In part 1 of our BSN supplement stack guide, we gave an overview of the BSN supplements used which includes True Mass, Syntha 6, Axis HT, Cell mass, along with Endorush. Continuing with our BSN supplement stack guide, we'll first review Cell Mass Creatine. Share your feedback on BSN Cell Mass, If you've used it, or would like to read user reviews of it.
The beneficial effects of creatine monohydrate in increasing muscle mass, size, strength, and athletic performance is well studied and documented.1,2,3 However, the downside of creatine monohydrate is it has relatively poor absorption rate which requires users to take large doses to achieve desired effects. This leads to various issues such as the creatine water retention, or stomach bloating. The repeated dosing of creatine causes a reduction in clearance that could result from saturation of the skeletal muscle pool of creatine.4
The key ingredient in Cell Mass - Creatine Ethyl Ester Malate (CEE) - is a creatine monohydrate with an ester attached. It's an Esterified Creatine. And as claimed by CEE marketers, "there's no loading, no cycling, no hard to swallow tablets, no Sugar, no stomach bloat, no water retention, no up and down old school creatine weight gain."
BSN Cell Mass - Creatine Ethyl Ester (CEE)
Creatine ethyl ester (CEE) is creatine monohydrate with an ester attached. This esterification of the creatine makes it much more easily absorbed into the muscle cells, and confers several benefits:
It works faster and is more efficiently absorbed compared to regular creatine monohydrate
Esterified creatine increases in lipophilic abilities allowing it to use fat more efficiently to pass through cell walls
Because of the increased efficiency, it requires smaller dosages
CEE eliminates the water bloat - it's claimed that esterified creatine pulls all the water into the muscle cell, unlike the unabsorbed creatine sitting outside of the cell with the water
Another interesting ingredient in BSN Cell Mass is the Cinnulin PF, or Aqueous Cinnamon Extract. It is a water extract of cinnamon that supports healthy glucose metabolism, and may have a positive effect on the glycaemic control and the lipid profile in patients with diabetes mellitus type 2. 5 Cinnulin PF may also be beneficial for other ailments associated with insulin resistance.
You may wonder how this is of any significance. Well, insulin resistance is when normal amounts of insulin are not enough to produce a normal insulin response from fat, muscle and liver cells. When you have insulin resistance in muscle, it reduces glucose uptake, and insulin resistance in the liver reduces glucose storage. If you read our Cell Tech review, you'll see that the massive amounts of dextrose in Cell Tech is designed to create a heightened insulin response which leads to increased absorption of creatine. With Cinnulin PF, it prevents insulin resistance, improves muscle insulin sensitivity, and improves glucose and lipid profiles.
BSN Cell Mass Review
With all that said, how well does Cell Mass work in real human beings? So far, its received excellent review ratings and feedback from users. I've used many, many creatine products over the years, and this would have to be one of the better creatine supplements I've used. The creatine effects are quickly noticeable such as increased strength, and endurance during workouts. At certain points, I was surprised at how strong I felt, or a better way of putting it is how I was surprised at how some of my regular weight lifts felt. Note however, that I took Axis-HT in this stack, and I attribute some of the strength gains to that as well.
The recommended use (on the label) of Cell Mass is to take 2 servings per day - take 1 serving following workout on an empty stomach, and a second serving about 6 hours apart also on an empty stomach. This second serving can be taken in the morning or evening. Typically, I took one serving first thing in the morning along with 2 pills of Axis HT. Then I take my second serving right after my workout. On non-workout days, the label also suggests 2 servings, but i generally took just the 1 serving in the morning.
Cell Mass comes in two flavors: berry blast and grape cooler. Both tastes great, although I'd have to give personal preference to the grape cooler flavor. It's probably one of the best tasting creatine mixes I've tried. Every time I drink the grape cooler flavor, my wife always comments on how pleasant it smells.
While everything is great with BSN Cell Mass creatine, the one beef I have with it is how poorly it mixes. It really likes to clump up, and even with constant, heavy stirring, there will usually still be clumps left at the bottom. Even the label on the jar itself recommends "vigorous stirring". Other than that, I have nothing else to complain about it.
1. 2001 Jul-Aug;17(7-8):558-66.
Creatine and beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate (HMB) additively increase lean body mass and muscle strength during a weight-training program.Jówko E, Ostaszewski P, Jank M, Sacharuk J, Zieniewicz A, Wilczak J, Nissen S.
Institute of Sport and Physical Education, Biala Podlaska, Academy of Physical Education, Warsaw, Poland.
2. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2002 Jul;34(7):1176-83.
Effects of creatine on isometric bench-press performance in resistance-trained humans.Kilduff LP, Vidakovic P, Cooney G, Twycross-Lewis R, Amuna P, Parker M, Paul L, Pitsiladis YP.
3. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2003 Dec;13(4):504-20.
Effects of creatine on body composition and strength gains after 4 weeks of resistance training in previously nonresistance-trained humans.Kilduff LP, Pitsiladis YP, Tasker L, Attwood J, Hyslop P, Dailly A, Dickson I, Grant S.
4. Single- and multiple-dose pharmacokinetics of oral creatine.Persky AM, Müller M, Derendorf H, Grant M, Brazeau GA, Hochhaus G.
Department of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA. J Clin Pharmacol. 2003 Jan;43(1):29-37.
5. Eur J Clin Invest. 2006 May;36(5):340-4.
Effects of a cinnamon extract on plasma glucose, HbA, and serum lipids in diabetes mellitus type 2.Mang B, Wolters M, Schmitt B, Kelb K, Lichtinghagen R, Stichtenoth DO, Hahn A.
Nutrition Physiology and Human Nutrition Unit, Institute of Food Science, University of Hannover, Hannover, Germany.
The beneficial effects of creatine monohydrate in increasing muscle mass, size, strength, and athletic performance is well studied and documented.1,2,3 However, the downside of creatine monohydrate is it has relatively poor absorption rate which requires users to take large doses to achieve desired effects. This leads to various issues such as the creatine water retention, or stomach bloating. The repeated dosing of creatine causes a reduction in clearance that could result from saturation of the skeletal muscle pool of creatine.4 