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Risk of Adverse Outcomes in Females Taking Oral Creatine Monohydrate: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Deborah L de Guingand, Kirsten R Palmer, Rodney J Snow, Miranda L Davies-Tuck, Stacey J Ellery
Nutrients 2020 12(6):1780

Bibliography

PubMed
PMID 32549301
PubMed Central
PMC7353222
Funding
No external funding was received for the review. The work also reports support from the Victorian Government Operational Infrastructure Support Program, the Andrea Logan Memorial Trust, and fellowships supporting individual investigators.
Competing interests
Authors declared no conflicts of interest.

Study snapshot

DesignSystematic review and meta-analysis
ModelHuman
Sample29 studies monitoring adverse outcomes; 951 participants
InterventionOral creatine monohydrate in female participants
DurationVaried by included study
EndpointsTotal adverse events; Gastrointestinal events; Weight gain; Renal function; Hepatic function

What the study showed, in plain terms

Female-specific safety review assessing whether creatine monohydrate increases adverse outcomes.

Key findings

The meta-analysis found no significant increase in total adverse events, gastrointestinal events, weight gain, or renal/hepatic complications in females; no deaths or serious adverse outcomes were reported in the included evidence.

What this study can and cannot tell us

Only 29 studies reported adverse outcomes and surveillance was inconsistent; long-term and life-stage-specific safety evidence remains incomplete.

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