Widely used by athletes, creatine supplements do help build muscle, they are believed to be safe and, unlike other performance-enhancing substances, are allowed by the International Olympic Committee, the National Collegiate Athletic Association and other major sports groups.
Creatine is a natural substance found in meat and fish — “but you don’t get any benefit from eating meat unless the meat is raw,” said exercise physiologist William J. Evans, of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. And eating raw meat is dangerous because it contains harmful bacteria. Besides, said Evans, to get enough to build muscle, “you would have to eat 10 pounds of fresh, uncooked steak per day! So creatine supplements are the only way to go.”
The supplements come in powder, tablet or drink form, all of which are equally effective.
Biochemically, creatine works by combining with phosphate in cells to produce phosphocreatine, which helps create adenosine tri-phosphate, the body’s main source of energy, said Dr. George Blackburn, associate director of nutrition at Harvard Medical School.
Interestingly, creatine does not boost performance in aerobic, endurance events like marathons, according to the American College of Sports Medicine. But it can enhance performance in short, anaerobic events like weight-lifting or sprinting where muscles work hard and powerfully for brief periods.
Anecdotal reports suggest creatine may cause stomach cramps and diarrhea, but research on athletes who have taken creatine for longer than a year showed no adverse effects. In large doses, creatine “can adversely affect the kidneys,” though this is reversible, said Dr. Doug McKeag, director of the Indiana University Center for Sports Medicine.
Although some researchers have wondered whether creatine might help battle neuromuscular diseases like multiple sclerosis or ALS amytrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig’s disease), so far the answer is no.