I stopped last fall. I couldn't suss out benefits, including cognitive, and I didn't like how the (admittedly small) weight gain made me feel.
More important, you missed a golden opportunity. You wrote, "So the weight-gain explanation I gave on the show doesn’t hold up (for this meta-analysis)." I was really hoping the sentence would end "doesn't hold water."
Took creatine for a year as a runner. Gained some water weight. Didn’t really notice I recovered better from workouts. Might have gotten a little stronger in the gym.
Went off creatine recently. Noticed my HRV shot up (about 20%). Also noticed my HRV rebounded quicker post hard sessions vs on creatine. Water weight came off.
I don’t see enough benefits for an endurance athlete to be on creatine. That’s just my experience. Also I can’t find any studies that state creatine is beneficial for endurance (runners, cyclist) athletes.
That creatine might have a negative effect on sleep quantity, especially deep sleep, is enough reason for me to be cautious with it, maybe not take it at all.
Thank you for this article. Great summary of its effects!
The detail that made me wince as a pharmacist was 'a lot of people are now taking four to six times that' standard 5g scoop. That's where my counter comes in — the folks spooked by kidney labs after starting creatine. Creatine naturally breaks down into creatinine, so your creatinine can creep up and make eGFR look worse with the kidneys fine — meta-analyses keep finding that pattern. The scare resolves once someone connects the dots, but most people don't think to mention a supplement to whoever ordered their labs. Your honesty about never feeling two and a half years of it is refreshing, because benefits you can't notice are a hard sell. Anyone checking their labs before and after starting?
I stopped last fall. I couldn't suss out benefits, including cognitive, and I didn't like how the (admittedly small) weight gain made me feel.
More important, you missed a golden opportunity. You wrote, "So the weight-gain explanation I gave on the show doesn’t hold up (for this meta-analysis)." I was really hoping the sentence would end "doesn't hold water."
Took creatine for a year as a runner. Gained some water weight. Didn’t really notice I recovered better from workouts. Might have gotten a little stronger in the gym.
Went off creatine recently. Noticed my HRV shot up (about 20%). Also noticed my HRV rebounded quicker post hard sessions vs on creatine. Water weight came off.
I don’t see enough benefits for an endurance athlete to be on creatine. That’s just my experience. Also I can’t find any studies that state creatine is beneficial for endurance (runners, cyclist) athletes.
BP, my experience was exactly the same as yours. I also can’t make a strong case for it.
That creatine might have a negative effect on sleep quantity, especially deep sleep, is enough reason for me to be cautious with it, maybe not take it at all.
Thank you for this article. Great summary of its effects!
The detail that made me wince as a pharmacist was 'a lot of people are now taking four to six times that' standard 5g scoop. That's where my counter comes in — the folks spooked by kidney labs after starting creatine. Creatine naturally breaks down into creatinine, so your creatinine can creep up and make eGFR look worse with the kidneys fine — meta-analyses keep finding that pattern. The scare resolves once someone connects the dots, but most people don't think to mention a supplement to whoever ordered their labs. Your honesty about never feeling two and a half years of it is refreshing, because benefits you can't notice are a hard sell. Anyone checking their labs before and after starting?
My Creatinine levels are normal.