Can Young Athletes Take Creatine?

If I had a dollar for every time a parent, coach, or teen asked me about using creatine, I’d be a rich woman.

Despite being widely tested since the early 1900s with significant data supporting its effectiveness, creatine is still widely misunderstood.

It is even more gut-wrenching when doctors, trainers, health care professionals, influencers or random commenters spread misconceptions and misinformation on what creatine is. *Insert facepalm here.* Yes, it is 2024 and people still think creatine monohydrate is a steroid. (Spoiler alert, it’s not.)

So let’s break down what creatine is, how it’s used, and if it’s safe for your teen athlete to use.

Here’s the fancy definition: Creatine is a naturally occurring compound formed by three amino acids: L-glycine, L-arginine, and L-methionine. Creatine is assembled in a two-step process that occurs in the kidneys and liver.

Creatine is one of the most widely studied supplements and proven performance enhancers available.

There are two different types of creatine:

Creatine monohydrate (CM) is the gold standard in comparison to other forms of creatine. Creatine hydrochloride (creatine HCL) has been promoted as a more bioavailable source of creatine than creatine monohydrate. However, bioavailability does not increase solubility. Creatine HCL is a salt of HCL and creatine molecules. The claims that creatine HCL is a better choice to supplement than creatine monohydrate lack merit. The model studying HCL is theoretical and does not prove the same muscle creatine retention on performance as creatine monohydrate. Creatine monohydrate is the most widely studied and effective form of creatine.

It’s also very important to note that creatine is NOT a steroid. Creatine monohydrates do have steroid-like properties, which is why many professionals confuse the two, but it is not a steroid. Both help you gain muscle mass, but a true anabolic steroid is a synthetic supplement and not a naturally-occurring supplement like creatine. Plus, the side effects of anabolic steroids can be detrimental to long-term health and performance.

Check out my most recent Instagram post on creatine.

Creatine deposits high-energy phosphate groups in the form of phosphocreatine (WHERE?). This is given to adenosine diphosphate (ADP), regenerating it to adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the sole energy carrier in the human body, which can be called “energy currency” for cells to carry out their functions. For example, during conditions of short-term, high-energy demand activities (<30 seconds) with limited recovery time, ATP runs out quickly, which illustrates the importance of creatine stored in muscles in the form of creatine phosphate.

Since creatine phosphate restores ATP, it gives muscle cells the ability to produce greater energy during physical activities. The greater creatine stores you have, the greater energy your muscle cells can yield during high-intensity exercise, thus leading to increased performance. Even though the most well-documented and primary benefit is higher energy production, this mechanism also supports muscle gain and strength increases.

Consuming enough creatine from the diet is challenging given the total creatine pool available in normal food sources.

Science suggests creatine is most effective when taken as a supplement immediately after a workout and paired with protein and carbohydrates. Creatine consumed immediately post-resistance training is superior to pre-workout in terms of body composition and strength. The recommended dose is 3-5 g of creatine per day, at any time of day. Creatine is safe and effective on rest days from exercise as well as training days.

While CM is best paired with a carbohydrate-rich source to draw it into muscle cells, it can also be added to water or other beverages for faster consumption and saturation. A saturated cell is a happy cell! This supports recovery and muscle repair following resistance training.

Creatine is like the Swiss Army knife of supplements because it can do so many beneficial things:

There is robust evidence to support the effectiveness of creatine in the adult population. Among children and adolescents, there is mounting evidence to support the therapeutic benefits of creatine supplementation as well as clinical and exercise performance. Available studies in the adolescent population involving high-intensity exercise training indicate performance benefits as well as no reported side effects.

In relation to performance, the International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN) has concluded that creatine monohydrate is the most effective ergogenic supplement available to athletes in terms of increasing high-intensity exercise and supporting lean body mass during training. The ISSN has also concluded CM is safe.

Every time a parent, coach, or athlete asks me about taking creatine, my answer is always the same: it depends.

The standard practice in the industry is that young athletes as young as 10 can take creatine. Check out the Creatine Supplementation in Children and Adolescents review carried out by Jagim and Kerksick, 2021, outlining the available studies involving youth athletes for more information.

But here’s the catch: creatine should only be taken in conjunction with a food-first nutritional plan:

For a more in-depth look, Here’s my free Creatine Monohydrate Guidebook.

All supplements used should be third-party tested for safety, purity, and compliance. For a quick reference, you can download the NSF Certified Sport app for a list of supplements and their ingredients.

The USADA “recommends that athletes use only dietary supplements that have been certified by a third-party program that tests for substances prohibited in sport. The USADA is responsible for anti-doping education and testing for athletes in the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Movements as well as the UFC.”

Similarly, any products used should be NSF International Certified for Sport to reduce the risk of consuming any harmful or contaminated products. Supplements are regulated but not as heavily regulated as pharmaceuticals. Please see the reasons to use NSF Certified for Sport products in a previous blog.

Creapure is a great brand to use and offers more explanation on dosing, and it’s the one I recommend to my clients most often.

So what brands of creatine do I recommend to my clients? Find out in this instagram post.

Side bar: There has been a rise in creatine gummies on the market. Currently, there are ZERO studies that directly compare traditional creatine monohydrate supplements to creatine gummies.Many gummies are not third-party tested since they are newly available to the industry. Hence my hesitation in recommending them. I stand with the science which is inconclusive on gummies.

We do not yet know if gummies are just as effective in boosting muscle growth, strength, and athletic performance as other creatine supplements. They are also more expensive, may contain additives, and could potentially contain less creatine per serving based on processing and degradation. Until more research is conducted, I do not recommend creatine gummies to anyone.

There is robust literature to support the beneficial effects creatine has on body composition, physical performance, injury prevention, recovery, brain health, and clinical use. Currently, there have not been any negative effects associated with the use of CM in both the adolescent or adult populations. Adolescent athletes under the age of 18, and even children as young as infants, can safely consume CM.

There is zero evidence to suggest CM supplementation would cause harm, dehydration, cramping, or any other outlandish claims that have been disproven by multiple global studies. Not incorporating a CM supplement would be a disservice to your athletes or even yourself!

By supplementing with creatine monohydrate immediately following training, you’re able to support muscle growth and recovery, injury prevention, and overall health.

Sports physicians, athletic trainers, coaches, performance nutritionists, and others working with youth athletes should provide the best guidance to teen athletes based on the available science to support their principal interests. Kids are going to be using supplements like energy drinks and pre-workouts, which contain dangerous amounts of caffeine. I would rather we provide education on the safety and use of creatine, which is not dangerous but beneficial. I would like to see more people using creatine given the ergogenic benefits and no reported adverse effects. Creatine monohydrate is a safe, effective, and inexpensive way to support health and physical performance!

Use Code WENDI for 15% off Momentous third-party tested creatine and other supplements. We would never recommend anything we did not personally use ourselves as sports dietitians. Our clients and athletes can trust Momentous. Momentous products are third-party tested and NSF and Informed Choice approved! You won’t find another supplement company that matches their product quality or purity!

Here’s my free Creatine Monohydrate Guidebook.

In November 2020 I had the opportunity to be a guest on the Catalyst Coaching podcast with Dr. Bradford Cooper where I discussed the role creatine plays according to science. Listen to our conversation here.

Another podcast to check out is Gerry DeFilippo. Gerry kindly invited me on his podcast to discuss the different forms of creatine. To learn more, listen to Episode #143: Everything You Need to Know About Creatine with Wendi Irlbeck.

If you want to learn more about other types of creatine, I discussed them in my guest appearance on Muscles and Management.

I had the opportunity to speak about creatine in the youth population via the Big Time Strength podcast.

I get to stand on the shoulders of giants and pioneers in this industry. Please refer to the experts and those I respect most in the field like Dr. Darren Candow, Dr. Tim N. Ziegenfuss, Dr. Scott Forbes, Dr. Jose Anotonio, Dr. Rich Krider, Dr. Eric Rawson, and others who can further provide the research they have been doing for the last few decades.

In good faith, fitness, health, and athletic performance,

Coach Wendi