Personally, until recently, I have avoided supplements because I never knew how to judge the ‘good’ ones from the ones with good marketing.
Professionally, I've always given a generic answer when asked about supplementing with creatine because I am not a registered dietician (RD). While I can provide some general nutrition advice, I usually recommend talking to an RD for individualized recommendations based on your own health conditions and goals.
But I get asked about creatine so often (more than any other supplement) that I thought it was time for me to dig into the answer and share what I find. So I’ve done my research and am sharing my findings with you here today along with a couple of resources.
First, I wanted to know, is it generally safe? My reading shows that yes, adverse effects are very uncommon in healthy adults. When rare side effects have been reported, it has most often been in association with other drugs or supplements, or at very high doses.
Next, is it as effective as the hype makes it sound? It does appear to have good, high quality results for men and women trying to improve muscle recovery, performance, and bone density throughout life. There’s a catch though - these results only hold up when combined with a strength and resistance program. (There may be some benefit to supplementation alone for people who are very inactive, but the rest of us will only stand to make gains from adding this supplement when combined with active strategies like resistance training.)
Separately, there is some evidence that it can help prevent cognitive decline in older adults as well. I focused my reading on muscle and bone for this newsletter so I don’t know the quality of this evidence but this is so interesting!
How much should you take? Steady, low doses (3-5 g per day for most people) appear to be safest with no clear benefit of ‘loading’ or taking large amounts to start as some (marketing?) strategies suggest.
TLDR: if you are already taking proactive steps to combat muscle or bone loss, improve performance, or recover from injury, supplementing with creatine at a low, daily dose may be a helpful and safe option to boost your results. If you aren’t already as active as you want to be, prioritize starting a new strength routine first. And of course, I will always recommend talking to a registered dietician or your primary care provider before starting a new supplement.
Lastly, here’s a helpful resource to help you check the supplements in your cabinet for safety. Try using it next time you consider adding a $60 proprietary supplement to your routine.
Warmly,
Katy
P.S. If this newsletter felt helpful and you want more research into the health and fitness fads we see every day, please let me know! I'd love to hear what topics you'd like to learn more about.