This article was originally posted in September, 1999. Still, there are some who think the risks of creatine are overstated.
Many experts argue that, taken in moderate amounts, creatine can be effective and safe.
After all, they point out, creatine occurs naturally in the body and is found in everyday foods. The average American consumes one gram of dietary creatine each day, primarily in meats and fish. In the opinion of Norman Fost, director of the medical ethics program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, no one under the age of 18 should take unnecessary supplements. Tennis legend John McEnroe begs to disagree. He speculates that creatine is at least partly responsible for the wave of injuries that decimated that men's draw at the recent U.S. Open.