{"id":65785,"date":"2017-01-27T07:42:45","date_gmt":"2017-01-27T07:42:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/\/\/uncategorized\/creatine-isnt-going-to-kill-you"},"modified":"2023-05-25T12:09:36","modified_gmt":"2023-05-25T17:09:36","slug":"creatine-isnt-going-to-kill-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/creatine-isnt-going-to-kill-you\/","title":{"rendered":"Creatine Isn&#8217;t Going to Kill You"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>The paint was still fresh on the \u201cWelcome to 2017\u201d sign<\/strong> when several major news sources decided to kick off a fresh New Year with stale old news:<\/p>\n<h4 class=\"rtecenter\" id=\"kids-are-taking-creatine\"><strong>\u201cKids are taking creatine!\u201d<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p><em>Cue the scary music<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The paint was still fresh on the \u201cWelcome to 2017\u201d sign<\/strong> when several major news sources decided to kick off a fresh New Year with stale old news:<\/p>\n<h4 class=\"rtecenter\" id=\"kids-are-taking-creatine\"><strong>\u201cKids are taking creatine!\u201d<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p><em>Cue the scary music<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>These articles are a response to a study published in the journal <em>Pediatrics<\/em><\/strong>which found that two-thirds of health store representatives (think GNC and Vitamin Shoppe) were recommending creatine to an adult male caller who claimed to be 15 years old.<a href=\"https:\/\/pediatrics.aappublications.org\/content\/139\/2\/e20161257.abstract\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-lasso-id=\"71130\"><sup>1<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The central claims are that creatine is not safe, parents are ignorant, and unscrupulous supplement salesmen lead unwitting teens to blindly consume this dangerous substance. These articles are perfect examples of both common misconceptions about creatine and poor media reporting on fitness issues, <strong>so let\u2019s break down the claims.<\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"creatine-is-labeled-as-unsafe-for-teens-but-theyre-still-selling-it\">\u201cCreatine Is Labeled as Unsafe for Teens, but They\u2019re Still Selling It!&#8221;<\/h2>\n<p>Despite every article\u2019s insistence, <strong>there is no warning label on pure creatine products that forbid its use for teens. <\/strong>You can even check out <a href=\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/best-creatine\/\" data-lasso-id=\"258048\">Best Creatine<\/a> list for a great option for teens.\u00a0When faced with a striking claim, it\u2019s important to remember how lucky we are to live in the modern era where, empowered by the internet and common sense, we can do our own fact-checking.<\/p>\n<p>A quick Google search would verify that the top products on the list come without the dire warnings these authors suggest. One of the top three (MuscleTech Platinum Creatine) makes no mention of adolescents, while the other two contain only the general disclaimer to \u201ccheck with a qualified health care professional\u2026 if you are under 18 years of age.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"its-never-been-studied\">\u201cIt\u2019s Never Been Studied!\u201d<\/h2>\n<p>This is also false, though there is a grain of truth to it. A quick look into PubMed reveals at least four studies on short-term creatine intake in athletic teens, showing modest performance increases with no reported side effects besides slight water-weight gain.<sup><a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/12423175\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-lasso-id=\"71131\">2<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.researchgate.net\/publication\/8564088_Combined_Creatine_and_Sodium_Bicarbonate_Supplementation_Enhances_Interval_Swimming\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-lasso-id=\"71132\">3<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.akademiai.com\/doi\/abs\/10.1556\/APhysiol.96.2009.3.6\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-lasso-id=\"71133\">4<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.researchgate.net\/profile\/Laura-Guidetti\/publication\/6437332_Effect_of_creatine_on_swimming_velocity_body_composition_and_hydrodynamic_variables\/links\/0046351e95db3c7dac000000\/Effect-of-creatine-on-swimming-velocity-body-composition-and-hydrodynamic-variables.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-lasso-id=\"71134\">5<\/a><\/sup> It has also been used as a long-term treatment (&gt;4 months) or aid-to-treatment in adolescents with leukemia,<sup><a href=\"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/full\/10.1002\/pbc.21571\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-lasso-id=\"71135\">6<\/a><\/sup> post-tramautic-brain-injury headaches,<a href=\"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1111\/j.1651-2227.2007.00529.x\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-lasso-id=\"71136\"><sup>7<\/sup><\/a> and Duchennes muscular dystrophy,<sup><a href=\"https:\/\/www.researchgate.net\/publication\/8547868_Creatine_monohydrate_enhances_strength_and_body_composition_in_Duchenne_muscular_dystrophy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-lasso-id=\"71137\">8<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/10763500\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-lasso-id=\"71138\">9<\/a><\/sup> again without side effects. This is certainly not enough to declare creatine universally safe for adolescents, <strong>but it\u2019s certainly been studied and the results align with those found in adults.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Any time you\u2019re faced with the line: \u201cNo one is talking about this,\u201d or \u201cNo one has ever studied this,\u201d ask yourself this question: \u201cIs it likely\u2026?\u201d In this case, \u201cis it likely that no one has investigated one of the most popular sports supplements on this planet and its effect on competitive teenage athletes?\u201d If the answer is \u2018no,\u2019 then <a href=\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/the-dark-and-bewildering-world-of-fitness-studies\/\" data-lasso-id=\"71139\">consider it skeptically<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"how-dare-you-defy-the-experts\">\u201cHow Dare You Defy the Experts!\u201d<\/h2>\n<p>This sentiment is expressed in every article, and the American Association of Pediatrics does recommend against performance-enhancing supplements for youth, including creatine. However, <strong>be wary any time someone shouts: \u201cExperts agree!\u201d<\/strong> Consider these recommendations in light of the bigger picture:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>Other<\/em> experts like the International Society of Sports Nutrition have a more nuanced position, allowing that <strong>creatine could be useful for some teen athletes.<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC2048496\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-lasso-id=\"71140\"><sup>10<\/sup><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Creatine is naturally found in meat products and is <strong>produced within the body.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>The clinically reported side effects of correctly dosed creatine among healthy young adults (18-25) are rare and minor. The old myth that creatine \u2018wrecks the kidneys\u2019 is simply untrue, and most anecdotes can be explained as interactions with pre-existing conditions or false correlation. When there are true major incidents, they are so astronomically rare that each event makes news. <strong>The only common side effects are slight water-weight gain and stomach upset.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>18 is not a magical number. It\u2019s only used as a ballpark figure because most athletes have completed puberty by 18. Even if we take the stance that one should wait for maturity before eating anything processed in a lab (good luck with that one in today\u2019s food market), <strong>athletes may reach physical maturity as early as 15 years old<\/strong> and recommendations can be safely individualized.<\/li>\n<li><strong>There is no plausible mechanism that would cause a teen to be harmed by creatine in a way that an adult would not.<\/strong> Creatine is not a hormone or prohormone and does not appear to affect hormone production. It\u2019s tolerated well by most people, and as mentioned above, the few times it\u2019s been studied in adolescents, no negative effects were observed.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"rtecenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-65784\" src=\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/creatine.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"314\" srcset=\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/creatine.jpg 600w, https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/creatine-300x157.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"kids-are-using-it-even-more-nowadays\">\u201cKids Are Using It Even More Nowadays!\u201d<\/h2>\n<p>This idea comes from the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/health-shots\/2017\/01\/02\/507478762\/is-the-warning-that-creatines-not-for-teens-getting-through\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-lasso-id=\"71141\">NPR<\/a> article on the topic and is both a scare tactic and an argument. It implies that creatine is a health epidemic waiting to happen, its horrors hidden by the fact that kids didn\u2019t use it much in the past. Unfortunately, <strong>the article cites a study that doesn\u2019t actually say that.<\/strong> The study took an unrepresentative sample: all drawn from 1 state, \u201calmost 20% Asian youth,\u201d and \u201clargely of lower economic status.\u201d<a href=\"https:\/\/www.medpagetoday.com\/upload\/2012\/11\/19\/Pediatrics-2012-Eisenberg-peds.2012-0095.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-lasso-id=\"71142\"><sup>11<\/sup><\/a> So any comparison to previous national studies is impossible. The study itself cites previous work which suggests steroid use among adolescents today is half of what it was at its peak in 2000-2002 (creatine use was not investigated in the cited comparison studies, which is another issue entirely).<\/p>\n<p>I don\u2019t necessarily blame the journalist here, who likely only read the study\u2019s abstract, because <strong>the authors of the study misrepresented their results,<\/strong> saying this in their abstract:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cThe use of muscle-enhancing behaviors is substantially higher than has been previously reported and is cause for concern.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Weasel-wording of this caliber is unfortunately common in this field, since research often won\u2019t get published if it\u2019s not novel or interesting. There is only one response: if you can\u2019t read the full content of the study or get a review from someone you trust, tune out the instant you read the phrase \u201ca study says\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"it-could-be-adulterated-with-the-real-dangerous-stuff\">\u201cIt Could be Adulterated With the Real Dangerous Stuff!\u201d<\/h2>\n<p>Unfortunately, this does happen with some supplements. <strong>However, it is radically uncommon for creatine.<\/strong> Several investigations into powdered creatine monohydrate show minimal detectable organic contamination, and most of that is creatinine (creatine which has broken down and is not effective but is harmlessly processed by healthy kidneys).<sup><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/pii\/S0308814610016377\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-lasso-id=\"71143\">12<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/15068829\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-lasso-id=\"71144\">13<\/a><\/sup> Also, with over a quarter of college athletes using it (and relatively few drug test fails), it seems unlikely that adulteration is terribly common when sticking to reputable sources.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u201cBe careful, but you\u2019re probably all right\u201d doesn\u2019t make for great clickbait,<\/strong> so news sites \u2018spice up\u2019 the potential risk. The <a href=\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/tag\/body-adiposity-index\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-lasso-id=\"71145\">CNN article<\/a> gets a dishonorable mention for using this sort of scare tactic. A video at the top of the page opens up with this line:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cMore Americans are taking dietary supplements, and according to a new study by federal health experts, many of them are ending up in the emergency department!\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><em>Gasp!<\/em> However, the video is completely unrelated to the article, discussing the results of an entirely different study measuring emergency room visits for all supplements. This included herbal supplements and diet pills, which account for the vast majority of supplement-related ER visits and which are notorious for adulteration and false content labeling. <strong>Dramatic? Yes. Relevant? Not really.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The only way to get around this is to be skeptical of generalities. If the author uses \u201csupplement\u201d instead of \u201ccreatine,\u201d why aren\u2019t they being specific? If they cite a study and don\u2019t link it, what are they trying to hide?<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"creatine-and-teens\">Creatine and Teens<\/h2>\n<p>It is human nature to outweigh losses over gains, and to fixate on the uncommon anecdote over the banal statistic.<strong> It\u2019s how people can be terrified of shark attacks yet fail to check their rearview mirror when changing lanes.<\/strong> Dr. Ruth Malanaik, the lead author of the study that inspired these articles, expresses this sentiment well: &#8220;There&#8217;s no need to rush the game of muscle mass, which can be added slowly and healthfully through clean living, a good diet, and exercise.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Tell that to a 17-year old kid fighting for a college scholarship or a state championship.<\/strong> Tell them they shouldn\u2019t take creatine because their goals of becoming a world-class athlete are \u2018rushing,\u2019 and they need to \u2018take it slow\u2019 despite the competition. Tell them that, even though there&#8217;s no evidence that creatine will harm them. Good luck.<\/p>\n<p>A physically mature and active high school student is far more likely to suffer an ACL tear, broken bone, or concussion while playing their sport than to be hospitalized by creatine. The evidence shows that creatine provides a small reward with incredibly low risks. Instead of shoving our heads in the sand and giving an unconditional \u201cNo,\u201d<strong> why not address the issue like mature adults and minimize what risk there is?<\/strong> If you have an athlete who comes to you asking about creatine, my recommendations lie close to the ISSN\u2019s:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Wait until the athlete is physically mature.<\/li>\n<li>Only recommend it with the consent and awareness of the athlete\u2019s parents and team staff.<\/li>\n<li>Restrict use if the athlete has pre-existing kidney dysfunction.<\/li>\n<li>Recommend creatine only to those likely to see a positive effect: athletes in strength, sprint, and high-intensity team sports.<\/li>\n<li>Stick to the \u2018slow load\u2019 dose of 3-5 grams per day.<\/li>\n<li>Stick to powdered creatine monohydrate from a reputable source, rather than periworkout mixes that have creatine listed as an ingredient. These mixes are more often adulterated and often have an ineffective dose of creatine to begin with (usually just 1 gram or mixed in a \u2018proprietary blend\u2019 so that you don\u2019t actually know how much you\u2019re getting).<\/li>\n<li>Monitor intake as well as signs of dehydration and stomach upset, the most common side effects.<\/li>\n<li>Inform athletes how it works: creatine won\u2019t feel like anything (there won\u2019t be any \u2018pumps\u2019 or skin tingling). The effects accrue over time in conjunction with effective training. Most importantly, \u201cmore is not better.\u201d In the long term, 20 grams a day won\u2019t do more for you than 5.<\/li>\n<li>Use creatine as an incentive and reward: \u201cGet your diet and sleep dialed in, put out in training, and earn it.\u201d Since the big three (diet, training, and recovery) drive the biggest gains, they need to come first.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 id=\"on-the-media-and-not-being-lied-to\">On The Media and Not Being Lied To<\/h2>\n<p>As for reading media reports on health, <strong>there are no easy answers.<\/strong> Studies can be biased, and even when study authors report their findings clearly and accurately, the telephone game virtually guarantees the final result will be a bungle.<\/p>\n<p>Most mainstream health columnists are not informed science professionals but journalists and English majors who, though well-meaning and skilled at their craft, don\u2019t have the time, background, or interest to present an informed challenge to their sources. <strong>Even having an M.D. as an author doesn\u2019t guarantee the article will be nonsense-free<\/strong> (I\u2019m looking at you, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/robertglatter\/2017\/01\/02\/creatine-sold-to-minors-in-health-food-stores-routinely-new-study-finds\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-lasso-id=\"71146\">Forbes<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ve written before about <a href=\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/bone-health-in-the-media-dont-trust-everything-you-read\/\" data-lasso-id=\"71147\">sifting through media nonsense<\/a>, but the more I read, the more I\u2019m convinced that <strong>your best bet is to skip the major news sources entirely when it comes to health and fitness.<\/strong> Find reputable, informed professionals you can trust and sources that care about the facts. Get used to reading long-form articles rather than short summaries, which are often too short to contain the nuance and context a subject deserved. Above all else, be skeptical.<\/p>\n<p class=\"rtecenter\"><strong>More reasons to ignore the media:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"rtecenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/nobody-is-doomed-to-be-fat\/\" data-lasso-id=\"71148\">Nobody Is Doomed to be Fat<\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 11px;\"><u><strong>References<\/strong><\/u><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 11px;\">1. Herriman, Maguire, Laura Fletcher, Alexis Tchaconas, Andrew Adesman, and Ruth Milanaik. &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/pediatrics.aappublications.org\/content\/139\/2\/e20161257.abstract\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-lasso-id=\"71149\">Dietary supplements and young teens: misinformation and access provided by retailers<\/a>.&#8221; <em>Pediatrics<\/em> (2017): e20161257.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 11px;\">2. Dawson, Brian, Vladich, Tood, Blanksby, Brian. &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/12423175\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-lasso-id=\"71150\">Effects of 4 weeks of creatine supplementation in junior swimmers on freestyle sprint and swim bench performance<\/a>.&#8221; <em>The Journal of Strength &amp; Conditioning Research<\/em> 16.4 (2002): 485-490.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 11px;\">3. Mero, Antti A., et al. &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.researchgate.net\/publication\/8564088_Combined_Creatine_and_Sodium_Bicarbonate_Supplementation_Enhances_Interval_Swimming\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-lasso-id=\"71151\">Combined creatine and sodium bicarbonate supplementation enhances interval swimming<\/a>.&#8221; <em>The Journal of Strength &amp; Conditioning Research<\/em> 18.2 (2004): 306-310.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 11px;\">4. Juh\u00e1sz, Imre, et al. &#8220;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.akademiai.com\/doi\/abs\/10.1556\/APhysiol.96.2009.3.6\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-lasso-id=\"71152\">Creatine supplementation improves the anaerobic performance of elite junior fin swimmers<\/a>.&#8221; <em>Acta Physiologica Hungarica<\/em> 96.3 (2009): 325-336.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 11px;\">5. Silva, A. J., et al. &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.researchgate.net\/profile\/Laura-Guidetti\/publication\/6437332_Effect_of_creatine_on_swimming_velocity_body_composition_and_hydrodynamic_variables\/links\/0046351e95db3c7dac000000\/Effect-of-creatine-on-swimming-velocity-body-composition-and-hydrodynamic-variables.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-lasso-id=\"71153\">Effect of creatine on swimming velocity, body composition and hydrodynamic variables<\/a>.&#8221;<em> Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness<\/em>. 47.1 (2007): 58.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 11px;\">6. Bourgeois, Jacqueline M., et al. &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/full\/10.1002\/pbc.21571\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-lasso-id=\"71154\">Creatine monohydrate attenuates body fat accumulation in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia during maintenance chemotherapy<\/a>.&#8221; <em>Pediatric Blood &amp; Cancer<\/em> 51.2 (2008): 183-187.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 11px;\">7. Sakellaris, George, et al. &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1111\/j.1651-2227.2007.00529.x\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-lasso-id=\"71155\">Prevention of traumatic headache, dizziness and fatigue with creatine administration. A pilot study<\/a>.&#8221; <em>Acta Paediatrica<\/em> 97.1 (2008): 31-34.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 11px;\">8. Tarnopolsky, M. A., et al. &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.researchgate.net\/publication\/8547868_Creatine_monohydrate_enhances_strength_and_body_composition_in_Duchenne_muscular_dystrophy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-lasso-id=\"71156\">Creatine monohydrate enhances strength and body composition in Duchenne muscular dystrophy<\/a>.&#8221; <em>Neurology<\/em> 62.10 (2004): 1771-1777.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 11px;\">9. Felber, Stephan, et al. &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/10763500\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-lasso-id=\"71157\">Oral creatine supplementation in Duchenne muscular dystrophy: a clinical and 31P magnetic resonance spectroscopy study<\/a>.&#8221; <em>Neurological Research<\/em> 22.2 (2000): 145-150.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 11px;\">10. Buford, Thomas W., Richard B. Kreider, Jeffrey R. Stout, Mike Greenwood, Bill Campbell, Marie Spano, Tim Ziegenfuss, Hector Lopez, Jamie Landis, and Jose Antonio. &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC2048496\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-lasso-id=\"71158\">International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: creatine supplementation and exercise<\/a>.&#8221; Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition 4, no. 1 (2007): 6.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 11px;\">11. Eisenberg, Marla E., Melanie Wall, and Dianne Neumark-Sztainer. &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.medpagetoday.com\/upload\/2012\/11\/19\/Pediatrics-2012-Eisenberg-peds.2012-0095.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-lasso-id=\"71159\">Muscle-enhancing behaviors among adolescent girls and boys<\/a>.&#8221; <em>Pediatrics<\/em> 130.6 (2012): 1019-1026.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 11px;\">12. Moret, Sabrina, Annalisa Prevarin, and Franco Tubaro. &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/pii\/S0308814610016377\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-lasso-id=\"71160\">Levels of creatine, organic contaminants and heavy metals in creatine dietary supplements<\/a>.&#8221; <em>Food Chemistry<\/em> 126.3 (2011): 1232-1238.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 11px;\">13. Brudnak, Mark A. &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/15068829\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-lasso-id=\"71161\">Creatine: are the benefits worth the risk<\/a>?&#8221; <em>Toxicology Letters<\/em> 150.1 (2004): 123-130.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/185254361\" width=\"640px\" height=\"360px\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The paint was still fresh on the \u201cWelcome to 2017\u201d sign when several major news sources decided to kick off a fresh New Year with stale old news: \u201cKids are taking creatine!\u201d Cue the scary music. The paint was still fresh on the \u201cWelcome to 2017\u201d sign when several major news sources decided to kick off a fresh&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1223,"featured_media":65783,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"limit_modified_date":"","last_modified_date":"","_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4642],"tags":[60],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Creatine Isn&#039;t Going to Kill You - Breaking Muscle<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/creatine-isnt-going-to-kill-you\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Creatine Isn&#039;t Going to Kill You - Breaking Muscle\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The paint was still fresh on the \u201cWelcome to 2017\u201d sign when several major news sources decided to kick off a fresh New Year with stale old news: \u201cKids are taking creatine!\u201d Cue the scary music. 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