Optimum Nutrition Micronised Creatine Powder, 100% Pure Creatine Monohydrate Powder for Performance and Muscle Power, Unflavoured Shake, 93 Servings, 317 g

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Creatine has different effects on every individual. Some people just don’t respond to creatine—it’s a genetic thing.

Creatine supplements are likely safe for adults when taken at recommended doses. A review of scientific studies on creatine by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) Committee on Dietary Supplement Use by Military Personnel found that getting five grams of creatine a day (from food or supplements) is probably safe over the long term. However, creatine in very high doses is possibly unsafe and may harm kidney, liver or heart function, according to the NIH. Creatine supplementation, when ingested at recommended dosages, does not result in kidney damage and/or renal dysfunction in healthy individuals. Lanhers C, Pereira B, Naughton G, Trousselard M, Lesage FX, Dutheil F. Creatine Supplementation and Upper Limb Strength Performance: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Sports Med. 2017;47:163–73.To be safe, he recommends using creatine only if you are healthy and have no kidney problems. That’s because your kidneys excrete creatinine, a breakdown product of creatine. Preliminary studies show creatine may soothe muscle painof people with McArdle's disease. McArdle's disease is a genetic syndrome that stops a person's ability to break down the energy source glycogen. People with McArdle's disease typically have poor stamina and muscle pain.In a 2000 study of nine people with McArdle's disease, five people reported that creatine improved muscle pain and helped them tolerate exercise better, according to the paper published in the Archives of Neurology. Marques EP, Wyse ATS. Creatine as a Neuroprotector: an Actor that Can Play Many Parts. Neurotox Res. 2019;36:411–23. Injury prevention. Oral creatine might reduce the frequency of dehydration, muscle cramping, and injuries to the muscles, bones, ligaments, tendons and nerves. The majority of available evidence does not support a link between creatine supplementation and hair loss / baldness.

Dolan E, Artioli GG, Pereira RMR, Gualano B. Muscular Atrophy and Sarcopenia in the Elderly: Is There a Role for Creatine Supplementation? Biomolecules. 2019;9. https://doi.org/10.3390/biom9110642. A 2001 study published in the journal Pediatrics found children as young as age 10 were using creatine. Of the more than 1,000 student athletes surveyed in Westchester County, N.Y., about 5 percent reported using creatine. However, 44 percent of high-school senior athletes admitted taking creatine for both athletic performance and appearance. DHT is a metabolite of testosterone, formed when the enzyme 5-alpha-reductase converts free testosterone to DHT [ 63]. In males, DHT can bind to androgen receptors in susceptible hair follicles and cause them to shrink, ultimately leading to hair loss [ 64]. However, in the van der Merwe et al. [ 61] study, no increase in total testosterone was found in the 16 males who completed the study. Free testosterone was not measured. Moreover, the increase in DHT and the DHT: testosterone ratio remained well within normal clinical limits. Furthermore, baseline (prior to supplementation), DHT was 23% lower in the creatine group (0.98 nmol/L) compared to the placebo group (1.26 nmol/L). Thus the small increase in DHT in the creatine group (+ 0.55 nmol/L after 7 days of supplementation and + 0.40 nmol/L after 21 days of supplementation), in combination with a small decrease in the placebo DHT response (-0.17 nmol/L after 7 days of supplementation and -0.20 nmol/L after 21 days of supplementation) explains the “statistically significant” increase in DHT noted by van der Merwe et al. [ 61]. While it is possible that creatine supplementation upregulated 5-alpha-reductase activity in these males (potentially leading to increased formation of DHT), no study has reported hair loss/baldness in humans.High blood pressure measurements show that the force of blood against the walls of the arteries is too high. Some people wrongly claim that creatine is an anabolic steroid, that it’s unsuitable for women or teenagers, or that it should be used only by professional athletes or bodybuilders ( 1). The powder also contains 19g of carbohydrate to replenish your energy reserves after training, along with DigeZyme Digestive Enzymes to help you break down everything you’ve just drunk. There are three flavour options – chocolate peanut, dark chocolate berry and the slightly more exotic coconut and lime. Robinson SM, Reginster JY, Rizzoli R, Shaw SC, Kanis JA, Bautmans I, Bischoff-Ferrari H, Bruyere O, Cesari M, Dawson-Hughes B, Fielding RA, Kaufman JM, Landi F, Malafarina V, Rolland Y, van Loon LJ, Vellas B, Visser M, Cooper C. ESCEO working group Does nutrition play a role in the prevention and management of sarcopenia? Clin. Nutr. 2018;37:1121–32. Few studies have looked at how creatine supplements might interact with prescription medication. However, the NIH recommends people be cautious when taking creatine supplements alongside nephrotoxic drugs, meaning medications that can cause kidney damage. Some common drugs known to be potentially nephrotoxic include nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs ( NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen, naproxen, piroxicam and indomethacin. Some antibiotics, called aminoglycosides, also carry a risk of kidney damage that could be amplified by creatine. Gentamicin, amikacin and tobramycin are examples of aminoglycoside antibiotics. The immunosuppressant cyclosporine can also have this effect. The NIH warns that combining creatine supplements with nephrotoxic drugs may increase a person's risk of kidney damage.