5 Myths about creatine — and its reality

Apart from bodybuilding training, athletes competing in various other sports (such as football, basketball) can benefit from creatine. Low-dose creatine supplementation helps muscles to store more glycogen, a readily available source of energy besides improving endurance for athletes.

Creatine alone can’t help you to gain muscle mass. It has been found to help the cause when combined with resistance training exercises. If you’re not exercising and taking creatine, it can bulk you up.

When you take creatine, it adds water volume. When you discontinue, your muscles start to look smaller. If you continue to lift, you will maintain the muscle size.

There have been several studies to see if creatine has any negative side-effect on the liver or kidneys. None of the studies has found scientific evidence to suggest that chronic supplementation interferes with kidney and liver function.

Creatine does not cause dehydration, but increases total body water, which helps maintain hydration levels. Moreover, there has been no substantial evidence to say that the supplementation has an effect on muscle cramping.