Is it Bad to Take Creatine at an Early Age?

Part of creatine’s allure as a sports supplement rests in its use by powerhouse athletes in the 1990s, such as baseball star Mark McGwire. Influence on young athletes also comes from advertisements claiming creatine is effective at quickly building muscle. While it is a legal supplement that has been scientifically shown to enhance muscle-building potential, the American College of Sports Medicine states that there is insufficient evidence available to conclude that creatine is safe for use by adolescents and children.

Minimum Age Recommendation

The ACSM flatly states in its 2000 review of creatine supplement research that there is inadequate data to evaluate the risks and benefits of pediatric creatine supplementation. The organization defines pediatric use as use by anyone under the age of 18, and advises against pregnant or breastfeeding women taking the supplement. A 2009 review of creatine by the University of Maryland Medical center raises the minimum age recommendation to 19.

Prevelance Among Youths

While some coaches and parents try to protect adolescents and children from the potential dangers of creatine by forbidding the substance, use still occurs among these age groups. Self-reporting studies of more than 5,000 students between the ages 10 to 18 in Wisconsin and New York revealed that 5.6 percent to 16.7 percent of students in this age group admit to using creatine. Many of the students cited a desire improve their strength and athletic performance as a reason for taking creatine. The studies did not examine whether creatine had any negative effect on the youths.

Safe Use

In 2009, the Portuguese “Journal of Pediatrics” published a review of 52 of the best studies on the use of sports supplements by young people. Despite creatine’s proven effectiveness for adult athletes, the review team stated that unrestrained use of creatine by adolescents can expose them to adverse effects. Creatine has many commonly cited side effects, such as water retention, muscle spasms and cramps. There have also been isolated case reports of kidney damage and impaired liver function while using the supplement.

Potential Benefit

While creatine should not be taken by anyone under the age of 18, it does not mean that it is ineffective for adolescents. The “International Journal of Sport Nutrition” published a double-blind and randomized trial in 1997 examining the effects of creatine in 18 male and female junior swimmers. Subjects consumed 21 grams of creatine daily for nine days and participated in 100-meter freestyle sprints. The youth swimmers taking the creatine supplement showed marked improvement in their sprints by the end of the trial compared to those swimmers not taking creatine.

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
• "Los Angeles Times"; The Creatine Edge; Joshua Tompkins; May 2004