Dear joepvb,
There is some controversy regarding the usage of creatine (or, more
accurately, "Creatine Monohydrate") among teenagers. On the one hand,
there are no studies that checked the effect of creatine on adolescent
bodies, or on the long-run. On the other hand, the usage is wide
spread, without knowing the implications of taking the supplement (1).
Creatine is generally used in off-season training. It "does not build
muscle. It generates brief surges of energy during very specific types
of athletic activities allowing, for instance, the user to work out
longer, harder and gain weight more rapidly, in other words, "bulk
up." (2)
Because of the lack of studies on adolescents, there are also no
studies on its effectivity on this age group. When I researched the
issue for you, I found many sites that praise creatine, quoting teens
who use it. They forget to mention that these individuals might have
gained this feeling without connection to the creatine's effect; that
no controlled studies were conducted on that issue; and that usually,
they are supplements sites - who are interested in selling you the
stuff.
In adults, it has been found, that athletic activities that can be
enhanced by creatine are very few - but weight lifting is included in
them: they are brief intense and repetitive activities, with plenty
of time for muscles to recover. Akron Medical Centre maintains, that
"It does not improve endurance. In fact, because of rapid weight gain
and water reten-tion, it can actually decrease endurance levels."(3)
Most specialists recommend, that anyone younger than 18 years would
not use creatine. For example, "The American College of Sports
Medicine does not recommend the use of creatine in people under the
age of 18" (4) and other limit the usage to the age of 16 and up (5).
The reasons for that are not only the lack of studies, but also
negative affects that might be associated with the use of creatine.
"Creatine users experience intense muscle cramping in multiple muscle
groups,stomach cramping, dehydration and tears in their muscles and
tendons. Also, thereis risk of kidney failure."(6)
Moreover, most medical professionals recommend to "play it safe" -
since there are no studies proving no harm to puberty, not to take it.
For example, a site on the subject writes, that a possible effect of
the use of creatine during puberty is a disruption of the natural
growth of muscles and the promotion tears in tendons.(7)
Kreider gives some exceptions: if a young athlet is prescribed to take
this supplement, and is under supervision, and keeps on a diet "less
is known about the effects of creatine supplementation in younger
individuals. Consequently, it is my view that children and adolescent
athletes should not take creatine unless creatine is medically
prescribed or the child is past puberty; eating a well-balance diet;
involved in serious training that may potentially benefit from
creatine supplementation; well informed about creatine; and, that the
supplementation program is supervised by the child's parents, coach,
athletic trainer, and/or physician to make sure they take quality
supplements in the proper manner. Under these conditions, I feel that
creatine can serve as an effective and safe nutritional supplement for
serious adolescent athletes."(8).
In a similar (and even more relaxed) approach, Dr. Ray Sahelian
"take[s] a moderate stand by condoning its use in teenagers for a
specific period of time, such as one, two or three months during one
sports season of the year, such as football. I prefer a person to be
at least 16 years old before using creatine. Ingestion of 2 to 4 grams
a day for a month followed by every other day use seems to be
well-tolerated. This policy would probably be acceptable to all
parties involved, including the teenagers, coaches, and parents. I
also feel that the use of creatine may divert certain teenagers from
relying on anabolic steroids."(9)
Tom Abdenour, the Warrior's coach, also refers to this issue, claiming
that "Personally, I'd suggest steering away from it while in high
school. The way I understand creatine, it's not the "be all and end
all" of strength training. To be successful with creatine, the athlete
must have a regimented strength training program, have a diet low in
fat, and it might not work for everyone"(10).
Notes
=====
(1) McGuine, Timothy A., Jude C. Sullivan and David A. Bernhardt,
"Creatine Supplementation in Winsconsin High School Athletes"
_Wisconsin Medical Journal_ 2002, vol. 101 No. 2
http://www.wisconsinmedicalsociety.org/uploads/wmj/101-2-McGuine.pdf
(2) Children's Hospital Medical Centre of Akron, "Inside Children's",
Fall/Winter 2002, http://directory.akronchildrens.org/elements/PDFs/InsideC-Fall02.pdf,
p. 5
(3) ibid.
(4) ibid.
(5) Ronald L. Terjung, PhD, professor of physiology in biomedical
sciences at the University of Missouri-Columbia recommends (in an
article published in American College of Sports Medicine's journal
Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise (March 2000), that "anyone
under 16 shouldn't take creatine supplements because there is a dearth
of information about use in that age group". (See also
http://content.health.msn.com/content/article/17/1676_50653)
(6) Children's Hospital Medical Centre of Akron, Op Cit.
(7) Creatine Monohydrate Web Site,
http://monohydrate-creatine.com/index.html
(8) Kreider, Richard B. "Creatine: State of the Science at the
Millennum" Performance Nutrition Buyer's Guide, February 2000,
http://www.baylor.edu/HHPR/ESNL/publications/BG-00.pdf, p. 6
(9) Ray Sahelian, M.D., is the author of Mind Boosters: A Guide to
Natural Supplements That Enhance Your Mind, Memory, and Mood (St.
Martins Press, 2000,
$13.95).http://www.healthy.net/asp/templates/article.asp?PageType=Article&ID=1051
(10) Tom Abdenour, "Answers from Abdenour", Warriors Website,
http://www.nba.com/warriors/interactive/abdenour_answers_020501.html
I hope that answered your question. I'm afraid, if to summarise the
information, that the answer is likely to be negative, but you might
like to address your question to a physician, since my answer is not
intended to substitute for informed professional medical advice.
I searched for you with the following terms:
CREATINE "off season" adolescent
CREATINE "off season" "teenage OR teenager OR teenagers"
CREATINE "teenage OR teenager OR teenagers"
CREATINE "off season" training "teenage OR teenager OR teenagers"
CREATINE "off season" training
Please contact me if you need any clarifications on this answer. I'd
be pleased to clarify my answer before you rate it. |
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