If you take a good look at the ingredients listed on a can of Bang, you may notice Super Creatine (also known as creatyl-L-leucine) listed among them. You may not be familiar with this substance – which is normal, because it is not used anywhere else other than in Bang.
So what exactly is Super Creatine in Bang?
In a nutshell, the ‘Super Creatine’ found in Bang is a proprietary ingredient and is essentially creatine bonded with L-leucine. Super Creatine is supposedly better than regular creatine, but we don’t know enough about it to prove that it is.
For a more in-depth analysis, read on to learn more about the Super Creatine in Bang, its differences from regular creatine, and how Super Creatine doesn’t quite match up to its name.
Contents
What Is Creatine?
Creatine is a natural chemical found in the human body, primarily in the muscles.
Also known as creatine monohydrate, regular creatine is a type of amino acid that can be synthesized by the body itself in the liver or kidneys, but can also be obtained through the consumption of seafood or red meat.
Do note that Bang doesn’t actually have creatine listed as one of its ingredients, as the Super Creatine used in Bang is chemically different from actual creatine.
What Does Creatine Do?
Creatine helps boost muscle mass and muscle energy production, improves high-energy performance, and lowers blood sugar by stimulating muscle glycogen storage.
When metabolized in the body, creatine turns into phosphocreatine, which helps produce ATP that provides energy for the body. It also increases the water content in the muscles, which causes growth in muscle size.
Creatine has also been shown to inhibit tumor progression in cancer cells, and many athletes and bodybuilders take creatine supplements to grow larger muscles and increase their energy levels.
Overall, creatine (in reasonable amounts) is considered to be an effective and safe supplement for enhancing physical performance.
What type of creatine is best?
The best creatine is that which is both effective and suitable for you. It is best to consult a medical professional about this because it is important to take into consideration a person’s various health conditions. Some people prefer monohydrates. While others find that creatine ethyl ester supplements work better for them.
What is Super Creatine?
Super Creatine is marketed as creatine that has been bonded to L-Leucine, a type of amino acid that is essential in building proteins in your body.
VPX, the creator of Bang Energy Drinks, claims that Super Creatine is the “only water-stable version of standard creatine”,
Supposedly, this allows it to cross the blood-brain barrier “twenty times more efficiently than regular creatine”, resulting in greater mental focus.
Super Creatine is a substance patented by Jack Owoc, CEO of Bang, but the patent has since been revoked, which I will discuss later on in this article.
What is L-leucine?
L-leucine is one of the nine essential amino acids in the human body (must be obtained through food). It plays an important role in protein metabolism.
It is unclear what special properties L-leucine brings when it is combined with creatine to form Super Creatine, although it supposedly allows it better entry across the blood-brain barrier due to being more water-soluble.
What does Super Creatine in Bang do?
Super Creatine supposedly acts in the same way that creatine does, such as improving strength, increasing lean muscle mass, and aiding in muscle recovery, although there aren’t any valid claims to these benefits.
Apart from the supposed workout benefits, there’s also this particular claim by the CEO of Bang himself:
“If you have creatyl dipeptide (Super Creatine), you can solve mental retardation as we age. It also helps with all forms of dementia, including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Huntingdon’s…”
Jack Owoc, CEO of Bang
This is a very bold claim, as quoted in the video below, and there are so far no proven academic studies that can confirm his claims.
On the other hand, regular creatine has been observed to have a positive effect on overall cognitive function, leading scientists to hypothesize that it could possibly be used to treat dementia.
This is supported by a study that revealed that the onset of dementia has been linked to a decline in creatine levels. However, this is only true for creatine, NOT Super Creatine.
Other alleged benefits of Super Creatine include enhanced muscle growth, reduced recovery time, and reduced protein breakdown. However, these claims have not been authorized by the FDA nor has research been published to validate them.
It’s important to note as well that the presence of other ingredients like Vitamin B12 and EAAs in Bang Energy Drinks is most probably what’s contributing to the increase in muscle mass and overall performance improvement experienced by athletes.
However, there is no proof that these results can be credited to the presence of Super Creatine alone, or at all.
Is Super creatine in Bang real creatine?
There is no such thing as “Super Creatine.” Creatine is a natural substance that is produced by the body and found in certain foods. It is not a drug or supplement. everyone’s physiology is different.
Some people may find that they respond well to one brand of creatine while others may find a different brand works better for them. It is recommended that people try a few different brands to see which one works best for them.
Does Super Creatine in Bang Have Side Effects?
The Super Creatine content in Bang has not shown any notable side effects thus far.
People who drink Bang (the only brand that uses Super Creatine) have not been observed to have any unusual symptoms or side effects that aren’t present in the general energy-drinking public.
Furthermore, research done on rodents does conclude that creatyl-L-leucine did not exhibit genotoxic potential in high doses, nor does it have adverse effects on target organs, although further research on that subject might be necessary.
Is Super Creatine in Bang Better Than Creatine?
Super Creatine is (probably) not better than regular creatine unless further research on the subject states otherwise.
| Creatine | Super Creatine | |
| Does It Occur Naturally? | Yes | No |
| Is It Safe? | Yes | Unproven |
| Does It Help Cognitive Function? | Yes | Unproven |
Not enough research has been conducted to prove the quality of Super Creatine, and there have been quite a few controversies regarding its legitimacy.
While there are many different types of creatine being marketed by different companies, there is no proof yet that these are better than real creatine. As stated below:
All other forms (of creatine) in the market, do not offer any superior rewards over the basic creatine. They have been produced in an effort to get more benefit of creatine in the body like better absorption. However, in the end they are more expensive and not better than the basic creatine monohydrate.
Dr. Meenakshi Noll, The Scrutinizer, 2016
Is The Super Creatine in Bang a Good Substitute For Creatine?
In my opinion, Super Creatine is not a good substitute for creatine monohydrate, simply because we know too little about it.
Our bodies create creatine in our liver and kidneys, so you’ll never be 100% without creatine. As for supplementary creatine, I think that Super Creatine isn’t really a viable alternate option.
There is not enough research to prove that it behaves the same way as creatine, and neither do we know if Bang’s Super Creatine has enough ‘creatine’ in it to deliver the same amount of growth and power as regular creatine.
Is The Super Creatine In Bang Safe?
We do not have enough proof to determine with any degree of certainty the safety of Super Creatine.
Further research is needed to test the long-term effects of Super Creatine before we can say with confidence whether the substance is safe or not.
To put things into perspective, it took years of research to confirm that regular creatine monohydrate is safe as a supplement.
In short, we do not know if Super Creatine is on par with creatine in terms of safety and efficiency, and until then, keeping your intake of it is definitely recommended.
That being said, however, there haven’t been any reports if Super Creatine was a leading cause of any health issues relating to Bang, so it’s perfectly fine if you enjoy it for reasons other than Super Creatine.
Bang Super Creatine Lawsuit
There was a lawsuit launched by Monster against VPX, the company that makes Bang, in which the defendants claim that Bang is only providing a water-soluble version of creatine, instead of an ‘invented compound called Super Creatine’.
3. Even if BANG could deliver Defendants’ promised benefits, which again it does not, the ingredients at the heart of Defendants’ claims—Super Creatine and BCAAs—are sprinkled into BANG in such low amounts that none of the purported benefits could ever be delivered through safe consumption of BANG.
Monster Energy vs. VPX
Do note that creatine monohydrate is notoriously less water-soluble than other forms of ‘improved’ creatine, and a more water-soluble version of creatine would cause faster absorption into the body.
Jack Owoc has reportedly responded in a YouTube video, claiming that these allegations are false, but that video has since been taken down, so it’s not sure how these claims eventually turned out.
Why Was Bang’s Super Creatine Patent Canceled?
Jack Owoc’s patent for Super Creatine was canceled by the United States Patent Office, due to complaints made by ThermoLife International:
ThermoLife called for a re-examination of the product Super Creatine, claiming that it is identical to another product under their patent. Despite multiple appeals, the USPTO maintained the cancellation of Owoc’s patent.
The rejections of Owoc’s claims are predominantly based on the Russian ‘645 Patent, which is the same as US Patent 8,350,077 (“the ‘077 Patent”) exclusively licensed and controlled by ThermoLife…In other words, the owner of Jack Owoc’s so-called “Super Creatine” compound is ThermoLife, not VPX.
PR Newswire
How Much Super Creatine is in Bang?
We do not know how much Super Creatine is in Bang, as that information is never stated on the can itself, nor in any of Bang’s marketing material.
People such as Matt Lane Fitness in the video attached above have voiced their concerns regarding Bang not stating the amount of creatine, or Super Creatine, that is in their drinks. It has not been disclosed.
Note that creatine monohydrate is not listed among the ingredients of Bang. For a further analysis of whether Bang contains creatine monohydrate or not, you can read my article here.
What we do know, however, is that Bang contains an exceptionally high amount of caffeine, at 300mg per serving. You can read more about the effects of drinking Bang in the article that I have written here.
How Much Creatine Should I Take?
The average effective dosing of creatine is around 3 to 30g per day, as our bodies can only take a limited amount of creatine at a time, any excessive amount of creatine goes to waste.
You might hear people say that taking creatine supplements might harm your kidney, but this study on diabetic patients proves otherwise.
Creatine causes water retention in your muscles to make them grow, so taking too much creatine at a time may cause bloating, or stomach discomfort.
While there’s plenty of advice online as to how much creatine you should in your diet. do consult your doctor or trainer on whether or not adding creatine into your diet is the right choice for you.
Final Thoughts
In my opinion, you should not consider the Super Creatine in Bang Energy Drinks to be better than regular creatine in any way.
Personally, I find the Super Creatine in Bang is just another marketed form of creatine, that bears no extra benefits apart from what regular creatine already provides.
Until there are proper academic research papers confirming the benefits of Super Creatine, there really isn’t a reason to choose Bang Energy drinks simply for the Super Creatine content alone.
Of course, that’s just my personal opinion on the matter, and there’s no reason you shouldn’t enjoy a can of Bang for reasons other than its use of Super Creatine.