Ive heard that you should not mix creatine in acidic beverages, because it will destroy the creatine. Is this true?
The short answer is, no. You do not want to mix creatine in an acidic beverage such as orange juice, or any other liquid for that matter, and then store it for a long time before taking it. However, mixing it with any beverage and drinking it soon thereafter is fine. Those who point out that creatine is unstable in acids fail to point out exactly how unstable it is, as this is a relative measure. The degradation half-life of creatine follows an inverted U along the pH scale, with the bottom estimated to be somewhere around a pH of 4. In acids about the strength of orange juice (pH of 3), creatine still has a degradation half-life of over seven days. In substances that are even more acidic (such as stomach acid), the degradation half-life is actually much longer for example, it is 55 days at a pH of 1.4. This means that creatine can easily make it through the digestive tract with very little degradation.
