Five Creatine Myths Busted

Busting popular myths about creatine

Debunking Common Myths About Creatine

Millions of people safely use creatine for muscle health and performance enhancement.

Few supplements combine the safety record of creatine with so much negative press.

Myths include water retention, kidney damage or even hair loss. When I dived into the science it became obvious that the ‘evidence’ for these negative effects was questionable (at best). Often a single study that mentioned a side-effect in passing was amplified by the legacy press for clicks. When those studies were replicated, the effect disappeared.

Everyone should do their own research before taking any supplement.

This page lists the five common myths about creatine – and provides a balanced report on the science behind it.

Creatine Myths #1 – Water Retention Issues

Anyone reading the legacy / mainstream media would think that taking creatine leaves you bloated, like a water-filled balloon.

The science papers show that moderate water retention can happen – though this is a short-lived effect. This happens with high doses of creatine. For example, when people do a week-long loading protocol before moving to a smaller, more regular dose.

This paper found no effect on water retention after five weeks of training. Multiple other studies focusing on creatine and exercise ranging from 28 days to eight weeks showed minimal effects.

While creatine will affect your sodium balance at first, for me this shows that the body adjusts and that long-term water retention problems are a myth.

Creatine and Muscle Tone

Myth #2 – Creatine and Hair Loss

If there is one thing almost guaranteed to stop people taking a supplement, it is the spectre of hair loss / baldness.

The link between creatine and hair-loss is a solid example of the press creating a false narrative based on a single scientific paper. That narrative then got shared and republished, without anyone looking at the science it was based on. Think about it: those headlines got clicks, and we all know the press are fundamentally click farmers.

Back to the science.

This creatine myth started with a study of just twenty South African rugby players. It linked creatine to DHT, which affects hair follicles.

The results have never been replicated. What the study failed to mention is that resistance exercise alone had the same effect.

Shockingly bad science meets a legacy press hungry for click-bait headlines. You now know where the baldness / creatine myth got started!

#3 – Creatine Myths Covering Kidney Damage and Creatine

This is one myth about creatine which is worth paying attention to.

The science shows that people with existing / suspected kidney problems should not be taking creatine. Naturally, nobody should start new supplements without consulting a healthcare professional.

Disclaimer aside, evidence that chronic kidney issues are effected by creatine is plentiful.

What is not plentiful is evidence that healthy people with normal kidney function are affected by creatine adversely. This myth got started in 1998, and 25 years later, no paper has backed it up by showing that healthy people have kidney issues through creatine supplementation.

An extensive meta-analysis on this topic found increased levels of creatine in the urine after supplementation, though no adverse effects on healthy kidney function.

Creatine for Women

 

Creatine Myths #4 – Boosting Fat Deposits

Fat mass increase is another take on the water retention myth.

Of all the myths, this one baffles me most. There is no evidence for it. Studies followed separate groups for up to two years, and nobody had long-term increase in fat deposits. The closest any study got was a super-short-term increase in free fat, in a study lasting several weeks.

These studies covered the regular small dose creatine supplementation protocols, as well as initial boost followed by smaller regular doses.

If you find a paper in any respected journal that validates this claim – do let me know. Until then, let’s keep assuming this is a myth.

 

#5 – Creatine Myth that it Works Only for Men?

Studies show that creatine metabolism works differently for male and female bodies.

Over time, this has morphed into ‘does not work for females’, which the science definitely does not show. Differences in the amount of skeletal muscle is one factor. Males have more, and so get bigger benefits from a supplement that boosts it.

As well as demonstrating that females benefit from creatine supplementation just as much as males, there are extra benefits. These come from papers showing a protective effect during pregnancy from creatine supplementation. My usual disclaimer needs repeating here, speak to a medical professional before taking any supplement – I’m a fitness fan and writer only!

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