Creatine already is the darling of many professional football and baseball players, as well as college football teams, where it's a common training-table item.
Synthetic creatine is made from amino acids.
As a dietary supplement, it usually comes in a powder form that is mixed with water and taken daily as part of a weight-lifting program. Creatine also is found in meats and fish. A sampling of area high school football coaches found that it was typical for 20 or more students at a school to be using creatine, which is sold in health food stores and by mail order. Long-term studies have yet to be done. And, so far, there has been no research on how creatine might affect the growing bodies of young athletes.