Should young people take creatine?

Creatine is one of the most widely used sports supplements around the world. Many people take it in hopes of increasing strength, improving athletic performance, and promoting muscle growth.

However, not only adults benefit from this supplement. An increasing number of teenagers and young adults are reporting this taking creatine in hopes of reaping the benefits of the supplement.

Research shows that as many as 72% of male athletes aged 17-18 report using creatine. Usage is typical more common among athletesespecially young men.

Although creatine is generally considered safe for young people, it is not a shortcut to getting fit. It’s better for young people who want to gain strength or improve their athletic performance to focus on the basics: exercise, proper nutrition and prioritizing sleep.

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Creatine is there natural compound stored in the muscles. Although a small amount is produced in the kidneys and liver, the majority (about 95%) comes from eating meat and seafood. Creatine plays an important role in providing energy during high intensity exercise such as sprints and weightlifting.

Although there are several forms of creatine available on the market, creatine monohydrate is the most stable and widely researched form.

Numerous studies show that creatine supplementation improves performance in high-intensity exercises requiring strength and power, such as strength training and sprint. Creatine supplementation can also lead to more muscle growth combined with resistance training and faster recovery from exercises.

New research also suggests that the benefits of creatine extend beyond the gym. Research shows that creatine can improve aspects cognitive function – especially memory and attention.

Creatine too shows promise for older people to prevent muscle loss and protect against neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease.

Creatine safety

A typical diet including meat and seafood provides approx 1-2 grams of creatine per day, which allows you to maintain approximately 60-80% of creatine in the muscles.

Taking a daily creatine supplement ultimately fills your muscles with creatine. There are two common ways to do this.

The fastest and most researched method involves a weekly charging phase. This means taking 0.3 grams of creatine per kilogram of body weight four times a day. For example, a person weighing 75 kg should take a total of 24 g of creatine per day.

Some alternative approachwhich increases the level of creatine in the muscles gradually, involves taking 3 g of creatine daily for about 28 days.

Both approaches will fill the creatine reserves in the muscles. The first method (loading) allows you to replenish your creatine stores faster, which means you will see the benefits of increased exercise performance sooner. However, the second approach is less likely to be temporary gastrointestinal discomfort (such as flatulence and diarrhea) which are more common when using the loading method.

Regardless of what method you use, to maintain muscle creatine levels, it is necessary to consume 3-5 g of creatine per day.

Numerous studies show that short- and long-term creatine supplementation (up to 30 g per day for five years) is safe and does not cause any health effects if taken at the right time recommended doses.

The most common side effect of creatine supplementation is weight gain increases water retention in the muscles. This extra water only stays as long as you take creatine.

Creatine and young people

Although creatine has been shown to be safe and effective in adults, only a few studies have examined its effects in children and adolescents.

Available research indicates that creatine seems to be safe for young people to use and provide performance benefitsespecially for athletes. Most studies focused solely on safety: creatine dosage from 0.1 g to 0.3 g per kg of body weight per day. Therefore, it is important that young people who decide to use creatine do not exceed this dose.

Although creatine appears to be safe for children and adolescents, it is possible that without proper nutritional education and dosage supervision, they may be at risk of inappropriate creatine use – which could lead to side effects such as stomach cramps.

A study assessing the knowledge of young athletes on the effects of sports supplements should be used reported that only 11% of athletes correctly answered questions about the use of creatine.

Regardless of age, remember that supplements such as creatine are not a shortcut to improving fitness, building muscle or losing fat. Supplements do a lot less performance increase compared to what can be achieved with good training and nutrition alone. Although sports supplements aid training and recovery, significant progress can be achieved with consistent exercise, a balanced diet and adequate sleep.

With a well-designed training program and healthy eating plan, young people will experience rapid improvements in strength, power and endurance without the need for supplements. This may cause you to focus on taking supplements too early distract young people from building good training habits and healthy eating patterns.

Therefore, most sports dietitians recommend the use food-based approachwhich focuses on maximizing the quality of your diet before recommending supplements such as creatine.