What is Guanidino Propionic Acid (GPA)?
Guanidinopropionic acid, also referred to as beta-guanidinopropionic acid or GPA, is a dietary supplement used to increase insulin sensitivity and cell volumization. Guanidino Propionic Acid (GPA) is an analogue of Creatine and is typically taken as a nutritional supplement for the purpose of regulating insulin thereby increasing the uptake of creatine into muscle tissues. As an orally administered creatine monohydrate analogue, Guanidino Propionic Acid (N-(aminoiminomethyl)-beta-alanine) is a common ingredient in products containing creatine monohydrate. According to the studies made by the inventors of guanidinopropionic acid, the compound helps in treating or preventing certain metabolic disorders of human and animal metabolism, e.g. hyperglycemia, impaired glucose tolerance, hyperinsulinemia, insluing insensitivity, hyperamilinemia, excess adiposity or hyperlipidemia. Guanidino Propionic Acid (GPA) as shown to mimic the action of Insulin without the need for high glycemic carbohydrates. This insulin mimicking action efficiently transports nutrients throughout the body, supports glucose reuptake into the muscle and efficiently transports creatine into the muscle cell. It can also help increase endurance and exercise tolerance, as well as treat non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM).
What is Guanidino Propionic Acid (GPA) used for and who uses it?
Studies on guanidinopropionic acid show that it can be beneficial to athletes and many others in a variety of ways. Athletes from all sports can gain a lot from supplementing with a creatine monohydrate product containing guanidinopropionic acid. Research has shown that guanidinopropionic acid can help enhance insulin function, trigger weight loss, increase your muscles ability to contract, improve your body's creatine uptake, and help to make your muscles appear more prominent.
Guanidinopropionic Acid helps to manage and improve insulin function and is a popular ingredient to creatine monohydrate supplements. Insulin, within the context of low body fat levels, is an anabolic hormone. This means that it stimulates the body to synthesize new muscle tissue from dietary protein. Insulin triggers the body to shuttle more creatine to muscle tissue. Many athletes like to take insulin after a strenuous training session so that they can speed the repair and shorten the recovery time of tired muscles.
Guanidinopropionic acid can also benefit so-called creatine monohydrate "non-responders". More often than not, a slow or non-response to creatine monohydrate supplementation has nothing to do with creatine itself, and instead has to do with the internal condition of the body. Guanidinopropionic acid can improve the body’s ability to absorb more creatine, and this may result in non-responders achieving their goals and the results they desire.