The Benefits and Risks of Creatine

Now, if you're active in the health and fitness scene online, I'm sure you've seen mentions of creatine, positive and negative. I'm here to put this discourse to rest, at least for those who care to read.

First, lets discuss what creatine actually is. Creatine is a compound that comes from the three amino acids (arginine, glycine, and methionine), naturally produced by your own body, but our bodies produce much less than the amount people typically supplement. People mainly supplement creatine by taking it orally, in order to improve energy levels while lifting, but studies have shown that creatine may have even more benefits. It has been used to treat certain brain disorders, neuromuscular conditions, congestive heart failure, and other conditions. Some studies show it also may even help combat aging skin.

Basically, creatine is very safe to consume, for sure improving power and energy levels in the gym, and has even more likely benefits, as stated above, as well as improving cognitive function. I have been personally taking creatine for almost the entirety of my journey in the gym, and have only seen benefits, no adverse effects.

There have been many claims of adverse side effects of creatine, such as hair loss, kidney damage, liver damage, weight gain, bloating, etc. For most of these, studies have found that creatine itself does not cause this, at least when taken in recommended dosages (3-5g a day), but possibly additives, ingredients, or contaminants generated during the production of creatine can lead some minor side effects. In order to avoid this, be sure to do your research and purchase a trusted, third-party tested source of creatine.

There are some different kinds of creatine you can find, but the kind you want for weightlifting and the above benefits, is specifically Creatine Monohydrate. As I've said, be sure the one you're buying is third-party tested, and I will link one below from a company I trust that is third-party tested.

Now if you're still concerned, I implore you to do your own research, and read some studies done on the effectiveness and possible side effects of creatine. A few of the ones I used to write this article are here:

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7910963/#sec7-nutrients-13-00447

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-54249-9#Sec24

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6279854/#s5

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