Group of Student Athlete Girls Team

We have 3 evidence backed reasons why student athletes should take creatine and how you should take creatine for the best results. As a parent or a student athlete, you may be asking if you can take creatine.  Creatine is one of the most widely taken sports nutrition supplements by athletes and recommended most by certified sports nutritionists.  As one of the most researched sports nutrition supplements on the market, it is not only beneficial and effective, but research shows that it may be safe to take for the majority of student athletes in almost any sport.  Creatine is found naturally occurring in foods like chicken, beef, and fish.  While it is important to eat foods rich in creatine, the evidence of research supports supplementing with creatine supplements to help improve strength and power, body composition, recovery and performance.  Let’s dive into how creatine helps and why it is safe for your athlete to take.  Click here to see our recommendations for NSF for Sport supplements for student athletes .

A big factor that separates top student athletes apart is who is focusing on their nutrition.  Student athletes who participate in a sports nutrition see better performance, recovery, and lower injury rates.  Adding creatine into their sports nutrition plan can be a game changer, making the results of their hard work amplified and something you can see on their court or field.  Unsure your teen athlete’s current sports nutrition plan is solid?  Book a discovery call with our certified sports nutritionists to learn how to optimize your nutrition for results.  

Now that we know creatine can take your student athlete to the next level, and will help them achieve results, let’s jump into why they should be taking it and how it is safe for them. 

#1 Improved Training Performance: get stronger and more powerful 

The most important factor in training is having readily available energy for our muscles to do work.  Creatine helps provide fast energy for your athlete to perform explosive movements like sprints, explosive jump, weight lifting and agility work.  Several studies on teen athletes taking creatine have been performed and have shown improved swim performance, soccer technique including dribbling, The more energy stored, the faster and heavier you’ll be able to lift and allow for you to do more reps and sets at heavier weight. This translates to increased performance.  The more energy stored, the faster and heavier you’ll be able to lift and allow for you to do more reps and sets at heavier weight.

 

#2 Research shows no adverse effects for teens 

Creatine is naturally occurring in most foods teens eat: chicken, beef, pork and fish.  From food, most individuals who eat animal proteins consume around 2 grams of creatine per day.

When it comes to supplementation, studies on student athletes using creatine have not reported any adverse effects.  Many of these studies monitored performance, lab values with no incident of negative findings.  Most of the safety considerations are based on adult studies, as only a few teen athlete studies exist.  We suggest always consulting with a licensed sports nutritionist when implementing new supplements.  You can speak with us about your student athletes’ specific nutrition and supplement needs by booking a discovery call.  

And what about creatine and your kidney health?  There is evidence in people with diagnosed kidney disease that taking creatine is not recommended.  But in healthy individuals with no signs of kidney issues, creatine is completely safe to take.

Studies:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33670822/

 

#3 Aids in muscle recovery 

As high school student athletes, your teen is out there training at high volumes several times a week, sometimes twice a day.  This high level training puts a big stress on the body and muscle tissue is damaged. During recovery muscle is repaired with proper nutrition, including creatine.  Studies show that creatine supplementation helps with decreasing muscle damage in the 24-96 hours post training.  This muscle damage can result in decreased strength and power in their next training session.  Since most student athletes train multiple times a week, sometimes less than 24 hours apart.  Creatine supplementation plays an important role in recovery and ability to optimize training sessions from one day to the next. 

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34472118/

 

Now that we know creatine can be safe and effective for student athletes, how much should they take?  Most studies show 5 grams per day in a supplement form is beneficial.  While there are multiple forms of creatine, we suggest a micronized creatine monohydrate like Thorne’s Creatine Monohydrate.  Having your creatine post-workout shows only a slight benefit, so whatever time of day would be best for you to take it will have very similar benefits.  Adding a scoop of creatine each day to a shake, yogurt or smoothie will help you reach your needs.

 

While creatine is a powerful supplement with great benefits and is relatively safe, your day to day sports nutrition and eating plan is most important.  At Athleats Nutrition, we work hand in hand with student athletes and parents to build a personalized nutrition plan.  We have helped hundreds of athletes from the high school and pro-level improve nutrition and performance by building a meal plan with supplements that is simple to execute.  Let’s talk about nutrition for your teen athlete by  booking a discovery call today with one of our licensed sports nutrition coaches.