Creatine and Protein?

[weazel205]

Why can't you take them at the same time? I don't understand...CellMass says to take on an empty stomache and so does my ON whey protein...what's the deal?

[barneygym]

You can take them together. Mix them in the same shake and go nuts.

They each say that because they assume you're only taking their product, and because an empty stomach means faster digestion.

[MrBeattyJr]

water carries out the old so u can bring in the new... ya cant pile new muscle on a damaged structure... (and creatine just helps retain water in the muscles)

[in10city]

Why can't you take them at the same time? I don't understand...CellMass says to take on an empty stomache and so does my ON whey protein...what's the deal?

CellMass has other "stuff" in there, that's why. But is it really necessary to do so? Debatable. And your protein doesn't need to be taken on an empty stomach.

Regarding creatine and protein together in general...
From "Bodybuildings Biggest Protein Myths Debunked" (Layne Norton)

Myth: "Don't take your creatine with protein because protein contains glutamine and glutamine competes with creatine for the same transporter!"

The Real Deal: There's not an ounce of truth to this. Creatine and glutamine have completely different receptors. Creatine transport into skeletal muscle is regulated by the Creatine Transporter while glutamine transport into skeletalmuscle is regulated by a system known as "System Nm." The only thing these transporters have in common is that they are both sodium-dependent transporters, meaning that they use differences in sodium concentrations across the cell membrane to drive creatine into cells. Apparently somewhere along the line, somebody believed that since glutamine and creatine transporters both shared that characteristic, they must be the same transporter and the myth spread from there. Let the confusion end here: they do not share the same transporter, and taking protein/glutamine with creatine won't decrease creatine uptake into muscle.