"Youngsters should stay away from creatine"

[CAchief]

I know there are a lot of articles that will show the opposite of this. But I thought it was a good read, let me know what you guys think

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[OldGuy]

I don't see a problem with that article. I don't think teens should use creatine. Wait until they are older.

Protein shakes I just see as an alternative food source so they can take that.

[eros]

creatine does nothing to me, so not hard for me to stay of it
maybe it doesn't help because i'm still young?

[vandamme]

"High doses of creatine may be associated with kidney, liver or heart problems, and even high blood pressure, although definitive links to severe illness haven't been established."


not true! countless studies and research on this show this to be untrue. that is a myth that uneducated people seem to use a LOT.
the article is obviously not based on the current research. ya people should not jump into takig stuff you know little about but in terms of safety and health the article is simply not telling the truth of the matter and seems more based on peoples opinions.

[CAchief]

Those studies showing it isn't true aren't absolute though. There is still a "?" to it. It depends on the dosage too. And the article is talking about youths, not all ages.

[vandamme]

your article is not showing any studies or making reference to any type of research. I'm well aware that your article is about youth not adults. creatine is does not affect hormone levels or anything i am aware of that would cause age to be a major factor either.
creatine is probably one of the most researched supplements on the market. what are high levels of creatine in the article anyway? the typical dosage of a loading phase, maintence phase or just steady useage of a lower dose is shown in countless research to be safe when taken by healthy males using it chronically for 10 yrs. to say it may result in Kidney, liver or heart problems is just bs i'm sorry.
i'm also unaware why your defending an article that is soley based on opinion rather then current research. i've had friends who used it for yrs from the ages of 15 up and never had any problems. yes it may not be nessecary and is not going to be some miricle powder some kids may think it is but it's perfectly safe and to say it is asscociated with all those problems is just rediculous.

here is just one example:

"Creatine monohydrate is probably the most extensively researched sports supplement ever. It is a well-documented performance enhancer and muscle growth stimulator with no reported adverse effects. However, much of the research on creatine is performed on healthy people undertaking an exercise program. No research has directly examined creatine's potential for producing adverse effects in healthy people without the variable of exercise. This study assessed creatine's potential for negative effects, such as increased blood pressure and kidney stress in healthy men and women not participating an exercise program.

The researchers of this study hypothesized that any negative effects of creatine supplementation would most likely occur on a high-dose regime with no exercise. The "no exercise rule" eliminated the possibility of the creatine being "used-up" (metabolized) during muscle contraction. The scientists carefully monitored the blood pressure and kidney function (plasma creatinine concentrations and creatinine clearance rates) of 15 men and 15 women as they supplemented with creatine (20-grams a day for 5-days) and compared these results to those taking a glucose placebo.

The "creatine loading with no exercise" protocol did not produce any adverse effects. No effects were seen in blood pressure, plasma creatinine or creatinine clearance contrast. High does creatine without exercise did not cause kidney stress. However, fat-free mass and total body mass did increase in the participants taking creatine. Interestingly, the observed mass changes were greater for men versus women. It appears that creatine increase lean mass and is safe to take even without performing exercise.

The researchers concluded that acute creatine administration does not affect blood pressure or renal function and the effect of creatine on lean mass may be greater in men than women.

Med. Sci. Sports Exerc.32;2:291-296, 2000. "

[vandamme]

heres another:


"An excellent review of creatine supplementation in humans by world-renowned biochemist Ira Jacobs shows the only "side effect" every reported during creatine supplementation has been weight gain.

Jacobs reviewed well over 100 full research papers published only in peer-reviewed journals where research design was double blind and placebo controlled only. No rabble or newspaper stuff, just the science. Jacobs has heard all the media hype about the side effects of creatine - everything from muscle tears, cramps, kidney and gastrointestinal problems, acne and even nightmares! While examining extensive data on both elite athletes during intense training and complete novices, Jacobs could not find even a hint of one of these problems in the literature. Even a recent report on long term creatine users (5-10years) came up with nothing, zip, nada. No side effects.

The report also showed those subjects with the highest creatine uptake in muscle had the lowest initial, pretreatment concentrations. Where as those with already high creatine levels show little or no change.

Exercise during the supplementation period resulted in increased creatine accumulation and that creatine loading does enhance muscular performance. However, in most reports about performance, there were no simultaneous determination of muscle creatine levels. So we don’t know what levels are required to improve performance.

So after 10 years of scrutiny, creatine shows an immaculate track record. Even socially acceptable substances like caffeine and aspirin cannot demonstrate this.

Dietary Creatine Monohydrate Supplementation.1999 Can.J.Appl.Physiol. 24(6) Dec:503-514
"

[eastcoastsurfer]

High does of nearly anything can lead to kidney, liver, and heart problems.

Have you ever seen the studies on what high doses of no/lo cal replacement sugars do to lab animals? When I drink sodas now, it's only the real deal for me.

Heck, drink enough water at one sitting and you can kill yourself because you throw the bodies salt/water balance out of whack.

Every creatine study I've read that shows a daily does of 3-5g has shown little to no side effect, short or long term.

[Bond007]

What a bodus article. While I do believe that teens should not stray into the supplement market, I do feel that this article is definitely purporting rumors and facts not in evidence. If you want to completely avoid creatine, mustn't you also completely avoid red meat? The studies I've read (I don't recall which ones, so don't ask) have all stated that creatine is a naturally formed substance found in limited amounts in red meat.

Furthermore, this article was posted on May 24, 2005 and in it the author states:

"such as Ripped Fuel, a combination of ephedrine (speed) and caffeine, Anabolox Plus, Extreme Cut, and Zantrex, a popular and powerful weight-loss product."

If my memory serves me correctly, ephedrine was banned by the FDA recently.

I'm further concerned that this author us tending to tie creatine and protein powders in with anabolic steroids. And, we all know that just isn't the case.

This is simply another case of unethical reporting, imho.

[von_Hayes]

out of more than 150 studies, some lasting as long as four years, none have shown any side effects of creatine other than increased weight, minor gi problems, and occasional cramps. ( strength conditioning journal, 27:62-68,2005)

[Lost Dog]

Originally posted by eastcoastsurfer:
Have you ever seen the studies on what high doses of no/lo cal replacement sugars do to lab animals? When I drink sodas now, it's only the real deal for me.

So, you're now drinking sodas with natural sweeteners? Like High Fructose Corn Syrup... HFCS is not the real deal. I think you should rethink this decision, as there are no "mainstream" sodas on the market in the US that aren't sweetened with HFCS (at least, that I know of).

Since you probably don't have MANY sodas (right?), which is better/worse?

1. An artificial sweetener that causes problems in animals when they ingest extremely large amounts.

2. An "artificial" sweetener (HFCS) that still has calories, goes directly to the liver, releasing enzymes that instruct the body to store fat, which may elevate triglyceride (fat in blood) levels and elevate cholesterol levels. Other research indicates that it does not stimulate insulin production (So, don't use PowerAid in PWO drinks! Gatorade contains no HFCS, by the way.), which usually creates a sense of being full.
HFCS

I'm not planning to have a large amount, so I'd opt for the Diet Coke over the Coke. But, that's me.

Water, ice tea, etc. are obviously better choices. Also, if you really want soda, there are natural sodas that use sugar, corn syrup (which is not he same as HFCS), etc. You'll have to search them out, though.

[chris_f]

LD: I think i'd still go with regular soda. Carcinogens or HFCS? hmmm... HFCS!!

[Lost Dog]

I haven't read any studies on low and no calorie sweeteners being carcinogenic, with the exception of saccharin (which has been discredited). I'd be interested in seeing them.

However, many things are carcinogenic in large amounts. Grilled meat comes to mind. So does coffee, which has been shown to be both good and bad in all sorts of studies.

It seems like everything's bad for us...

[Bond007]

Originally posted by sharkbait:
LD: I think i'd still go with regular soda. Carcinogens or HFCS? hmmm... HFCS!!

If you're referring to Aspartame found in artificial sweetners such as Equal, Nutrasweet, or Spoonful, then read this. HFCS is still the worse of the two, imho.

[CAchief]

that's scary because HFCS is in so many of the ingredients I read.