You are right that creatine is a nutritional supplement and not a steroid. But there are still proven, researched benefits to cycling in terms of the effectiveness of this supplement. You can greatly enhance the POWER of creatine to work for you through cycling. You don't cycle to simply "go off of it for awhile".. because as you said, it's not a steroid. Instead, the REASON you cycle is to allow your body to get the best use of creatine. Let me explain the science for you since you value research and knowledge.
As far as absorption into your system, because your body already makes creatine, it does not readily absorb it at first. This is why you load for 5 days. If all you did was begin to take 5g a day, it would eventually get into your system. But it would take longer than loading. When you load, most of the 10g is excreted through urination.. but SOME of it is absorbed. (Like a vitamin to an extent.) After your load phase and absorption, your body actually stops producing its own creatine, because it "recognizes" it doesn't need to (it will start again when you quit supplementing), as you are supplementing it. It actually "closes" many of its receptor sites that make and absorb creatine at that point. This is why any more than 5g is a waste to ingest! (YOU already know this, but many people don't.) Agreed?
Ok. So, your body is getting the MOST it can out of creatine at this point. Now, if you STOP the creatine for 2-3 weeks (which is the "window" for this cycling).. something begins to happen. Creatine has a long half-life.. and it will stay in your body for 2-3 weeks after you quit taking it. In the meantime, since you have stopped taking it, your body begins to detect this and "re-opens" its receptor sites, in preparation for creatine-making again. At the 2 week point, you still have much of the supplement in your system AND your body has re-opened its sites. THIS is where true gain can happen.
IF you load again at that 2-3 week point, then you already have more creatine in your system from "last time" AND your receptors are open to accepting MORE creatine. In essence, you load again for 10g a day and your cells can reach a super-saturation of creatine, greater than what was possible the first time. THIS is the benefit of cycling.
You get NO benefit from taking more than 5 grams a day.. your cells cannot accept more than that at that point. The ONLY way to have your cells accept more is this cycling portion of it. The super-saturation helps people break training plateus easily.. and get the MOST out of creatine, with less money and cost (since you are not taking it for those 2-3 weeks). The important part to cycling is that you need to be ON creatine for at least a month or 2 before stopping to cycle..otherwise, your body has not yet reached the point where cycling will be of any benefit. ALSO, you cannot wait more than 2-3 weeks to "super saturate". Any longer than that and all the "old" creatine will have gotten out of your system, and you will actually simply be starting a new load phase with no new jolt.
As far as absorption into your system, because your body already makes creatine, it does not readily absorb it at first. This is why you load for 5 days. If all you did was begin to take 5g a day, it would eventually get into your system. But it would take longer than loading. When you load, most of the 10g is excreted through urination.. but SOME of it is absorbed. (Like a vitamin to an extent.) After your load phase and absorption, your body actually stops producing its own creatine, because it "recognizes" it doesn't need to (it will start again when you quit supplementing), as you are supplementing it. It actually "closes" many of its receptor sites that make and absorb creatine at that point. This is why any more than 5g is a waste to ingest! (YOU already know this, but many people don't.) Agreed?
Ok. So, your body is getting the MOST it can out of creatine at this point. Now, if you STOP the creatine for 2-3 weeks (which is the "window" for this cycling).. something begins to happen. Creatine has a long half-life.. and it will stay in your body for 2-3 weeks after you quit taking it. In the meantime, since you have stopped taking it, your body begins to detect this and "re-opens" its receptor sites, in preparation for creatine-making again. At the 2 week point, you still have much of the supplement in your system AND your body has re-opened its sites. THIS is where true gain can happen.
IF you load again at that 2-3 week point, then you already have more creatine in your system from "last time" AND your receptors are open to accepting MORE creatine. In essence, you load again for 10g a day and your cells can reach a super-saturation of creatine, greater than what was possible the first time. THIS is the benefit of cycling.
You get NO benefit from taking more than 5 grams a day.. your cells cannot accept more than that at that point. The ONLY way to have your cells accept more is this cycling portion of it. The super-saturation helps people break training plateus easily.. and get the MOST out of creatine, with less money and cost (since you are not taking it for those 2-3 weeks). The important part to cycling is that you need to be ON creatine for at least a month or 2 before stopping to cycle..otherwise, your body has not yet reached the point where cycling will be of any benefit. ALSO, you cannot wait more than 2-3 weeks to "super saturate". Any longer than that and all the "old" creatine will have gotten out of your system, and you will actually simply be starting a new load phase with no new jolt.
Also, cycling isn't necessarily an on/off switch, it may include higher/lower doses. Nor it is necessarily month on/month off. It may be day on/day off.