted from meat a new organic constitute and named it creatine" (Branch, Kreider, Williams 6). Creatine is a natural supplement found in the body and some foods like fish and meat. A male weighing about 160 pounds has approximately 120 grams of creatine in the body. So if we already have it stored in our bodies why do we crave more? Why is creatine such an effective training supplement? Before these questions can be answered, we must first determine what makes a good supplement.
             A supplement defined by the Dietary Health and Education Act is a "food product, added to the total diet, that contains at least one of the following ingredients: a vitamin, mineral, herb, a botanical, amino acid, metabolite, constituent, extract, or combination of theses ingredients" (Branch, Kreider, Williams 218). A good supplement possesses one or more of these ingredients and assists the body rather than hurt it. It does not cause death, mental illness, or addiction. An effective training supplement increases strength and power, builds lean body mass, boosts energy, and prevents fatigue. It is also cost-effective and is readily available in many different forms making it easier for various people to use. Good supplements maximize performance. ...