the method of the present invention generally comprises administering to an individual afflicted with a disease or susceptible to a disease involving body weight regulation , an amount of a compound or compounds which modulate one or more of the structural or functional components of the creatine kinase / phosphocreatine system sufficient to prevent , reduce or ameliorate symptoms of the disease . components of the system which can be modulated include the enzyme creatine kinase , the substrates creatine creatine phosphate , adp , atp , and the transporter of creatine . as used herein , the term “ modulate ” means to change , affect or interfere with the functioning of the components in the creatine kinase / creatine phosphate enzyme system . the creatine kinase / creatine phosphate system is an energy generating system operative predominantly in the brain , muscle , heart , retina , adipose tissue and the kidney ( walliman et . al ., biochem . j . 281 : 21 - 40 ( 1992 )). the components of the system include the enzyme creatine kinase ( ck ), the substrates creatine ( cr ), creatine phosphate ( crp ), atp , adp , and the creatine trasporter . the enzyme catalyses reversibly the transfer of a phosphoryl group from crp to adp to generate atp which is the main source of energy in the cell . this system represents the most efficient way to generate energy upon rapid demand . the creatine kinase isoenzymes are found to be localized at sites where rapid rate of atp replenishment is needed such as around ion channels and atpase pumps . some of the functions associated with this system include efficient regeneration of energy in the form of atp in cells with fluctuating and high energy demand , energy transport to different parts of the cell , phosphoryl transfer activity , ion transport regulation , and involvement in signal transduction pathways . brown and white adipose tissue both contain creatine kinase and the substrates creatine and creatine phosphate , with activity of the enzyme 50 times higher in brown tissue ( bertlet et al ., biochim biophys . acta 437 : 166 - 174 ( 1976 )). brown fat tissue is responsible for energy expenditure and heat generation through the process of non - shivering thermogenesis . it was suggested that creatine may be involved in co - promoting mitochondrial respiration for thermogenesis . the substrate cr is a compound which is naturally occurring and is found in mammalian brain , skeletal muscle , retina and the heart . it &# 39 ; s phosphorylated form crp is also found in the same organs and is the product of the ck reaction . both compounds can be easily synthesized and are believed to be non toxic to man . a series of creatine analogues have also been synthesized and used as probes to study the active site of the enzyme . kaddurah - daouk et al . ( wo 92 / 08456 published may 29 , 1992 and wo 90 / 09192 , published aug . 23 , 1990 ; u . s . pat . nos . 5 , 321 , 030 ; and 5 , 324 , 731 ) described methods for inhibiting growth , transformation , or metastasis of mammalian cells using related compounds . examples of such compounds include cyclocreatine , homocyclocreatine and beta guanidino propionic acid . these same inventors have also demonstrated the efficacy of such compounds for combating viral infections ( u . s . pat . no . 5 , 321 , 030 ). elgebaly in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 091 , 404 discloses the use of cyclocreatine for restoring functionality in muscle tissue . cohn in pct publication no . wo94 / 16687 describes a method for inhibiting the growth of several tumors using creatine and related compounds . the term “ creatine compound ” will be used herein to include creatine , and compounds which are structurally similar to it and analogues of creatine and creatine phosphate . the term “ creatine compound ” also includes compounds which “ mimic ” the activity of creatine , creatine phosphate , or creatine analogues i . e ., compounds which modulate the creatine kinase system . the term “ mimics ” is intended to include compounds which may not be structurally similar to creatine but mimic the therapeutic activity of the creatine analogues or structurally similar compounds . the term creatine compounds will also include inhibitors of creatine kinase , ie . compounds which inhibit the activity of the enzyme creatine kinase , molecules that inhibit the creatine transporter or molecules that inhibit the binding of the enzyme to other structural proteins or enzymes or lipids . the term “ modulators ” of the creatine kinase system ” are compounds which modulate the activity of the enzyme , or the activity of the transporter of creatine , or the ability of the enzyme to associate with other cellular components . these could be substrates for the enzyme and they would have the ability to build in their phosphorylated state intracellularly . these types of molecules are also included in our term creatine compounds . the term creatine “ analogue ” is intended to include compounds which are structurally similar to creatine , compounds which are art - recognized as being analogues of creatine , and / or compounds which share the same function as creatine . creatine ( α also known as n -( aminoiminomethyl )- n - methyl glycine ; methylglycosamine or n - methyl - guanidino acetic acid is a well - known substance . ( see the merck index , eleventh edition no . 2570 , 1989 ). creatine is phosphorylated chemically or enzymatically to creatine kinase to generate creatine phosphate , which is also well known ( see the merck index , no . 7315 ). both creatine and creatine phosphate ( phosphocreatine ) can be extracted from animals or tissue or synthesized chemically . both are commercially available . cyclocreatine is an essentially planer cyclic analogue of creatine . although cyclocreatine is structurally similar to creatine , the two compounds are distinguishable both kinetically and thermodynamically . cyclocreatine is phosphorylated efficiently by the enzyme creatine kinase in the forward reaction , both in vitro and in vivo . rowley , g . l ., j . am . chem . soc . 93 : 5542 - 5551 ( 1971 ); mclaughlin , a . c . et . al . j . biol . chem . 247 , 4382 - 4388 ( 1972 ). it represents a class of substrate analogues of creatine kinase and which are believed to be active . examples of substances ( creatine analogues ) known or believed to modify the creatine kinase / creatine phosphate system are listed in tables 1 and 2 . most of these compounds have been previously synthesized for other purposes ( rowley et al ., j . am . chem . soc ., 93 : 5542 - 5551 , ( 1971 ); mclaughlin et . al ., j . biol . chem ., 247 : 4382 - 4388 ( 1972 ) nguyen , a . c . k ., “ synthesis and enzyme studies using creatine analogues ”, thesis , dept of pharmaceutical chemistry , univ . calif , san francisco , 1983 ; lowe et al ., j . biol . chem ., 225 : 3944 - 3951 ( 1980 ); roberts et . al ., j . biol . chem ., 260 : 13502 - 13508 ( 1995 ) roberts et . al ., arch . biochem . biophy ., 220 : 563 - 571 , 1983 , and griffiths et . al ., j . biol . chem ., 251 : 2049 - 2054 ( 1976 ). the contents of all of the forementioned references are expressly incorporated by reference . further to the forementioned references , kaddurah - daouk et . al ., ( wo 92 / 08456 ; wo 90 / 09192 ; u . s . pat . no . 5 , 324 , 731 ; u . s . pat . no . 5 , 321 , 030 ) also provide citations for the synthesis of a plurality of creatine analogues . the contents of all the aforementioned references and patents are incorporated herein by reference . it will be possible to modify the substances described below to produce analogues which have enhanced characteristics , such as greater specificity for the enzyme , enhanced solubility or stability , enhanced cellular uptake , or better biding activity . salts of products may be exchanged to other salts using standard protocols . bisubstrate analogues of creatine kinase and non hydrolyizable substrate analogues of creatine phosphate ( non transferable moieties which mimic the n phosphoryl group of creatine phosphate ) can be designed readily and would be examples of creatine kinase modulators . creatine phosphate compounds can be synthesized chemically or enzymatically . the chemical synthesis is well known . annesley , t . m ., walker , j . b ., biochem . biophys . res . commun ., 74 : 185 - 190 ( 1977 ); cramer , f ., scheiffele , e ., vollmar , a ., chem . ber ., 95 : 1670 - 1682 ( 1962 ). creatine compounds which are particularly useful in this invention include those encompassed by the following general formula : a ) y is selected from the group consisting of : — co 2 h — nhoh , — no 2 , — so 3 h , — c (═ o ) nhso 2 j and — p (═ o )( oh )( oj ), wherein j is selected from the group consisting of : hydrogen , c 1 - c 6 straight chain alkyl , c 3 - c 6 branched alkyl , c 2 - c 6 alkenyl , c 3 - c 6 branched alkenyl , and aryl ; b ) a is selected from the group consisting of : c , ch , c 1 - c 5 alkyl , c 2 - c 5 alkenyl , c 2 - c 5 alkynyl , and c 1 - c 5 alkoyl chain , each having 0 - 2 substituents which are selected independently from the group consisting of : 1 ) k , where k is selected from the group consisting of : c 1 - c 6 straight alkyl , c 2 - c 6 straight alkenyl , c 1 - c 6 straight alkoyl , c 3 - c 6 branched alkyl , c 3 - c 6 branched alkenyl , and c 4 - c 6 branched alkoyl , k having 0 - 2 substituents independently selected from the group consisting of rromo , chloro , epoxy and acetoxy ; 2 ) an aryl group selected from the group consisting of : a 1 - 2 ring carbocycle and a 1 - 2 ring heterocycle , wherein the aryl group contains 0 - 2 substituents independently selected from the group consisting of : — ch 2 l and — coch 2 l where l is independently selected from the group consisting of : bromo , chloro , epoxy and acetoxy ; and 3 ) — nh — m , wherein m is selected from the group consisting of : hydrogen , c 1 - c 4 alkyl , c 2 - c 4 alkenyl , c 1 - c 4 alkoyl , c 3 - c 4 branched alkyl , c 3 - c 4 branched alkenyl , and c 4 branched alkoyl ; c ) x is selected from the group consisting of nr 1 , chr 1 , cr 1 , o and s , wherein r 1 is selected from the group consisting of : 2 ) k where k is selected from the group consisting of : c 1 - c 6 straight alkyl , c 2 - c 6 straight alkenyl , c 1 - c 6 straight alkoyl , c 3 - c 6 branched alkyl , c 3 - c 6 branched alkenyl , and c 4 - c 6 branched alkoyl , k having o - 2 substituents independently selected from the group consisting of : bromo , chloro , epoxy and acetoxy ; 3 ) an aryl group selected from the group consisting of a 1 - 2 ring carbocycle and a 1 - 2 ring heterocycle , wherein the aryl group contains 0 - 2 substituents independently selected from the group consisting of : — ch 2 l and — coch 2 l where l is independently selected from the group consisting of : bromo , chloro , epoxy and acetoxy ; 4 ) a c 5 - c 9 a - amino - w - methyl - w - adenosylcarboxylic acid attached via the w - methyl carbon ; 5 ) 2 c 5 - c 9 a - arnino - w - aza - w - methyl - w - adenosylcarboxylic acid attached via the w - methyl carbon ; and 6 ) a c 5 - c 9 a - amino - w - thia - w - methyl - w - adenosylcarboxylic acid attached via the w - methyl carbon ; d ) z 1 and z 2 are chosen independently from the group consisting of : ═ o , — nhr 2 , — ch 2 r 2 , — nr 2 oh ; wherein z 1 and z 2 may not both be ═ o and wherein r 2 is selected from the group consisting of : 2 ) k , where k is selected from the group consisting of : c 1 - c 6 straight alkyl ; c 2 - c 6 straight alkenyl , c 1 - c 6 straight alkoyl , c 3 - c 6 branched alkyl , c 3 - c 6 branched alkenyl , and c 4 - c 6 branched alkoyl , k having 0 - 2 substituents independently selected from the group consisting of : bromo , chloro , epoxy and acetoxy ; 3 ) an aryl group selected from the group consisting of a 1 - 2 ring carbocycle and a 1 - 2 ring heterocycle , wherein the aryl group contains 0 - 2 substituents independently selected from the group consisting of : — ch 2 l and — coch 2 l where l is independently selected from the group consisting of : bromo , chloro , epoxy and acetoxy ; 4 ) 2 c 4 - c 8 a - amino - carboxylic acid attached via the w - carbon ; 5 ) b , wherein b is selected from the group consisting of : — co 2 h — nhoh , — so 3 h , — no 2 , op (═ o )( oh )( oj ) and — p (═ o )( oh )( oj ), wherein j is selected from the group consisting of : hydrogen , c 1 - c 6 straight alkyl , c 3 - c 6 branched alkyl , c 2 - c 6 alkenyl , c 3 - c 6 branched alkenyl , and aryl , wherein b is optionally connected to the nitrogen via a linker selected from the group consisting of : c 1 - c 2 alkyl , c 2 alkenyl , and c 1 - c 2 alkoyl ; 6 ) — d — e , wherein d is selected from the group consisting of : c 1 - c 3 straight alkyl , c 3 branched alkyl , c 2 - c 3 straight alkenyl , c 3 branched alkenyl , c 1 - c 3 straight alkoyl , aryl and aroyl ; and e is selected from the group consisting of : —( po 3 ) n nmp , where n is 0 - 2 and nmp is ribonucleotide monophosphate connected via the 5 ′- phosphate , 3 ′- phosphate or the aromatic ring of the base ; —[ p (═ o )( och 3 )( o )] m — q , where m is 0 - 3 and q is a ribonucleoside connected via the ribose or the aromatic ring of the base ; —[ p (═ o )( oh )( ch 2 )] m — q , where m is 0 - 3 and q is a ribonucleoside connected via the ribose or the aromatic ring of the base ; and an aryl group containing 0 - 3 substituents chosen independently from the group consisting of : cl , br , epoxy , acetoxy , — og , — c (═ o ) g , and — co 2 g , where g is independently selected from the group consisting of : c 1 - c 6 straight alky , c 2 - c 6 straight alkenyl , c 1 - c 6 straight alkoyl , c 3 - c 6 branched alkyl c 3 - c 6 branched alkenyl , c 4 - c 6 branched alkoyl , wherein e may be attached to any point to d , and if d is alkyl or alkenyl , d may be connected at either or both ends by an amide linkage ; and 7 ) — e , wherein e is selected from the group consisting of —( po 3 ) n nmp , where n is 0 - 2 and nmp is a ribonucleotide monophosphate connected via the 5 ′- phosphate , 3 ′- phosphate or the aromatic ring of the base ; —[ p (═ o )( och 3 )( o )] m — q , where m is 0 - 3 and q is a ribonucleoside connected via the ribose or the aromatic ring of the base ; —[ p (═ o )( oh )( ch 2 )] m — q , where m is 0 - 3 and q is a ribonucleoside connected via the ribose or the aromatic ring of the base ; and an aryl group containing 0 - 3 substituents chose independently from the group consisting of : cl , br , epoxy , acetoxy , — og , — c (═ o ) g , and — co 2 g , where g is independently selected from the group consisting of : c 1 - c 6 straight alkyl , c 2 - c 6 straight alkenyl , c 1 - c 6 straight alkoyl , c 3 - c 6 branched alkyl , c 3 - c 6 branched alkenyl , c 4 - c 6 branched alkoyl ; and if e is aryl , e may be connected by an amide linkage ; e ) if r 1 and at least one r 2 group are present , r 1 may be connected by a single or double bond to an r 2 group to form a cycle of 5 to 7 members ; f ) if two r 2 groups are present , they may be connected by a single or a double bond to form a cycle of 4 to 7 members ; and g ) if r 1 is present and z 1 or z 2 is selected from the group consisting of — nhr 2 , — ch 2 r 2 and — nr 2 oh , then r 1 may be connected by a single or double bond to the carbon or nitrogen of either z 1 or z 2 to form a cycle of 4 to 7 members . currently preferred compounds include cyclocreatine , creatine phosphate and those included in tables 1 and 2 hereinabove . the modes of administration for these compounds includes but is not limited to , oral , transdermal , or parenteral ( eg ., subcutaneous , intramuscular , intravenous , bolus or continuous infusion ). the actual amount of drug needed will depend on factors such as the size , age and severity of disease in afflicted individual . creatine has been given to athletes in the range of 2 - 8 gms / day to improve muscle function . creatine phosphate was administered to patients with congestive heart failure also in the range of several gm / day and was very well tolerated . in experimental animal models of cancer or viral infections , were creatine compounds were shown to be active , amounts of 1 gm / kg / day were needed intraveniously or intraperitoneially . for this invention the creatine compound will be administered at dosages and for periods of time effective to reduce , ameliorate or eliminate the symptoms of the disease . dose regimens may be adjusted for purposes of improving the therapeutic or prophylactic response of the compound . for example , several divided doses may be administered daily , one dose , or cyclic administration of the compounds to achieve the required therapeutic result . the creatine compounds can be formulated according to the selected route of administration . the addition of gelatin , flavoring agents , or coating material can be used for oral applications . for solutions or emulsions in general , carriers may include aqueous or alcoholic / aqueous solutions , emulsions or suspensions , including saline and buffered media . parenteral vehicles can include sodium chloride , potassium chloride among others . in addition intravenous vehicles can include fluid and nutrient replenishers , electrolyte replenishers among others . preservatives and other additives can also be present . for example , antimicrobial , antioxidant , chelating agents , and inert gases can be added ( see , generally , remington &# 39 ; s pharmaceutical sciences , 16th edition , mack , 1980 ). those skilled in the art will recognize , or be able to ascertain using no more than routine experimentati many equivalents to the specific embodiments of the invention described herein . such equivalents a intended to be encompassed by the following claims .