Creatine: (Everything You Need To Know)

[WillBrink]

I came with a bunch of creatine questions, but found this sticky and it answered all my questions and then some. I just wanted to say thanks for putting this together!

Glad it helped! There's also a similar thread on whey I did if interested.

[etd66ss]

I'm 45 years old. I used Creatine from age 28 to 34. I saw some pretty great gains, and went from 24% BF to 9% BF while following a very strict high protein diet and modest workout routine. My before and after weight was only about a 5 lb difference, so I know that I made gains, maybe some of it was water retention.

Unfortunately life stuff happened and the bodybuilding dropped so far down on the priority list I have not lifted since about age 35, the nutrition went in the toilet as well. I'm pretty much starting over again, Dr's orders are to exercise daily to avoid cholesterol and blood pressure medicine. I have not measured BF, but I bet it is around 28% (6'0" 220 lbs) and I'm not sure I kept much of the muscle I gained. I'm a weekend warrior in terms of heavy bullwork on the weekends, but my day job is sitting at a desk. I feel pretty weak right now, I was so much stronger at age 35, the bullwork has taught me this.

My big fears are, family prostate cancer and hair loss. My hair started thinning in my early 30's and now my crown has thinned enough that the scalp is visible etc. I have a large family, extended etc, my hair is the thinnest, at the youngest age. I also have had severe cystic acne on my inner thighs pretty much since I stopped lifting. I'm not blaming all of this on creatine, I know that there is only one "bogus" rugby player study out there that claims to have seen a DHT increase.

I currently have just below normal testosterone levels, and I assume my DHT is quite high due to the hair loss + cystic acne (I should note I had severe acne as a teenager face and back, non-cystic). One of my brothers had prostate cancer surgery, he was only in his early 40's, which I'm told is rare.

I know that the OP will tell me that my fears are unfounded, but if I do decide this time around to lift and eat a high protein diet and avoid using creatine (I think I've pretty much decided to stay away from it this time around), am I just running in circles in terms of any gains at my age? Is there some kind of % differential someone can give me that a 45 year old male will miss out on in terms of gains without using creatine? If it is a small differential, then I think I can live without creatine. My goals are modest, mainly to avoid being medicated for high blood pressure etc.

I guess I would consider myself spooked, and I don't want to be on the operating table some day in the future reading an article about a new creatine study that states it does indeed cause a DHT increase blah blah blah.

[AdamCG2002]

OP was very informative. Sorry in advance if my questions have already been answered but should I be taking my age (16) into account at all? Cycling, dosages etc. Also, should I be more aware of my salt intake when on creatine? I read somewhere I should but want an expert to confirm. Also, I will be decreasing my training over the next few months due to exams. Should I bother with creatine now or just wait until exams are over?

Thanks

[WillBrink]

I guess I would consider myself spooked, and I don't want to be on the operating table some day in the future reading an article about a new creatine study that states it does indeed cause a DHT increase blah blah blah.

Then don't use it. Problem solved. The potential benefits so out weigh in risks it's ridiculous (see links supplied in OP), but your call.

OP was very informative. Sorry in advance if my questions have already been answered but should I be taking my age (16) into account at all? Cycling, dosages etc. Also, should I be more aware of my salt intake when on creatine? I read somewhere I should but want an expert to confirm. Also, I will be decreasing my training over the next few months due to exams. Should I bother with creatine now or just wait until exams are over?

Thanks

My take is this: It will only help your training regardless of age. The real issue is, teens should be focused on learning nutrition, training, and getting sleep, which very few teens do adequately before adding supplements. While there's no medical related reason teens should not use creatine, focusing on eating/training/sleeping is really where the focus should be.

[AdamCG2002]

My take is this: It will only help your training regardless of age. The real issue is, teens should be focused on learning nutrition, training, and getting sleep, which very few teens do adequately before adding supplements. While there's no medical related reason teens should not use creatine, focusing on eating/training/sleeping is really where the focus should be.

Thank you very much

[WillBrink]

Something I probably should have touched on in the OP: In a small but important segment of infants, creatine literally saves their lives. "GAMT deficiency, which can be tested for easily, has some researchers pushing for newborn screening that would use the same blood test that screens for 29 recommended disorders. Without early intervention, brain damage can be permanent, so it must be caught early."

See my write up on that:

https://brinkzone.com/creatine-saves-baby/

[WillBrink]

Use of creatine by older adults, a no brainer in my view:

The Additive Effects of Creatine Supplementation and Exercise Training in an Aging Population: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials.

J Geriatr Phys Ther. 2019 Feb 8.

Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE:

The role of creatine supplementation in young athletes and bodybuilders is well established including ergogenic properties of muscular hypertrophy, strength, power, and endurance. Whether the benefits of creatine supplementation translate to an aging population with moderate training stimulus remains unclear especially in regard to gender, creatine dose, and duration. This systematic review assessed whether creatine supplementation combined with exercise results in additive improvements in indices of skeletal muscle, bone, and mental health over exercise alone in healthy older adults.

METHODS:

PubMed, CINAHL, and Web of Science databases were utilized to identify randomized controlled trials of creatine supplementation combined with exercise in an aging population with additional predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Two reviewers independently screened the titles and abstracts, reviewed full-text articles, and performed quality assessments using the Physiotherapy Evidence Database scale.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION:

Seventeen studies were comprehensively reviewed according to categories of strength, endurance, functional capacity, body composition, cognition, and safety. These studies suggest that any additive ergogenic creatine effects on upper and/or lower body strength, functional capacity, and lean mass in an older population would require a continuous and daily low-dose creatine supplementation combined with at least 12 weeks of resistance training. Potential creatine specific increases in regional bone mineral density of the femur are possible but may require at least 1 year of creatine supplementation combined with moderate resistance training, and additional long-term clinical trials are warranted. The limited data suggested no additive effects of creatine over exercise alone on indices of mental health. The beneficial effects of creatine supplementation are more consistent in older women than in men.

CONCLUSIONS:

Creatine monohydrate is safe to use in older adults. While creatine in conjunction with moderate- to high-intensity exercise in an aging population may improve skeletal muscle health, additional studies are needed to determine the effective dosing and duration paradigm for potential combined creatine and exercise effects on bone and cognition in older adults.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/...qPP2uZvi0vgvcQ

[georgevictor07]

Creatine is a beast, it has a great safety profile and many beneffits. It should be called CREATe...new muscle...I would post 100 studies here about creatine but i can't post links yet. Creatine is KING