Creatine is the number-one sports activities efficiency complement accessible.
But regardless of its research-backed advantages, some individuals keep away from creatine as a result of they’re afraid it’s unhealthy for well being.
Some declare it causes weight to acquire, cramping, and digestive, liver, or kidney issues.
This text offers an evidence-based assessment of creatine’s security and unwanted side effects.
What Are Its Purported Facet Results?
Relying on who you ask, the advised unwanted side effects of creatine might embody:
Moreover, some individuals wrongly declare that creatine is an anabolic steroid, that it’s unsuitable for girls or youngsters, or that it ought to solely be utilized by skilled athletes or bodybuilders.
Regardless of the detrimental press, the Worldwide Society of Sports activities Diet regards creatine as extraordinarily secure, concluding that it is without doubt one of the most useful sports activities dietary supplements accessible (1).
Main researchers who’ve studied creatine for a number of many years additionally conclude that it is without doubt one of the most secure dietary supplements in the marketplace (2).
One research examined 52 well-being markers after members took creatine dietary supplements for 21 months. It discovered no hostile results (2).
Creatine has additionally been used to deal with varied ailments and well-being issues, together with neuromuscular issues, concussions, diabetes, and muscle loss (1, 3, 4, 5).
What Does It Do in Your Physique?
Creatine is discovered all through your physique, with 95% saved in your muscle tissues (6).
It’s obtained from meat and fish and will also be produced naturally in your physique from amino acids (7).
Nonetheless, your weight-reduction plan and pure creatine ranges don’t usually maximize muscle shops of this compound.
The common shops are about 120 mmol/kg, however, creatine dietary supplements can elevate these shops to around 140–150 mmol/kg (8).
Throughout high-intensity train, the saved creatine helps your muscle tissues produce extra power. That is the primary cause that creatine enhances train efficiency (9).
When you fill your muscle’s creatine shops, any extra is damaged down into creatinine, which is metabolized by your liver and excreted in your urine (8).
Does It Trigger Dehydration or Cramps?
Creatine alters your physique’s saved water content material, driving extra water into your muscle cells (10).
This truth could also be behind the speculation that creatine causes dehydration. Nonetheless, this shift in mobile water content material is minor, and no analysis helps the claims about dehydration.
A 3-year research of school athletes discovered that these taking creatine had fewer instances of dehydration, muscle cramps, or muscle accidents than these not taking it. Additionally they missed fewer periods on account of sickness or harm (11).
One research examined creatine use throughout train in scorching climate, which may speed up cramping and dehydration. Throughout a 35-minute biking session in 99°F (37°C) warmth, creatine had no hostile results in comparison with a placebo (12).
Additional examination through blood checks additionally confirmed no distinction in hydration or electrolyte ranges, which play a key function in muscle cramps (12).
Essentially the most conclusive analysis has been carried out in people present process hemodialysis, a medical therapy that will trigger muscle cramps. Researchers famous that creatine lowered cramping incidents by 60% (13).
Based mostly on the present proof, creatine doesn’t trigger dehydration or cramping. If something, it might shield towards these circumstances.
Does It Trigger Weight Achieve?
Analysis has totally documented that creatine dietary supplements trigger a fast improve in physique weight.
After one week of high-dose loading of creatine (20 grams/day), your weight will increase by round 2–6 kilos (1–3 kg) on account of elevated water in your muscle tissues (1, 14).
Over the long run, research present that physique weight might proceed to extend to a larger extent in creatine customers than in non-creatine customers. Nonetheless, weight acquire is because of elevated muscle development — not elevated physique fats (15).
For many athletes, the extra muscle is a constructive adaptation that will enhance sports activities efficiency. As it is usually one of many principal causes individuals take creatine, it shouldn’t be thought-about a facet impact (1, 14).
Elevated muscle may have advantages for older adults, overweight people, and people with sure ailments (16, 17, 18, 19, 20).
How Does It Have an effect on Your Kidneys and Liver?
Creatine can barely elevate ranges of creatinine in your blood. Creatinine is usually measured to diagnose kidney or liver issues.
Nonetheless, the truth that creatine raises creatinine ranges doesn’t imply that it’s harming your liver or kidneys (21).
To this point, no research of creatine use in wholesome people has supplied proof of hurt to those organs (1, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26).
A protracted-term research of school athletes discovered no unwanted side effects associated to liver or kidney operate. Different research measuring organic markers within the urine additionally discovered no distinction after creatine ingestion (27).
One of many longest research to this point — lasting for 4 years — equally concluded that creatine has no detrimental unwanted side effects (24).
One other well-liked research usually cited within the media reported kidney illness in a male weightlifter who supplemented with creatine (28).
Nonetheless, this single case research is inadequate proof. Quite a few different elements, together with extra dietary supplements, had been additionally concerned (26, 28).
That mentioned, creatine dietary supplements ought to be approached with warning in case you have a historical past of liver or kidney points.
Does It Trigger Digestive Issues?
As with many dietary supplements or medicines, extreme doses might trigger digestive points.
In a single research, the 5-gram beneficial dose brought about no digestive issues, whereas a 10-gram dose elevated diarrhea danger by 37% (29).
Because of this, the beneficial serving is about at 3–5 grams. The 20-gram loading protocol can be cut up into 4 servings of 5 grams every over the course of a day (1).
One main researcher reviewed a number of research and concluded that creatine doesn’t improve digestive issues when taken at beneficial doses (30).
Nonetheless, it’s attainable that components, elements, or contaminants generated throughout the industrial manufacturing of creatine can result in points (21, 31).
It’s subsequently beneficial that you just buy a trusted, high-quality product.
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