Your body is continuously producing waste that can be toxic to your body if not removed. Your kidneys filter out this waste to be removed in the urine. Your doctor may measure your kidney function by checking the level of creatinine, one of the wastes to be removed, in your blood. Creatine, although it can be broken down into creatinine, has no relation to kidney function.
Kidney Function
Your kidneys are twin organs that sit beneath your rib cage on your back. The kidneys filter your blood to remove soluble waste products and excess vitamins and minerals, such as sodium, potassium and calcium. If your kidneys are not healthy due to disease or injury, they will not be able to filter waste, allowing it to build up in your body.
Creatinine
Creatinine is a waste product produced by your body when breaking down creatine phosphate, a source of energy in your muscles. Creatinine itself is not harmful to your body. Since your body produces creatinine at a relatively constant rate, your doctor may measure the level of creatinine in your blood to test kidney function. If your kidneys are unhealthy, they will not remove creatinine as quickly, thus blood creatinine levels will rise.
Creatine
Though your body naturally produces creatine to fuel your muscles, some take various forms of creatine as an athletic performance supplement. The stores of creatine phosphate within your muscles are depleted within 10 seconds during intense exercise. Increasing the level of creatine phosphate in your muscles will increase your exercise strength and endurance. However, this will only be advantageous during activities such as weightlifting and sprinting, where the duration of exertion is short. Research is conflicted as to whether creatine supplements can increase the creatine level of your muscles. Creatine supplements will raise creatinine level as the excess creatine is broken down.
Treatment
Your doctor will prescribe a course of treatment if your creatinine levels are high. You should not attempt to correct high creatinine levels yourself. Creatinine levels are not lowered directly. Instead your doctor will focus on treating the underlying condition that is causing poor kidney function. If your kidneys are permanently disabled, you may require regular dialysis to remove waste from your blood.
