International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: safety and efficacy of creatine supplementation in exercise, sport, and medicine.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative review and expert consensus position stand without systematic review or meta-analysis.
PubMed 28615996 · doi:10.1186/s12970-017-0173-z
What was done
The International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN) reviewed the literature to update its position stand on the safety and efficacy of creatine supplementation in exercise, athletic performance, recovery, injury prevention, and diverse clinical medical applications.
What was found
The review reported that creatine supplementation increases intramuscular creatine concentrations, improving high-intensity exercise performance and training adaptations. Benefits were noted for post-exercise recovery, injury prevention, thermoregulation, and neuroprotection across several clinical indications. Quantitatively, the abstract reports that supplementation up to 30 g/day for 5 years is safe and well-tolerated in populations ranging from infants to the elderly, and habitual low intake of 3 g/day may provide health benefits across the lifespan. No specific numerical effect sizes or trial statistics are provided in the abstract.
Why it matters
This position stand provides an authoritative consensus affirming creatine's safety profile over long durations and broadening its application from athletic ergogenics to clinical and lifespan health.
Limits
The abstract describes a narrative position stand rather than a systematic review or meta-analysis, providing no systematic search criteria, quality scoring, or pooled statistical effect sizes. Many clinical indications mentioned remain emerging or heterogeneous.
Cited by
- supports Long-term studies demonstrate that taking 5 grams of creatine monohydrate per day for years is safe.
- supports Creatine reduces muscle protein breakdown, aiding in muscle recovery and structural integrity.
- partial Scientific reviews indicate that creatine supplementation is safe in adolescent children and teenagers and improves balance, agility, and body composition.
- supports AG1 Pro contains 5 grams of creatine monohydrate per serving to support muscle strength, performance, and brain health.