Is creatine safe for adolescent athletes? 🧐
The scientific evidence.
Evaluating the Safety of Creatine Monohydrate in Adolescents: A Systematic Review of Renal, Hepatic, and Cardiometabolic Outcomes
Study Details
This new review summarised the available data on creatine use in adolescents with particular focus on…
👉 Kidney health
👉 Liver health
👉 Heart health
Here are the key findings ⬇️
Key Findings
Kidney Health 🔍
🩺 No clinically meaningful changes were observed in kidney function markers including serum creatinine and eGFR following creatine supplementation
📊 Renal biomarkers remained within normal clinical reference ranges across adolescent and athletic populations
✅ No creatine-related kidney adverse events were reported within the included short- and medium-term studies
Liver Health 🔍
🧪 Liver enzymes including ALT and AST remained within normal clinical ranges throughout supplementation periods
⚠️ No evidence of hepatotoxicity or clinically significant liver abnormalities was identified
🏃 Findings suggest creatine was well tolerated even during periods of high training load in athletes
Heart Health 🔍
📉 No significant associations were found between creatine-containing supplement use and adverse cardiometabolic outcomes
🩸 Blood pressure, lipid profiles, HbA1c and diabetes risk were not negatively affected in long-term follow-up data
📅 Longitudinal data across ~7 years did not identify increased cardiovascular disease risk markers following adolescent creatine use
Conclusion
These findings are only based on 5 studies ⚠️
Although the initial data is supportive of creatine being safe for adolescents, we need more data 📚
Plus, you will make much greater progress in your health, development and performance by focusing on more important areas (calories and macros) first ✅
Reference
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42124755/
Performance Nutrition Digest is powered by Healthspan Elite ⚡️
Healthspan Elite is a science-led sports nutrition range developed in collaboration with leading experts to support athletic performance, recovery, and health.
Use code: TCDIGEST25 for 25% off at https://www.healthspanelite.co.uk/ 💪