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EFX Sports Kre-Alkalyn EFX Creatine Capsules contain a buffered form of creatine monohydrate powder, known as kre-alkalyn, with 1500 mg in every 2 capsule serving.
But what’s the difference between creatine kre-alkalyn and creatine monohydrate, and which formula can deliver a greater increase in strength?
In this review we’ll walk you through the pros and cons of buffered creatine, which does not convert into creatinine prior to reaching skeletal muscle tissue.
So can the smaller recommended dosages (1500 mg) compete with the 5 g of monohydrate we’re used to seeing in top rated creatine powder supplements?
This includes making some important comparisons between EFX Sports Kre-Alkalyn and other bestselling creatine products from Bulk Supplements, MusclePharm, MuscleTech, and BPI Sports.
Find out whether kre-alkalyn or monohydrate is the best creatine for your strength and fitness goals, and if there’s a difference in absorption between the capsules and taking the powder directly.
EFX Sports Kre-Alkalyn Ingredients
A quick glance at most creatine supplement labels will show they use monohydrate as the main ingredient. So why creatine a supplement that’s pure kre-alkalyn, and what results can you expect?
One study, published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, compared creatine monohydrate to kre-alkalyn, to see which was more effective.
The study included 36 resistance trained participants, split into 3 groups. One group supplemented with a pure form of creatine monohydrate (Creapure® from AlzChem) for 28 days.
This involved a 7-day loading phase at 20 g per day, followed by 21 days of a 5 g per day maintenance phase.
A second group supplemented with a high-dose kre-alkalyn, while the third group followed the manufacturer’s recommendation of 1.5 g per day, with no ‘loading phase’.
This is the same dosage recommended by EFX Sports.
At the end of the study, there were no significant differences between groups. Tests included measurements of fat-free mass, leg press strength (1RM), body fat percent, and free creatine muscle content.
As a side-note, Creapure® can be found in Optimum Nutrition Creatine powder, BPI Sports Best Creatine, and Beast Sports Creature. It’s the sole ingredient in Optimum Nutrition, and part of a creatine blend in the other two supplements.
Is Creatine Kre-alkalyn Better Value for Money?
As a pH balanced form of creatine, kre-alkalyn is always going to be more expensive than standard monohydrate.
Although this buffering is thought to promote greater creatine retention and have less side effects, we’ve seen no clinical studies back this up.
At the time of writing this review, EFX Sports Kre-Alkalyn was priced at $0.19 per serving. The problem is that each 2-capsule serving only provides you with 1.5 g of creatine.
Most studies we’ve seen recommend 5 g per day minimum.
On a cost-per-gram basis, it’s one of the most expensive creatine supplements on the market. At $0.10 per gram, it’s 5 times more expensive than Dymatize (1 kg tub), Optimum Nutrition (1.2 kg tub), and NOW Foods (1 kg tub).
- pH-Correct Creatine
- Buffered, Stable, Patented
- Tested for purity and banned substances
- Kre-Alkalyn EFX is the only creatine monohydrate product with a pH of 12
- 1500mg per serving
Health Benefits of Creatine
For a comprehensive list of creatine health benefits, we recommend taking a look at our Creatine Buying Guide.
Post-workout or Pre-workout?
Recommended Use
As a dietary supplement, take 1 capsule 30 minutes pre-workout and 1 post-workout. For best results, dosage varies by bodyweight:
- Up to 175 lbs: 1 capsule before and after workout
- Over 175 lbs: 2 capsules before and after workout
EFX Kre-Alkalyn vs. MuscleTech Cell Tech
EFX Kre-Alkalyn vs. BPI Best Creatine
What Size is the Best Value?
With a serving size of 2 capsules, each bottle provides you with either 120 servings. Following the recommended daily dose, this will be enough for a 1 month/30 day supply.
Multi-buy packs are also available, but they don’t typically offer much of a discount.
At the time of writing this review, the best value for money comes from the single bottle of 120 capsules. Each serving was priced at $0.19, compared to $0.22 per serving for the multi-pack of 2 bottles.
That’s why we always recommend calculating the average cost per serving, across all sizes, before making a final buying decision.
Save Money With Amazon
If you’re looking to save money on your monthly supplement order, you might want to consider the Amazon Subscribe & Save program.
Subscribe & Save allows you to unlock savings of up to 15% on a wide range of sports nutrition products, including EFX Sports Kre-Alkalyn.
You can save 5% with a subscription to 1 product, or save the full 15% by subscribing to 5 products, provided they’re all delivered to the same address. The delivery schedule can be set from monthly, up to once every 6 months.
Although 5 products might sound a lot, if you already supplement with a protein powder, multivitamin, creatine, BCAA, and glutamine, the savings can soon add up.
But it’s best to order before you run out of your current supplements, because Amazon set the day of the month each order is sent (same day each month e.g. 14th.).
Who Are EFX Sports?
EFX Sports are a company with a passion for delivering high quality supplements, with toxicology studies carried out to guarantee the safety of all ingredients.
Each product is made at their 150,000 square foot Research and cGMP compliant manufacturing facility, with an independent lab used to screen for banned substances.
Before being released onto the market, each of these products is tested before, during, and after production for quality control.
Although they’re perhaps best known for their Kre-Alkalyn Creatine, EFX Sports has a wide range of supplements, from sustained release protein powders, to their VitaDrive™ performance vitamins.
Review Overview
A memo was sent out by the president of All American EFX back in 2008, promoting the results of a study where they compared monohydrate and Kre-Alkalyn. Bearing in mind this was commissioned by the company that makes the product, so it could hardly be called independent.
The study didn’t report on strength increases, but did conclude that Kre-Alkalyn increased VO2 max more than monohydrate. There were also some minor improvements in cholesterol levels.
Personally, we place much more trust in the study we mentioned earlier in our review. This was published with much more extensive results by the Department of Health and Kinesiology at Texas A & M University.
However, it’s worth mentioning the study was funded by AlzChem, the company that produces the Creapure® monohydrate that was compared to Kre-Alkalyn in the study.
Nevertheless, we wouldn’t recommend taking Kre-Alkalyn in place of creatine monohydrate. It’s usually much more expensive, for a smaller serving, with no evidence to prove it’s any more effective at increasing strength and lean muscle mass.
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