Any downside or side effects to a 14-year-old taking creatine?
My son is a hockey player and trying to put on mass. He’s about 6 foot and a buck fifty.
Just want to make sure that creatine’s not contraindicated for youth.
[quote]kpsnap wrote:
Any downside or side effects to a 14-year-old taking creatine?
My son is a hockey player and trying to put on mass. He’s about 6 foot and a buck fifty.
Just want to make sure that creatine’s not contraindicated for youth.[/quote]
I cannot comment on the safety concerns for a 14 year old kid.
Although I’m pretty sure creatine in itself has been deemed a pretty safe supplement in reccomended dosages and other than hearsay from unknowledgeable people I have never heard of any seriouse health concerns from creatine.
With that being said creatine isn’t going to make or break his gains like his caloric and macronutrient intake. Just make him eat a lot.
I’m assuming you participate in parts of T-Nation forums and are involved with weightlifting. And I’m also assuming you know the importance of eating plenty of food to support your training.
When I researched it awhile back, my impression was that age had no bearing on creatine use. The side effects (e.g., cramping and nausea) and drug interactions (e.g., with NSAIDs) are not age-related.
I say that, based on my own research, but I don’t feel comfortable saying “yes, it’s safe”.
Interestingly and unfortunately, while I know a handful of pediatricians, this isn’t a subject they know anything about.
EDIT: I’m running the question by a few doctor friends anyway.
And the results of my questioning was… “it’s strongly discouraged as there really haven’t been any studies done under 18”
It’s the standard medical line: we don’t have enough research, so we’re going to discourage it. Pretty much what I expected to hear.
But, if we step away from it and look at it from a more medical politics standpoint, something like 50% of all high school athletes use or have used creatine. If there were any real issues, several studies would have been commissioned by now.
[quote]kpsnap wrote:
Any downside or side effects to a 14-year-old taking creatine?
My son is a hockey player and trying to put on mass. He’s about 6 foot and a buck fifty.
Just want to make sure that creatine’s not contraindicated for youth.[/quote]
It’s not that it’s contraindicated or prone to side effects. If anything, it’s one of the most researched sports supplements of the last 20 years.
These are worth reading:
http://www.T-Nation.com/free_online_article/most_recent/the_truth_about_the_media_creatine_scare
And that’s just it, it’s a supplement. I’m generally hesitant to have younger athletes get too overfocused on supplements, when the habit of simple nutrition and smart, consistent training can provide tons of results.
He’s a skinny little dude. If he’s not having a bunch of scrambled (whole) eggs and toast for breakfast most mornings and huge tuna or roast beef sandwiches for lunch most days, I wouldn’t expect much from creatine.
Thanks for the feedback.
I compete in powerlifting, so I understand the importance of good nutrition.
I think my son just burns off everything he eats. I showed him the responses and re-emphasized the importance of eating a lot of protein and just eating a lot in general. The creatine idea was his own. I just don’t know much about it for youths.
I’ve extensively researched the studies on creatine and although there haven’t been any (that I know of) which specifically discuss consumption as it relates to age, I have not seen anything that would lead me to believe it would be detrimental in any way to a 14 year old.
There’s no problem with him taking creatine. Because it’s a “performance enhancer” people’s minds wander easily to thoughts of steroids. If that’s you in the avatar then firstly, kudos. You’ve probably heard women fret that lifting weights will make them bulky because of the associations they’ve developed in their minds. Same thing here. I remember a nutrition professor on iron radio mention that he put a little creatine in his 4-5 year old daughters’ yogurt every day. It’s all good. Now feed that kid!
I know a lot of high school freshman taking creatine/whey protein/multivitamin. These are the three supplements I normally recommend across the board without knowing anything else about the person except age and medical-clearance.
[quote]csulli wrote:
I’ve extensively researched the studies on creatine quote]
OH yeah, did you learn anything cool or did anything awesome stand out about the studies on how effective it was. Because I’ve used creatine and noticed no difference
[quote]paulieserafini wrote:
[quote]csulli wrote:
I’ve extensively researched the studies on creatine quote]
OH yeah, did you learn anything cool or did anything awesome stand out about the studies on how effective it was. Because I’ve used creatine and noticed no difference[/quote]
Same, I currently take creatine and have in the past too, and noticed no weight gain or strength/endurance increase as a result. Its so cheap though, I’ve got about 500gm left to get through.
[quote]paulieserafini wrote:
[quote]csulli wrote:
I’ve extensively researched the studies on creatine [/quote]
OH yeah, did you learn anything cool or did anything awesome stand out about the studies on how effective it was. Because I’ve used creatine and noticed no difference[/quote]
Yea it seems to have an effect for most people. I personally did notice a difference. It is the most studied supplement (more studied than protein even), and the data indicates that creatine is effective at least somewhat in helping you make strength gains (not weight or size gains). But hey, some people don’t feel it doing anything at all.
I mean Ed Coan never took creatine lol. I’ll echo the guy above me though, it’s SO cheap, imo you should take it just in case lol. Creatine, fish oil, and vitamins are the only supps I use.
High school was the WORST for me for trying to gain weight, practices burn alot more calories than you think.
I used to manage a GNC when I was in college and we had numerous younger high school guys coming in to buy creatine and none of the regulars ever had issues with creatine. That being said, most of them had no idea on how to eat or train properly and were just using it thinking it was a “quick way to get big” and they did not realize there is a lot more to it than a magic pill so most never made any real progress.
However, I do honestly believe that creatine is safe at all ages as long as the athlete using it is stay appropriately hydrated. Creatine is found in many foods that we ingest so our bodies are used to having some level of natural creatine in it from birth all the way to death.
Now if i were asked what i would recommend for a young athlete and what I did recommend for my little brothers, ages 13 and 15 were some form of superfoods and fish oils. A superfoods blend will help fill any nutritional gaps, plus tons of antioxidants and improving healthy energy levels. Healthy fats like omega 3 fish oils are good for anyone of any age for about a thousand different reasons. And of course getting plenty of protein as well.
But i’m definitely no expert so take my advice with a grain of salt but thats the advice i gave my young siblings.
[quote]incredulous wrote:
If that’s you in the avatar then firstly, kudos. You’ve probably heard women fret that lifting weights will make them bulky because of the associations they’ve developed in their minds. [/quote]
Yes, that’s me. I’m the poster child for how lifting heavy does not turn a woman into a shemale.
Thanks again for all the advice. Really good input here.
If he does decide to take it, make sure its during the offseason. The extra water weight will slow him down on the ice.
I’d be more concerned with the POSITIVE side effects, especially with hockey, healthy brain functions.
Hahah taking creatine thinking i was gonna get big… come on we all did it in high school and our moms flipped out. he’ll be okay, maybe disappointed, but definitely okay.
[quote]Hayser wrote:
If he does decide to take it, make sure its during the offseason. The extra water weight will slow him down on the ice. [/quote]
No and no. Just no. No. Hayser… no.
[quote]lbraga wrote:
Hahah taking creatine thinking i was gonna get big… come on we all did it in high school and our moms flipped out. he’ll be okay, maybe disappointed, but definitely okay.[/quote]
I remember this. Trying to sneakily slip in creatine with my protein after weights. High schooler’s thought that shit was steroids or something.
I don’t see any reason to not take it, although it says you must be 18 or over for legal reasons. Your son might do better in school though as a positive side effect due to higher cognitive performance. I definitely noticed my brain functioning more smoothly when I would take creatine vs. not.