Creatine monohydrate is one of the most researched dietary supplements for enhancing sports performance, with annual sales of $14 million dollars in the U.S. as of 2009, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. Despite a breadth of study demonstrating creatine's effectiveness, the American College of Sports Medicine points out that a majority of this research has centered on males aged 18 to 35. The safety of creatine in teenagers and adolescents is not well defined. Talk to your doctor if you are considering a creatine supplement for your child.
Age Recommendation
Due to a lack of research into the effects of creatine on children and adolescents, there is not a clearly defined minimum age that is safe for creatine supplementation. The University of Maryland Medical Center reports that there are no safety tests for creatine in children under the age of 19, and anyone below this age should avoid the supplement entirely. However, a 1997 study in the "International Journal of Sport Nutrition" did demonstrate that a nine-day supplementation program for swimmers under 18 years old can be effective and safe.
Youth Usage
Though medical practitioners typically discourage the use of creatine supplements in children less than 18 or 19 years old, surveys have shown it to be a popular choice among junior high and high school athletes who want a performance, strength or appearance edge. A 2001 survey in the journal "Pediatrics" showed that roughly 5.6 percent of more than 1,000 kids between the ages of 10 and 18 had taken the supplement before. The children were from a northern suburb of New York City, and creatine use became increasingly prevalent as they approached the age of 18. A 2002 study in the "Wisconsin Medical Journal" exhibited similar findings, and noted that creatine use was most prevalent among children in contact sports like football.
Potential Benefits
Creatine has been shown to improve high intensity sporting activities by increasing your body's capacity to produce the exercise energy source, ATP. The most common reason cited by children under the age of 18 for creatine use is improved strength and performance for a sporting activity, showing that they do at least have some understanding of creatine's potential benefits. While the 1997 study of youth swimmers did show that creatine has the potential to increase high-intensity sporting efforts like sprinting, there is not enough research in this area to conclusively state that creatine is beneficial for youths.
Potential Side Effects
Until further review of creatine's safety for children under the age of 18, you should not take the supplement without advisement from your doctor. An extensive review of dietary supplement use by adolescents appeared in the Portuguese "Journal of Pediatrics" in 2009. After examining more than 370 scholarly articles, the researchers concluded that children should not use creatine or other dietary supplements because of the potential exposure to severe side effects. Among creatine's potential side effects are muscle cramps and strains, weight gain, dizziness, high blood pressure, gastrointestinal distress, liver dysfunction and kidney damage.
References
- "Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise"; The Physiological and Health Effects of Oral Creatine Supplementation; Ronald L. Terjung Ph.D. et al.; 2000
- University of Maryland Medical Center; Creatine; Steven D. Ehrlich, N.M.D.; June 2009
- "Wisconsin Medical Journal"; Creatine Supplementation in Wisconsin High School Athletes; T. A. McGuine, et al.; 2002
- "Pediatrics"; Creatine Use Among Young Athletes; J. D. Metzl, et al.; August 2001
- "Journal of Pediatrics"; Dietary Supplement Use by Adolescents; C. Alves, et al.; July 2009
- "International Journal of Sport Nutrition"; Effects of Creatine Supplementation on Repetitive Sprint Performance and Body Composition in Competitive Swimmers; P. D. Grindstaff, et al.; December 1997
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