- Creatine boosts strength, power, and endurance for fitness enthusiasts and athletes
- Avoid taking creatine while dehydrated to prevent kidney strain and muscle water imbalance
- Baseline kidney tests are essential before starting creatine, especially with unknown conditions
Creatine is a favourite among fitness enthusiasts and athletes looking to boost their performance. It's been shown to increase strength, power, and endurance, making it a staple in many gym-goers' supplement routines. But with great power comes great responsibility, and the improper intake of creatine can lead to some unwanted side effects.
Integrative lifestyle expert Luke Coutinho shares common mistakes you are making while taking creatine and its potential risks. In a video posted on Instagram, he says, "Creatine, is it good? Is it bad?. It's about how you use it. There's enough science to show us how good it is for us when it's used the right way, right people, right time, right age."
Common Mistakes To Avoid While Taking Creatine
1. Taking creatine while dehydrated
If you're having creatine and you're already dehydrated, you're going to put a strain on your kidneys. "Creatine works on absorbing and pulling water into your muscles. A buildup of water that gives volume to your muscles is fantastic. But if you're dehydrated, that's where the problem is. When you're on creatine, you need to make sure that you're hydrated and you're having about 500 ml to almost a litre more than your normal quantity of water," the health coach says.
2. Missing basic kidney test
While creatine is considered safe for healthy individuals, starting it without a baseline kidney test is risky for those with pre-existing or unknown kidney dysfunction. Creatine supplementation increases the production of creatinine, a waste product used to measure kidney function. It can lead to falsely high readings on kidney tests and create unnecessary concern.
3. Creatine intake without keeping your doctor in the loop
Taking creatine supplements without informing a doctor if you have pre-existing kidney problems is dangerous. Creatine can exacerbate kidney dysfunction in those with compromised renal function, leading to a potential increase in kidney stress.
4. Taking poor-quality creatine
Poor-quality or contaminated creatine can lead to ineffective results, digestive distress and, in rare cases, kidney stress due to impurities. "People have this mentality that cheaper is always better but cheaper doesn't mean better quality. A lot of our supplements have fillers, additives and heavy metals. You want to look at brands that are verified, brands that are third-party tested, and then you want to buy ingredients, creatine monohydrate, that do not harm you. It gives you the results you want," he adds.
Make sure you don't make these four mistakes, which can actually harm your health.
Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for a qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.
