Document Type
Article
Publication Title
Frontiers in Nutrition
Abstract
As researchers investigating creatine supplementation, we have become increasingly concerned about reports that government agencies are attempting to restrict the sale of dietary supplements, including dietary supplements containing creatine, to children and adolescents. Creatine is a naturally occurring compound found in every cell in the human body that plays a critical role in cellular metabolism. The daily turnover of creatine is about 2–4 grams/day, depending on muscle mass and physical activity levels (1, 2). About half of the daily need for creatine is synthesized in the body from amino acids (arginine, glycine, methionine) and stored as free creatine or phosphocreatine in muscle, brain, heart, and other tissues (1). The remaining daily need to maintain normal cell and tissue levels of creatine primarily comes from consuming meat and fish. For example, one pound (16 oz.) of red meat and fish contains about 1–2 grams of creatine. In the cells, creatine changes into phosphocreatine, a compound vital in maintaining cellular energy availability, particularly during metabolically stressful conditions like intense exercise, periods of injury or illness, and some metabolic diseases with applications for diverse populations across a wide age range.
Creatine is essential to promote normal energy metabolism and healthy growth and maturation in children and adolescents (Figure 1). Low dietary creatine intake has been associated with slower growth, less muscle mass, and higher body fat in children and adolescents (3). Adolescents have been reported to consume lower than recommended amounts of creatine in the diet. Despite common misconceptions, creatine has a well-supported safety profile and has been repeatedly shown to be safe, even with long-term supplementation (4, 5). Additionally, there is no evidence that children and adolescents purchasing and taking creatine-containing supplements cause adverse health effects and/or increase the likelihood of eating disorders or use of performance-enhancing drugs. Conversely, individuals who take creatine are interested in improving health, exercise performance, gaining muscle mass, and improving their physique. While meat and fish are natural sources of creatine, they can be expensive and high in calories. A food-first approach is always recommended, meaning that dietary sources of creatine should be prioritized whenever possible. However, due to cost, accessibility, and other potential barriers, dietary supplementation of creatine monohydrate or supplements and foods fortified with creatine monohydrate are a cost-effective way to ensure that children and adolescents obtain enough creatine in their diet to promote healthy growth and maturation. Creatine supplementation has also been shown to be safe and have clinically meaningful benefits in pediatric disorders, including acute lymphoblastic leukemia, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, and disorders of creatine metabolism.
Legislation restricting the sale of creatine-containing products to children and adolescents is not based on scientific evidence which strongly supports the importance of creatine in the diet and its safety as a supplement. Moreover, creatine supplementation is not associated with eating disorders (6), and any claim suggesting the contrary is not rooted in scientific evidence. These false claims and reckless speculation regarding the dangers of creatine supplementation may discourage the use of creatine by minors, parents of minors, and healthcare professionals from recommending creatine supplementation, a nutrient that offers a plethora of health and performance-related benefits for all populations. This may further reduce the availability of creatine in children’s and adolescents’ diets, impairing growth and maturation and negatively impacting the development of a healthy body composition. Lobbying groups and legislatures should base laws on the available science, not speculation, unfounded hypotheses, or politics. We provide the following scientific facts about creatine to help those proposing legislative efforts to limit the availability of creatine in children and adolescents make more informed legislation.
DOI
10.3389/fnut.2025.1578564
Publication Date
4-2025
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Kreider, Richard; Jagim, Andrew; Antonio, Jose; Kalman, Douglas; Kerksick, Chad; Stout, Jeffrey R.; Wildman, Robert; Collins, Rick; and Bonilla, Diego A., "Creatine supplementation is safe, beneficial throughout the lifespan, and should not be restricted" (2025). Faculty Scholarship. 734.
https://digitalcommons.lindenwood.edu/faculty-research-papers/734