I have a teenage son who plays football. What is the earliest age you recommend that a person can begin taking creatine for athletic purposes?
A. I am generally uncomfortable with teenagers relying on supplements for athletic gains. However, knowing that creatine is widely available, and opposing sports teams may be using it, I realize that a “just say no” policy is not going to be accepted by teenagers. I therefore take a moderate stand by condoning its use in teenagers for a specific period of time, such as one, two or three months during one sports season of the year, such as football. I prefer a person to be at least 16 years old before using creatine. Ingestion of 2 to 4 grams a day for a month followed by every other day use seems to be well-tolerated. This policy would probably be acceptable to all parties involved, including the teenagers, coaches, and parents. I also feel that the use of creatine may divert certain teenagers from relying on anabolic steroids.
Related Questions
- What do I do if I suspect that my son, daughter or another teenage student is either taking drugs to school or possibly selling drugs at school?
- My teenage son has enlarged breasts. Does he need to be a certain age to have gynecomastia excision?
- At what age should a person refrain from taking the Cambridge Diet?
