Abstract
Creatine is a popular ergogenic aid among athletic populations with consistent evidence indicating that creatine supplementation also continues to be commonly used among adolescent populations. In addition, the evidence base supporting the therapeutic benefits of creatine supplementation for a plethora of clinical applications in both adults and children continues to grow. Among pediatric populations, a strong rationale exists for creatine to afford therapeutic benefits pertaining to multiple neuromuscular and metabolic disorders, with preliminary evidence for other subsets of clinical populations as well. Despite the strong evidence supporting the efficacy and safety of creatine supplementation among adult populations, less is known as to whether similar physiological benefits extend to children and adolescent populations, and in particular those adolescent populations who are regularly participating in high-intensity exercise training. While limited in scope, studies involving creatine supplementation and exercise performance in adolescent athletes generally report improvements in several ergogenic outcomes with limited evidence of ergolytic properties and consistent reports indicating no adverse events associated with supplementation. The purpose of this article is to summarize the rationale, prevalence of use, performance benefits, clinical applications, and safety of creatine use in children and adolescents.
Highlights
Creatine is a naturally occurring amino acid-like compound that is endogenously produced within the human body and exogenously consumed in food sources such as red meat and seafood [1]
Because of the strong evidence for ergogenic benefits pertaining to high-intensity exercise performance, as well as an increase in strength and skeletal muscle hypertrophy, creatine is a popular dietary supplement of choice among athletic populations
While the physiological rationale regarding an ergogenic benefit in adolescents is similar to that seen in adults [8], the lack of randomized controlled trials and clinical data supporting the safety of creatine supplementation protocols among adolescent populations has resulted in hesitation regarding its widespread recommendation by some practitioners
Summary
Creatine (methyl-guanidine-acetic acid) is a naturally occurring amino acid-like compound that is endogenously produced within the human body and exogenously consumed in food sources such as red meat and seafood [1]. While the physiological rationale regarding an ergogenic benefit in adolescents is similar to that seen in adults [8], the lack of randomized controlled trials and clinical data supporting the safety of creatine supplementation protocols among adolescent populations has resulted in hesitation regarding its widespread recommendation by some practitioners. Despite these concerns, creatine is still a popular dietary supplement of choice among adolescent populations and has been studied for its ergogenic potential in select athletic populations, albeit mostly in international (non-US) settings. For the purposes of the current review, children are defined as individuals between the ages of 0–12 years, while adolescents are defined as individuals between the ages of 13–19 years of age
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