For healthy individuals, cleared by a physician for regular physical activity, are there any health risks for creatine use?
There have been many allegations about the safety of supplementing with creatine. These allegations initially surfaced in 1998 when a British newspaper, The Lancet, alleged that creatine supplementation causes renal dysfunctions (4).
There were reports of gastrointestinal distress after use of creatine such as: diarrhea, upset stomach, and belching (2). Muscle cramps were also mentioned, but after investigating the report and conducting experiments to determine if creatine was the culprit of muscle cramps, no evidence was found. It is recommended for all athletes to maintain proper hydration to reduce the risk of cramping (4).
According to Schroder et al. creatine did not seem to have any adverse effects when a low dose was used over a period of three years (1). Creatine is a substance that already exists in the human body and is mostly found in the skeletal muscle. It is also found in smooth and cardiac muscle and is synthesized in the liver, pancreas, and kidneys. Individuals with kidney or renal problems are recommended not to supplement with creatine due to the increased workload it may place on the kidneys and liver (3).
Based on the literature, what type of physical activities might benefit from creatine supplementation/what type of activities might creatine have no effect OR worsen performance?
Individuals that supplement creatine may experience gains in fat-free mass by up to 6% and an increase in total body mass of 1 - 2.3%; however one third of the individuals studied had no increase in body mass (3,4). Creatine has been reported to help in short durations of cycle sprints due to higher ATP and CrP levels found pre-exercise and reduced levels found post-exercise.
This improved level of performance is due to the re-synthesis of CrP and ATP during rest (5). Some physical activities that may see gains with the use of creatine are sprints, weight lifting, baseball, or any other actions lasting 30 seconds to two minutes in length (6). There is also a chance that aerobic recovery is enhanced by creatine supplementation due to creatine being used in both the aerobic and anaerobic systems (5). It was also concluded that creatine supplementation could not increase performance if there was not proper recovery between bouts of high intensity activity (7).
References:
- Schroder, H., Terrados, N., & Tramullas, A. (2005). Risk assessment of the potential side effects of long-term creatine supplementation in team sport athletes. European Journal Of Nutrition, 44(4), 255-261.
- Ostojic, S., & Ahmetovic, Z. (2008). Gastrointestinal Distress After Creatine Supplementation in Athletes: Are Side Effects Dose Dependent?. Research in Sports Medicine, 16(1), 15-22.
- Poortmans, J., & Francaux, M. (2000). Adverse effects of creatine supplementation: fact or fiction? / Effets secondaires nocifs de la supplementation en creatine: realite ou fiction ?. Sports Medicine, 30(3), 155-170.
- Francaux, M., & Poortmans, J. (2006). Side Effects of Creatine Supplementation in Athletes. International Journal of Sports Physiology & Performance, 1(4), 311-323.
- Havenetidis, K., (2005). Assessment of the Ergogenic Properties of Creatine Using an Intermittent Exercise Protocol, JEPonline, 8(1), 26-33.
- Bemben, M., & Lamont, H. (2005). Creatine Supplementation and Exercise Performance: Recent Findings. Sports Medicine, 35(2), 107-125.
- Levesque, DG., Kenefick, RW., Quinn, TJ. (2007). Creatine Supplementation: Impact on Cycling Sprint Performance, JEPonline, 10(4), 17-28.
Article Provided by Rene’ Moreno- B.S., NASM- CPT, PES
