Good news for creatine loaders

Concerns that long-term creatine use will inevitably lead to adverse side-effects appear to be unfounded, according to new research.

 

Creatine monohydrate is an amino acid compound known to get users "pumped" in two ways: by assisting in energy production through its interaction with ATP (adenosine triphosphate), and by encouraging nutrient absorption and water retention in muscle cells. It is commonly taken in alternating cycles of loading (20g to 30g a day) and maintenance (10g a day) phases.

 

A team of researchers from Scottish and American medical institutions recently tested the effects of creatine monohydrate supplementation on overall health in 26 athletes (18 men and 8 women).

 

The researchers divided the athletes into three groups: seven who were not creatine users, nine who took creatine for about a year and ten who took creatine for one to four years. The average loading dose in groups two and three was 13.7g a day and the maintenance dose 9.7g.

 

Researchers collected blood samples and gave standard clinical examinations to the athletes. They also measured body mass, blood pressure and resting heart rate, and analysed testosterone, cortisol and growth hormone.

 

"There were no differences in the reported incidence of muscle injury, cramps, or other side effects," researchers reported in the February Journal of Medicine and Science in Sport and Exercise.

 

"These data suggest that long-term creatine supplementation does not result in adverse health effects."