Updated 3/8/23. Creatine safety in kids is a question I often get asked by parents of children who want to take this supplement to improve their sports performance. If you're a parent and have not heard of creatine, it's a compound that has been shown to improve certain types of exercise such as weight lifting and sprinting. While we make small amounts, it's also widely available as a supplement. In this review, I'll discuss the research and safety of creatine in kids younger than 18 years of age.
Additional Creatine References (Videos)
- Can Creatine Improve Memory
- Do You Need To Cycle Creatine?
- Creatine & Rhabdomyolysis: Fact or Fiction?
What Is Creatine?
Creatine (also known as creatine monohydrate) is a natural compound in our bodies. It is also found in meat, fish, and poultry. We usually make about 1-2 grams naturally every day and get about 1-2 grams daily from the food we eat.
Creatine is also one of the most popular nutritional supplements in the world. In supplements, it's often called creatine monohydrate.
How Does Creatine Work?
In the body, creatine gets converted to a substance called phospho-creatine. In the muscles, phospho-creatine can quickly re-energize our ultimate energy molecule, called adenosine triphosphate (ATP). The ATP molecule, in turn, provides the energy we need to do everything – workout out, walking the dog, thinking, chewing food, keeping our hearts beating, etc.
The creatine energy system boosts ATP production very fast. The fast production of energy increases muscle power. This is why powerlifters, who lift very heavy weights, probably supplement with creatine.
Hundreds of well-done scientific studies conducted over the last 40 or more years have found creatine supplements can help people become more powerful when combined with a strength training program. As such, these supplements are very popular with people who work out.
How Much Creatine Do People Take?
When it comes to taking supplements, people often break the amounts into 2 different dosing protocols:
- The loading phase (20-25 grams per day)
- The maintenance phase (3-5 grams per day)
So do you need to do the loading phase? The loading phase is the first week of taking the supplement. The idea is to load up on creatine before tapering off to a lesser amount (maintenance phase). I don't believe the loading phase is needed -and some research shows the loading phase is not necessary too.
Over 20 years ago, a research study concluded that taking just 3 days a day for a week loads the muscles up with as much creatine as if people took 20 grams for one week. This means you could achieve the same results by just taking a lesser dosage.
Creatine And Kids: Research
While there are hundreds of studies on creatine supplementation, I was curious if anyone gave it to kids to see what happened. So, I searched the National Library of Medicine (Pubmed.gov) for the following search terms
- Creatine supplementation kids
and located this study where the supplement – or placebo was given to 12 kids, ages 15-20 each, for 12 weeks. The dosage used was 0.11 grams per
kilogram of body weight per day. How much is that? well, if a child weighs 100 pounds, this would be 6.8 grams. It sounds like they were using the maintenance phase dosage.
Interestingly, even though no side effects were seen (that's good), the supplement did not raise muscle creatine levels or make the kids stronger. One drawback to this study was the kids all had lupus. This may have impacted the results of the investigation.
There are not many research studies that have looked at supplementation in kids. What little is known suggests the side effects might be minimal but whether it makes kids stronger needs more study.
So why so little kid-specific research? Remember, research is often conducted on adults who are of legal age. Because kids are not miniature adults, few want to take on the ethical responsibilities of giving a supplement to someone who might not fully understand what they are doing.
Does Creatine Cause Side Effects?
Most studies don't show any harmful side effects when adults take creatine. On the internet, you hear stories about how creatine may cause hair loss and balding, which I discuss below. One well-known ” side effect ” is the potential for weight gain. The weight gain is due to water retention, not creatine supplements building muscle tissue.
The increase in body mass seen is usually between two and five pounds, although I remember one high-school hockey player telling me he gained 20 pounds with creatine supplements. I do think that's out of the ordinary. When it comes to creatine and water retention, keep in mind it may or may not occur. That is because not all researchers have reported it occurring.
Some may wonder if creatine causes the same bad side effects as anabolic steroids like testosterone. The answer to that question is no, and one of the reasons for this is that creatine is not an anabolic steroid.
Does Creatine Harm The Kidneys?
Another area that some worry about is the possibility that creatine may harm the kidneys. This appears to be a myth. I'm unaware of any clinical study documenting that creatine supplements cause harm to the kidneys or cause kidney failure. In fact, some studies have looked into this possibility and found there are no kidney problems with creatine. However, one warning about this is in those who have kidney problems.
I would not suggest taking creatine if your kidneys are not functioning properly or if you have only one kidney. This is out of an abundance of caution, and I'm not aware of any research where creatine supplements were given to men or women with kidney health issues.
Can Creatine Cause Injuries?
Studies in adults have not shown injuries from supplementation. While this may be true, I can tell you I have received emails from people who swore it has happened to them. When it comes to creatine and injuries, my best guess is that ligaments and tendons don't have a good blood supply as muscles do.
As such, ligaments and tendons take longer than muscles to get stronger. Something like creatine might allow someone to place more stress on tendons and ligaments than they should, leading to injury. If we consider kids and teenagers are still growing, this may be a recipe for trouble. Again, I am speculating here.
See the creatine and injuries review.
Does Creatine Cause Your Hair To Fall Out?
Hair loss is a very common question people ask when they consider using this supplement. It turns out there is a study driving this conversation. While some people maintain this happens, the short answer is there is no good proof for it. In this video, I reveal the proof.
Watch on my Youtube channel too.
Does Creatine Cause Rhabdomyolysis?
Rhabdomyolysis (rhabdo) is a serious but rare medical condition resulting from excessive exercise and other things. Kids and adults have ended up in the hospital on dialysis because of rhabdo. Signs and symptoms of rhabdo include extreme muscle pain, muscle swelling, inability to bed/extend limbs, kidney failure, and dark-colored urine. Not everyone experiences these classic symptoms, though, so those who feel they have rhabdo should be evaluated by a physician.
Creatine has been implicated as a possible cause of rhabdo in athletes. In this video, I discuss the evidence and my thoughts about the creatinine-rhabdo connection.
For much more info, read my rhabdo book.
Can Creatine Help Marathon Runners?
Most research in the past has shown creatine supplements to be beneficial to power athletes such as sprinters, high jumpers, and powerlifters. But what about athletes who compete in endurance events, such as runners and triathletes? It's possible they may also benefit from creatine supplements.
When you take creatine, along with carbs (or protein), the combo boosts glycogen storage more than when you eat carbs alone. Glycogen is the carbohydrate you store in your muscles. Glycogen is very important for those who take part in exercise events that last a long time, like marathon runners.
Creatine & Boys vs. Girls?
Most of the research on this supplement involves college-aged men. While some research involves women, it's not as much as I'd like. While my hunch is that women might react similarly to men, when it comes to young girls (say, 14 years old, for example), I don't know what it does. I have not seen any clinical studies of younger teenagers.
However, one interesting piece of trivia is that adult women store more creatine in their muscles than men. I'm not sure if this also holds true for young girls. So why might women have more creatine in their muscles than adult men? One speculation is that it's the body's way of compensating for having less muscle mass to begin with.
Do Kids Need To Cycle Creatine?
Cycling is the practice of taking something for a period of time and then halting its use. Cycling a drug or supplement is often cited as a way to reduce overdosing or prevent the substance from building up to toxic levels in the body. The concept of cycling is a reference to steroids, where athletes, wanting to avoid side effects, would periodically stop taking them for a period of time.
All that said, while I believe the answer is no – creatine doesn't need to be cycled, I don't think someone has to keep taking it, either. I say this because they don't need this supplement unless someone is lifting heavy.
See the post Do You Need To Cycle Creatine.
What's The Best Type of Creatine?
Creatine has been on the US market since at least the 1990s. During that time, several other forms of creatine were on the market to compete for consumers' attention. These include:
- Creatine nitrate
- Creatine HCL
- Buffered creatine
- Liquid creatine
Are these forms better? Many of these other forms of creatine lack proof that they really are better – although they may cost more.
This is important because creatine monohydrate is relatively inexpensive.
One version that does have some research is called creatine nitrate. It's supposed to combine the effects of creatine with an ingredient that expands blood vessels. I have a review of this and my thoughts on it:
So, Do Kids Need To Take Creatine?
Based on the evidence to date, I don't see much reason for kids or teenagers to take creatine supplements. While the research so far finds it might not make kids stronger, I think kids -and their parents – need to remember kids already have the one thing no supplement in the world can give them: youth. Kids and teenagers are still growing. Their metabolic rates are much faster than adults. There is no supplement that can give kids the advantages of youth. Hence, I don't think they need to take this supplement.
Would creatine help kids memory as it is suspected to do in adults?
Hi Christy, here is a video I created on creatine and memory research https://youtu.be/0kjpxoZbWA4
I was considering giving my 11 year old creatine to improve his weight training and wrestling. After reading this, I’m not convinced it would be helpful. Thanks for providing this information. Very useful.
Thanks, Jon, I’m glad it helped you.
My daughter is 13, turning 14 in July . She is a very dedicated, nationally ranked track and road cyclist. She is on a team and trains about 5 days a week on bike and in the gym for the past three years. She is under strict supervision. Her older brother was also a racer but has since aged out of juniors and has decided to hang it up. He took Beta alanine and Creatine for a short period but said he didn’t like the way they made him feel…I personally just don’t believe he was as dedicated as my daughter. Obviously my question is, Is it ok for my daughter to start on these supplements?
Hi Doug, Beta alanine can make people feel different. It’s often described as a tingly feeling. I personally feel beta alanine is a dud as far as performance enhancers are concerned. I think its over hyped and doesn’t have enough research to warrant taking at this time. As for your daughter and creatine, while I know creatine will likely improve power in most people, at 13 I just would not take it. Shes got youth on her side and that is something no supplement can improve on. I don’t think she needs creatine or should take it. It’s going to make her heavier if she takes it. That extra body weight (its water, not muscle) might also hinder her running performance.
beta alanine actually makes a huge difference for endurance athletes. It works by moving the lactic acid in the muscle groups which builds up over time when the muscles are being worked. The tingly side effect goes away once lactic acid starts to build up. There is a lot of research backing these facts, it will help with endurance and recovery. EDUCATION.
Hi John, I have seen the studies on beta alanine. There are studies saying beta alanine works
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23630039
and studies saying it does not work.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23239676 This study also noted BA didn’t alter pH or blood lactate levels after exercise.
There is also some research hinting it might work as well as baking soda.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4176133/
There is also research showing baking soda works better than beta alanine.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23524361
The studies seem to be all over the place in my opinion. While the international society of sports nutrition has stated in their position stand that BA would likely help exercise performance lasting less than 25 minutes, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26175657 my opinion is I’m still not convinced its a slam dunk for everybody.
The bigger question however is Doug was asking about his 13 year old daughter. Kids are not miniature adults. I have not seen any kid / beta alanine studies. As such, I’ll always be conservative when it comes to supplements and kids.
I appreciate you taking the time to chime in. I continue to keep tabs on the BA research and am always willing to change my opinion as better studies are published.
Well said sir. Well said.
Thanks Mikr 🙂
I’m trying to add muscle and weight to my 12 year old. He is severely underweight and protein drinks aren’t cutting it. Is this creatine drink a good idea or no?
Hi April, has your doctor said your son needs to gain weight? Is he experiencing any health issues as a result of his being underweight?
Creatine adds water weight to people – not muscle weight. when he stops taking creatine, his weight will likely go back to where it was before. Based on that alone, I would not use creatine.
How is his eating? Body weight goes up when we eat more calories. I dont think he needs to eat a lot of extra calories because that can cause fat weight. Generally eating about 500 extra calories per day will be enough for most people.
Instead of the protein shakes (how many calories do they contain?) why not give him a turkey sandwich etc. I think food is the way to go for him rather than a premade protein drink.
Does your son exercise or play any sports in school?
Iam 17 years old and i have been using creatine for 1 months in gym.Is it good for me and does it affect to my height growth?.what will happen if i stop using it now?
Hi Ransara, creatine will not stunt your growth so you don’t have to worry about that. While I dont think it will hurt you (esp if you stay to around 5 grams per day), I dont think you need it. I’d say lift and eat and dont worry about taking creatine supplements.
What will happen if i stop using it?
Ransara, nothing really. when you stop taking it, you will start making it naturlaly again.
Hi my 12 year old son plays football 4 times a week and sprints 2 times a week. I’m just wondering if he could take a supplement to help him recover. He is tall and muscular. thanks
Hi Gemma, I’d say just have him eat well after sprints and football and make sure he gets enough rest (sleep). I dont think he needs creatine supplements. At 12 years of age, he already has what no supplement can give him -youth. Proteins, healthy fats and carbs -and sleep -will do wonders for his recovery. I hope that helps. Any other questions, just ask.
Hey, I’m 16 years of age, almost 17 and have been lifting for almost a year. I have put about 11 kilograms or more on during this year, some of it being fat (I was quite a skinny kid) but most was muscle. I tried bulking but I realized that it wasn’t very healthy after some research.
During most of this year I have been taking whey protein in order to supplement my diet and have been considering creatine in order take my workouts to the next level. I was just wondering whether you think I should or not, thanks.
Hi Oliver, what are your goals for your lifting program? Creatine might help you do a few extra reps but most of the weight you gain will be due to water retention. Because you said you are 16 I personally dont feel you need creatine. I also dont feel you need whey protein either. Thats becaues you already have something that no supplement in the world can give you -youth! You are growing at a very quick rate naturally whether you know it or not. And you will keep getting stronger and bigger for the next several years.
Unless your goal is to lift as heavy as possible or you are training for some specific sport where muscle power is really important, I’d say forget creatine and just eat well and lift weights.
I am 15 years old and some of my friends take this and have gained 15 pounds in a month and i am still 126 pounds but i eat a tone a play travel hockey and exercise everyday i was thinking on taking this because i need to gain weight to continue to be physical on the ice
Hi Mike, Trust me when I say your friends gained 15 pounds of water in a month. They did not gain 15 pounds of muscle. There is no supplement on earth that will cause 15 pounds of muscle in a month. Wayne Gretzky was not the biggest guy on the ice either – and we all know how good he was. Here’s his Wikipedia page where you can see his weight when he started in the NHL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayne_Gretzky
I hope your coach is not telling you to take creatine supplements.
Im 15 years old and have taken Optimum Nutrition 100% Whey. And taken Myprotein Whey. How do you know if the protein is pure and has not got added things in there. Also could you reccomend and whey protein powders that are reliable for a teen like me to drink? By the way i workout 4 times a week.
Hi Neel, when you say “not added anything” to the supplements can I assume you are referring to things like pro-hormones? If yes, one way to tell, in the US, is to look for the letters “NSF” which is a 3rd party company that tests supplements to make sure they dont contain anything that would make someone fail a drug test. you can learn more about them here : http://www.nsf.org/consumer-resources/what-is-nsf-certification. I can see from your email that you are in the UK but I’d imagine there are supplements there that bear the NSF stamp of approval too. I’m not familiar with the laws in the UK that govern dietary supplements. My hunch is the UK government makes companies accurately report on their labels, what is in their products. My guess is that also includes any supplement made in the US (or elsewhere) that enters the UK.
In the US, the FDA also has list of dietary supplements that its found to contain drugs and other things not mentioned on their labels: http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/sda/sdnavigation.cfm?sd=tainted_supplements_cder My guess is the UK has a similar list too.
Another webiste is http://www.usada.org/substances/supplement-411/ which is the US anti-doping league.
Another option is to check a website called ConsumerLab.com. this is a site that tests supplements to make sure they contain what they say. This is a paid site but I did look up Optimum Nutrition for you and they did not have any recalls, so that is good.
As for the MyProtein, I did a quick look at them for you and it seems like a whey protein supplement, similar to the Optimum Nutrition supplement. I dont feel you need to use both of them. I’d pick just one and save the money you are spending on the other product.
One thing I would point out is that I don’t feel you need either of these products. At 15 years old, your body is operating at peak efficiency and will keep doing so for at least another 15 years or so. Supplement companies often have slick marketing that featured muscular men (and women) to give people the impression that those supplements helped them get that way. I can tell you that most times those people are paid to endorse those products. Maybe they really use those products or maybe they dont? Either way, I would encourage you to save your money on both supplements and eat food. There are more nutrients in food than just protein. There are times where I think protein supplements can be helpful. If you are a healthy 15 year old person who works out 4x a week and eats well, I don’t think you need them.
Neel, I know I’m just some guy on the internet who you dont know and and while I’ll never have a 6 pack (or a 1 pack), It’s also true that I’m not trying to sell you anything. I want you to save your money for things that are really important like buying a car, buying a house or just taking your girlfriend to the movies.
I hope that helps Neel. If you have any other questions, just ask.
Hello. My 12 year old is underweight. He’s taking meds for adhd. His a appitite is reduced because of the meds so is not able to keep weight on. Can I give him protein powders to supplier his meals and help build up his daily calorie intake .
He is also autistic and is a fussy eater.
We live in the UK
thanks
Hi Rosie, Hello from across the pond! While I’m not a doctor and dont know about his ADHD meds, I don’t see a problem with a basic protein powder mixed in with milk or a smoothie. Because some protein powders may be more than protein and have other things mixed in with them, Why don’t you show a protein powder supplement to the pharmacist where you get your sons meds and see what they think. They can help you understand if there will be any interaction with meds your son takes.
Cheerio!
Hey guys im 15,
I’m looking for big muscles I’m advanced with the exercises I have had many weight classes as well as mixed martial arts, I just want to be bigger then the other kids.
I take whey and it helps with my recovery cause I do intense workouts and I would be in lots of pain without it most of the time, I just want to know if creatine would hurt me? I know there is no tests but I still would like to know. im trying to be like a teen bobybuilder if that helps. Thanks
Jake, take your body weight and multiply it by 0.6-0.9. that will give you an idea of how much protein you need if you are lifting. For example, if you are 150 lbs, this amount would be between 90 grams and 135 grams per day. Add up what is in your whey protein and estimate how much you are eating from foods. I’d bet you are getting at least this amount if not more. More protein does not mean more muscle. Remember, muscle is mostly water (only about 20% is protein) and muscle needs more than protein to grow. for example, it also needs rest. Rest is anabolic so you might find you are stronger if you take a week off. muscle also needs carbs to grow too. carbs are what your muscle likes to use when you are lifting.
Im not going to recommend creatine because I don’t know how that will effect you. Also, how many reps are you lifting for? Is it 10 reps? 12 reps? If yes, then you definitely don’t need creatine. The creatine energy system is used mostly when you are lifting VERY heavy – like a weight you can only lift between 1-4 reps for example. As an exercise physiologist I don’t recommend you lift that heavy because your body is still growing. your bones, ligaments and tendons are still changing. overwhelming them with a lot of weight on a regular basis without adequate rest might not be good for you.
Remember, for bodybuilders, its not about how much weight they can lift or how strong they are. Its about how good they look. its looking good that gets them the trophies, not how much they can lift. Being strong and looking like a bodybuilder does are not the same thing. Getting the look of a bodybuilder is more about what you eat than how much you lift. Abs for example, are made in the kitchen, as I heard a bodybuilder say once.
At 15, you are only getting stronger every day – naturally. This will continue for at least another 10-15 years! Supplement companies want you think you need their pills and powders to get bigger, stronger and faster – but you don’t. I was talking to a bodybuilder recently -who has endorsements from supplement companies – and she told me she doesn’t use any supplements! She would never say that in public, of course, because shes being paid by the companies, but I appreciated her honesty about this. Ive also met natural bodybuilders who were vegetarians. They took no supplements at all and yet they were very big, muscular people.
I’d rather you eat well – fruits, veggies and lean protein – and give your self adequate rest. I don’t think the 1 or 2 whey protein shakes a day will hurt you thing but I also don’t think you need to spend your allowance to to buy that stuff. Likewise I would not spend any money on creatine supplements. Save your money for the stuff you really want and need.
im 14 and i do 100, 200 ,400 m sprints and i had this protein bar with 2g of creatine in it.
I have 3 questions
how long does it take for that creatine i had to kick in because i have states coming up in 1 week??
If i have 1 dose of it and none until the time it kicks in will it still take affect?
Should i take more?
John. I’m an exercise physiologist. I have degrees in exercise science and biology and chemistry. I have been investigating supplements for over 15 years. I say this so that you will believe what I tell you is fact.
1. You don’t need creatine supplements.
2. You don’t need the protein bar either (it’s just an expensive candy bar).
3. More creatine not better.
4. It’s possible the 2 grams might help a little bit but since nobody studies 14 yr olds, I can’t say for sure how much. I don’t think you would notice a difference.
5. If you eat chicken, fish, turkey, hamburger etc. you are also eating creatine.
6. You make 1-2 grams of creatine every day. The body naturally makes it.
7. I would not take more. I say save your money, go to states and do your best, without creatine.
Trust me.