Creatine is safe and beneficial throughout life ✅
Far from just a bodybuilding supplement.
Creatine supplementation is safe, beneficial throughout the lifespan, and should not be restricted
Study Details
This new opinion article outlined the key data on why creatine is a vital nutrient for life 🔍
Key Findings
1. Creatine is a naturally occurring compound that is needed to provide cellular energy 🧬
2. The daily need for creatine is about 2 - 4 g/day ⚖️
3. The best sources of creatine in the diet are meat and fish, but supplementation is significantly cheaper and more practical 💊
4. Creatine supplementation can also be an effective strategy for those following a plant-based diet 🌱
5. Dietary availability of creatine in children/adolescents may positively affect growth, maturation and body composition 🩻
6. Adequate intake for creatine is 7 mg/day for infants aged 0 - 6 months who are exclusively breastfed and 8.4 mg/day for infants aged 7 - 12 months 👶🏻
7. Lower dietary creatine intake (< 0.95 g/day) is associated with poorer cognitive function and health outcomes in older adults 👴🏻
8. High-quality creatine monohydrate is Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) by the Food and Drug Administration, and is safe for consumption in 🇺🇸🇨🇦🇪🇺🇦🇺🇰🇷🇯🇵🇨🇳
9. Over 680 peer-reviewed clinical trials have been conducted on creatine supplementation since the 1970s, across multiple age groups, with no adverse effects 📚
10. Creatine monohydrate supplementation (0.3 g/kg/day for 5 - 7 days then 0.05 to 0.15 g/kg/day thereafter) is the most effective nutritional strategy to increase and maintain tissue creatine content 📈
11. Creatine can improve strength, high-intensity exercise performance, and muscle mass 💪
12. Creatine may also reduce risk of injury, including the severity of concussion and traumatic brain injury 🧠
13. Restricting the availability of creatine to children and adolescents may put them at risk for injury or compromise recovery following injury or disease management for neurocognitive disorders ⚠️
14. Evidence indicates that creatine monohydrate supplementation possesses a number of health benefits during pregnancy and infancy for children, and adolescents, for women, for adults involved in exercise training and for older populations🫀
15. Creatine supplementation may improve cognitive function⚡️
16. Creatine may also have benefits for mental health including reducing risk of depression and may be a useful adjunct therapy 🙌
Conclusion
Will we start to see incorporation of creatine more across populations? 🧐
The evidence suggests, we probably should ✅
Reference
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/nutrition/articles/10.3389/fnut.2025.1578564/full