{"pmid":"28615996","doi":"10.1186/s12970-017-0173-z","title":"International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: safety and efficacy of creatine supplementation in exercise, sport, and medicine.","abstract":"Creatine is one of the most popular nutritional ergogenic aids for athletes. Studies have consistently shown that creatine supplementation increases intramuscular creatine concentrations which may help explain the observed improvements in high intensity exercise performance leading to greater training adaptations. In addition to athletic and exercise improvement, research has shown that creatine supplementation may enhance post-exercise recovery, injury prevention, thermoregulation, rehabilitation, and concussion and/or spinal cord neuroprotection. Additionally, a number of clinical applications of creatine supplementation have been studied involving neurodegenerative diseases (e.g., muscular dystrophy, Parkinson's, Huntington's disease), diabetes, osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia, aging, brain and heart ischemia, adolescent depression, and pregnancy. These studies provide a large body of evidence that creatine can not only improve exercise performance, but can play a role in preventing and/or reducing the severity of injury, enhancing rehabilitation from injuries, and helping athletes tolerate heavy training loads. Additionally, researchers have identified a number of potentially beneficial clinical uses of creatine supplementation. These studies show that short and long-term supplementation (up to 30 g/day for 5 years) is safe and well-tolerated in healthy individuals and in a number of patient populations ranging from infants to the elderly. Moreover, significant health benefits may be provided by ensuring habitual low dietary creatine ingestion (e.g., 3 g/day) throughout the lifespan. The purpose of this review is to provide an update to the current literature regarding the role and safety of creatine supplementation in exercise, sport, and medicine and to update the position stand of International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN).","journal":"J Int Soc Sports Nutr","year":2017,"study_type":"review","cited_by_count":741,"is_oa":1,"oa_url":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12970-017-0173-z","pmc_id":"PMC5469049","openalex_id":"https://openalex.org/W2625882999","authors":["Kreider RB","Kalman DS","Antonio J","Ziegenfuss TN","Wildman R","Collins R","Candow DG","Kleiner SM","Almada AL","Lopez HL"],"publication_types":["Journal Article","Review"],"mesh_terms":["Athletic Injuries","Athletic Performance","Creatine","Dietary Supplements","Exercise","Humans","Performance-Enhancing Substances","Societies, Scientific","Sports Nutritional Sciences"],"categories":["cited_by_monograph"],"topics":["Muscle metabolism and nutrition","Sports Performance and Training","Muscle Physiology and Disorders"],"extraction_intervention":"Creatine supplementation (up to 30g/day for 5 years)","extraction_population":"Healthy individuals and patient populations (infants to elderly), including athletes","extraction_outcomes":["Intramuscular creatine concentrations","High intensity exercise performance","Post-exercise recovery","Injury prevention","Thermoregulation","Rehabilitation","Neuroprotection","Clinical disease markers"],"extraction_key_findings":["Short and long-term supplementation is safe and well-tolerated up to 30g/day for 5 years","Increases intramuscular creatine concentrations leading to greater training adaptations","Reduces severity of injury and enhances rehabilitation","Provides neuroprotection in concussion and spinal cord injury"],"extraction_direction":"positive","extraction_takeaway":"Creatine is a safe, multi-functional supplement that enhances performance, recovery, and injury prevention across all age groups and training levels.","linked_ingredients":[{"id":"creatine","name":"Creatine","category":"amino_acid","match_type":"mesh"},{"id":"exercise-and-athletic-performance","name":"Dietary Supplements for Exercise and Athletic Performance","category":"overview","match_type":"title_abstract"}],"linked_exercises":[]}