Can we take creatine 365 days?
When taken by mouth: Creatine is likely safe for most people. Doses up to 25 grams daily for up to 14 days have been safely used. Lower doses up to 4-5 grams daily for up to 18 months have also been safely used.
Creatine is a safe, well-studied supplement. Studies in a variety of people have shown no detrimental health effects of taking creatine supplements in doses up to 4–20 grams per day for 10 months to 5 years ( 19 , 20 , 21 ).
You can supplement Creatine all year round but taking a break every 12 weeks is recommended. Have a 4 week period off Creatine and cycle it like that on a consistent basis.
Creatine has been found to be completely safe, even after years of use. It won't damage your kidneys or liver.
Taking creatine for an extended period of time, meaning longer than 8 weeks, lessens the positive effect creatine has on your body. Essentially it becomes pointless continuing to supplement with creatine.
To maximize creatine muscle stores quickly, a loading phase of 20 grams daily for 5–7 days is recommended, followed by a maintenance dose of 2–10 grams per day. Another approach is 3 grams daily for 28 days.
Research has shown that it is safe to consume creatine supplements daily, even over several years. There is no evidence to support any significantly detrimental side effects in people who consume high doses of creatine (30 grams/day) for up to 5 years ( 2 ).
Results indicate that long-term creatine supplementation (up to 21-months) does not appear to adversely effect markers of health status in athletes undergoing intense training in comparison to athletes who do not take creatine.
When you stop taking creatine, your body's stored creatine levels will go down. This may result in a loss of strength, reduced energy levels, and a slight loss of muscle mass.
Creatine has been found to be completely safe, even after years of use. It won't damage your kidneys or liver. It doesn't cause dehydration. The only issue you might have is nausea or diarrhea, but that only happens if you take too much.
Is creatine harmful long term?
The International Society of Sports Nutrition recently found no scientific evidence that short- or long-term use of creatine monohydrate causes any harmful effects on otherwise healthy individuals.
The Creatine Cycle:
A single round of the creatine cycle should last 6-8 weeks, with a pause of 2-4 weeks (or longer, if needed) where you do not supplement with creatine at all.
There are claims that creatine should be cycled, though, to prevent your body from building a tolerance to it. In fact, there is no evidence that this is the case and there are no proven benefits of cycling creatine, meaning it isn't necessary.
A dose of 3-5 grams per day of creatine supplement for 30 days will raise creatine levels in the muscle just as well as a 5-day loading phase where you take 20 grams per day. It doesn't matter too much when you use it or what you mix it with.
The standard dosage recommendation for creatine is 3-5 grams per day. Either of these amounts should be sufficient for all but the largest and most muscular athletes, particularly if they are getting the normal amount of 1-2 grams per day from their diet.
"However, it is important to be consuming creatine regularly." Aim for 5 grams of creatine per day for maintenance, though it's OK if you skip a day here and there.
It can take one to two weeks or a month for creatine to work. Creatine stores in your muscles must rise to the degree of muscle saturation before you can experience the effects of creatine supplementation.
Children: Creatine is possibly safe when taken by mouth, short-term. Creatine 3-5 grams daily for 2-6 months has been taken safely in children 5-18 years of age. Creatine 2 grams daily for 6 months has been taken safely in children 2-5 years of age.
Ingesting large doses of creatine over a long period of time could theoretically place a significant extra burden on the kidneys, possibly leading to damage for those with less than perfect kidney function.
You should never miss a full day. If you do, then double up the next day. If you miss more than 3 days, reload otherwise taking the daily maintenance dose will require a couple of weeks to get you back where you should have been to maximize benefit.
What are 3 risks of creatine?
- Weight gain.
- Muscle cramps.
- Muscle strains and pulls.
- Stomach upset.
- Diarrhea.
- Dizziness.
- High blood pressure.
- Liver dysfunction.
Creatine is a safe, well-studied supplement. Studies in a variety of people have shown no detrimental health effects of taking creatine supplements in doses up to 4–20 grams per day for 10 months to 5 years ( 19 , 20 , 21 ).
Kilian et al. [32] used creatine supplementation in in vitro isolated hearts. They found that such a supplementation decreased heart rate, increased left ventricular systolic pressure, increased coronary flow, increased ATP content and decreased isocitrate dehydrogenase, a marker of cell death.
The most common Creatine cycle
A loading phase of 5-7 days of 20-30g per day, split into separate doses. A maintenance phase of 3-5g per day, lasting for 4-6 weeks. This is followed by a time of phase, lasting from 2 – 4 weeks, before considering starting another whole new cycle again.
When you stop taking creatine, your body's stored creatine levels will go down. This may result in a loss of strength, reduced energy levels, and a slight loss of muscle mass.