Elsevier

Mayo Clinic Proceedings

Volume 75, Issue 12, December 2000, Pages 1257-1263
Mayo Clinic Proceedings

Original Article
Creatine Use Among a Select Population of High School Athletes

https://doi.org/10.4065/75.12.1257Get rights and content

Objective

To determine the prevalence, frequency, and patterns of creatine use among a local population of high school athletes.

Subjects and Methods

Male and female high school athletes completed an anonymous questionnaire on creatine use during the August 1999 preparticipation examinations at a single institutional sports medicine center.

Results

A total of 328 students (182 males and 146 females) aged 14 to 18 years (mean ± SD 15.2±1.3 years) completed the survey (100% response rate), although not all athletes answered each question. Twenty-seven athletes (8.2% of total group), 1 of whom was female, reported creatine use. Of these 27 athletes, 14 (52%) were taking creatine at the time of the survey. The frequency of creatine use among past and current users was equally distributed among rarely (30%), weekly (35%), and daily (35%). Creatine users were older than nonusers (mean 16.5±1.2 vs 15.0±1.3 years; P<.001). Of creatine users, 21 (78%) were male football players. Nineteen of 24 respondents (79%) believed creatine improved their performance. Overall, 78% of users either did not know how much creatine they were taking (12/22 respondents) or were taking greater than the recommended doses (5/22 respondents). Minor gastrointestinal side effects or muscle cramps were reported by 5 (20%) of 25 respondents. Creatine users were more likely than nonusers to know other creatine users (81% vs 22%; P<.001) and to use other supplements (67% vs 9%; P<.001). Creatine users obtained creatine information primarily from friends (74%) and purchased creatine predominantly from health food stores (86%).

Conclusions

High school male and female athletes as young as 14 years use creatine. Of high school athletes participating in our study, 8.2% reported creatine use. Relatively minor side effects, diarrhea, cramps, and loss of appetite, were reported. Creatine users seem to believe that creatine improves their performance, but they may lack sufficient information to make informed decisions regarding creatine use. Further larger scale study is warranted.

Section snippets

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

This study was designed as an anonymous survey to be completed during the 1999 annual PPE program at the Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine Center. In the state of Minnesota, PPEs are required every 3 years. Each year, the Sports Medicine Center provides a PPE service for 5 regional high schools during a single day in August. The details of the examination process have been published previously.27 In summary, the Sports Medicine Center uses a multidisciplinary, station-based approach. Examinations are

Subjects

Table 1 demonstrates the frequency of creatine use among our high school athletic population and the relevant characteristics of the creatine users and nonusers. A total of 328 students completed the anonymous questionnaire, representing 100% of the high school-aged subjects (14-18 years) attending the PPE program on that day. Of these 328 students, 27 (8.2%) had used creatine: 26 males and 1 female. Males comprised a larger proportion of the creatine user group compared with the nonuser group

Creatine User Profile

This study is the first formal epidemiological survey of creatine use among a select population of high school athletes. The participation rate among our athletes was 100%. The results generally support our hypotheses. Of the 328 high school athletes surveyed, 27 (8.2%) had used creatine in the past, 14 (52%) of whom were using creatine at the time of the survey (Table 1, Table 2). Creatine users were significantly older than nonusers (mean, 16.5 vs 15.0 years), but athletes as young as 14

CONCLUSIONS

In our study, 8.2% (27/328) of high school athletes have used creatine. Male football players most commonly use creatine. Dosing patterns were highly variable. Many athletes are either unaware of how much creatine they have taken or are taking more than the recommended amounts. This finding may reflect a lack of education about creatine use because athletes do not seem to be obtaining the majority of their information from health care professionals. Reported side effects are infrequent and

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

We thank Angela D. Hartman for statistical support.

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