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senior fitness
Creatine – Is It Safe?
by James M. Evans
DEAR JIM:
My grandson plays football at our local high school. Recently, he told me that he has been taking a supplement called creatine to boost his athletic performance. I’ve never heard of it before. Is it safe for him to be taking this stuff? And would it help an old codger like me? I’m still pretty active and play a mean game of horseshoes.
— WORRIED GRANDFATHER
DEAR GRAMPS:
Yes, creatine is considered a "safe" nutritional supplement and is widely used by athletes to enhance their performance — and yes, it might even benefit an old codger like you.
Creatine, sometimes called creatine monohydrate, is actually an amino acid produced naturally in the kidneys, liver, and pancreas. It is mainly stored in the muscles, where it becomes a source of energy and muscle growth. In fact, in a study by researcher Stephen W. Scheff, Ph.D, creatine even was found to protect against traumatic brain injuries in some people.
In a more recent study, researchers in Australia found that creatine supplementation gave a "significant, measurable boost in brainpower." In other words, the findings seemed to indicate that creatine improved mental function in memory tests ("Creatine May Boost Brain Performance," Salynn Boyles, WebMD Medical News, Aug. 19, 2003).
More research will need to be done to confirm these latest results, but if the theories prove to be true, creatine most certainly would become popular even among nonathletes.
In the meantime, you might want to try some creatine yourself and see if it doesn’t help you throw a few more "ringers."
Jim Evans is a 36-year veteran of the health and fitness industry and a nationally recognized consultant on fitness for seniors. He is also host of the radio show "Forever Young" on San Diego’s KCBQ 1170 AM (www.KCBQ.com) at 10 a.m. (PST) Saturdays.
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