Creatine For Kids - Is It A Good Idea?

Creatine is a protein that the body makes on its own and that you may get in fish and meat in smaller quantities. Our muscles store creatine in the form of phosphocreatine, which is an ATP-producing energy source. Sprinting and other forms of high-intensity explosive exercise employ this kind of energy. Creatine, when taken orally, aids in muscular growth and enhances performance in sports. But is creatine safe for kids? Read on to find out. 

Many parents are concerned about the safety of creatine for their children since it is the supplement that high school athletes use the most. The safety and performance advantages of creatine supplements in teenagers were described in a 2021 research study. Preliminary research on the effects of creatine for kids' soccer and swimming performance is encouraging. Creatine supplementation is currently used by about a quarter of all male high school athletes.

Curiously, only 4% of the women in their social group supplement with creatine.  Athletes at the highest levels of competition are the most likely to use creatine, with 36% of teenage athletes participating at the world elite level. These figures show a rising trend. Research on females and various types of youth sports has not been conducted as yet.

Can Creatine Improve Teen Performance?

In all likelihood, yes. Only male athletes, such as swimmers and soccer players, have had the effects of creatine on teenage performance examined. Consistent performance increases were shown in all of the few investigations that were conducted. Anaerobic exercise, power strength, and sprinting speed are all enhanced by creatine.

• Junior national team swimmers who took 20 grams of creatine daily during a loading phase achieved Anaerobic training, strength training, and sprinting speed.

• As a loading dosage, 20-30 grams of creatine helped these young, elite soccer players with dribbling ability, sprinting, countermovement jumps, and power production. 

The current body of research is severely deficient in studying male and female teenage athletes in football, baseball, hockey, track and field, and cycling, despite the encouraging findings from this study. No research on females has been conducted on creatine; it has only been tried on young male swimmers and soccer players.

Creatine for Kids Dosage

Compared to a 5g maintenance dosage spread over a few months, a 25g creatine loading over four days seems more beneficial. Adolescents were typically given 20-25 g daily for one to three weeks as part of a loading phase, with advantages seen as early as week one. We compared this to a shorter loading period where the patient took 25 mg for 9 days and then 5 mg for 1-2 months.  

According to one of the longest trials, which included top swimmers, swimming performance was shown to be considerably improved after 4 days of acute creatine loading as measured by maximum interval sessions. After two months of supplementation, no further benefits were seen with a maintenance dosage of 5 g of creatine for kids daily. Superior to a 5g maintenance dosage spread out over several months is a 25g loading dose spread out over four days.

Response To Creatine Intake

While adults have a greater increase in creatine levels after taking a supplement, teens do see a smaller increase. Creatine storage efficiency is poorer in adolescents, and children's creatine levels are lower than adults', to begin with. Whether there are distinct "creatine responders" and "creatine non-responders" among young athletes, similar to what we see in adults, is unknown.  

Is Creatine Safe for Kids?

Based on the early research results, creatine for kids is well-tolerated. While the lack of adverse events reported by research participants does not necessarily indicate any answer to whether is creatine safe for kids, it does indicate that creatine is probably safe for this particular group. 

Simpson and colleagues presented research in 2019 that may provide the first statistics on safety among top U18 and U21 soccer players. The teenage soccer players in this randomized control experiment showed decreased airways after two months of consuming creatine. The scientists said we cannot rule out the possibility that creatine irritates the airways of professional athletes, especially those who are allergic.

While most people may safely use creatine supplement for short periods, studies on teens using the supplement are few.  Athletes under the age of 18 should not use creatine supplements, according to medical professionals and pediatric medical organizations. Additionally, additional compounds not listed on the ingredients label may be included in creatine, as with other sports supplements. 

Creatine For Kids Athletes

Creatine for kids could be useful in some sports, but it won't magically make you a world-class athlete. Athletes in the 17–18 age bracket also reported a greater rate of creatine usage than those in the 15–16 age bracket (60.0% vs. 40.0%). Notably, these results are among the highest reported rates of creatine usage across teenage cohorts, suggesting a trend toward increased creatine use in the recent past. 

The rising profile of creatine's ergogenic effects, the prevalence of elite-level adolescent competitive sports, and the ever-expanding dietary supplement industry are all factors that could explain these results. Additionally, it should be mentioned that the use of creatine supplements has skyrocketed in the last 20 years, especially among female athletes. Creatine may be the supplement of choice for elite teen athletes, but it's still far less common than other types of dietary supplements. For example, adolescent athletes can use anything from 60 to 80 percent of the supplements in the multivitamin, protein powder, and energy product categories.

Easily Consumable Creatine - Creatine Gummies

For teenagers, the creatine consumption method is a big debate. Many kids don’t want to indulge in the hassle of making creatine drinks or other liquid forms of supplementation. In such circumstances, wouldn’t it be a cherry on top if they could have an option of gummies? As effective as the traditional creatine, Bear Balanced creatine for kids is a contemporary take in the athletic sector. These creatine gummies can be consumed easily throughout the day, per the certified coach or doctor’s suggestion. 

Bear Balanced® | World's First Creatine Gummies®

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