Although maternal plasma creatine concentrations were highly conserved, creatine metabolism appears to adjust throughout pregnancy. An ability to maintain creatine concentrations through diet and shifts in endogenous synthesis may impact fetal growth.
Utilizing 2013–2014 NHANES data, the current study found a negative correlation between dietary creatine intake and serum levels of neurofilament light chain (NfL; a biomarker for neuronal damage) in 1912 individuals aged 20–75 years. The observed pattern, where increased dietary creatine intake was associated with reduced circulating NfL levels, suggests potential protective effects of creatine against neuronal injury.
Consuming a creatine-rich diet has been linked to lower risks of reproductive issues in US women aged 12 and above. Those consuming ≥13 mg of creatine per kg body mass daily showed notably lower risks of irregular menstrual periods, obstetric conditions, and pelvic pathology. Further studies are needed to confirm these potential benefits.
Diet rich in creatine is associated with a reduced risk of cancer or malignancy in U.S. adults aged 20 years and over. For every additional mg of creatine per kilogram of body mass consumed daily, the cancer rate is reduced by ∼ one percent. Further studies are required to validate the benefits of creatine-rich foods or supplements in the management of cancer.
Dietary creatine intake was positively correlated with head circumference (r = 0.184; P = 0.031) when controlling for age at screening, while no link was found between creatine consumption and recumbent length or body weight in U.S children aged 0 to 2 years. A multiple regression analysis revealed a significant relationship between food creatine and head circumference (P < 0.001) when adjusting for the effects of selected dietary variables (e.g., weight of food consumed, total caloric content, protein intake).
Dietary exposure to creatine through a regular diet is not associated with more liver disease manifestations in U.S. population aged 12 years and over. The risk of having liver fibrosis, cirrhosis, and hepatic steatosis is similar between low-intake and high-intake creatine consumers. In addition, taking creatine from food sources might be associated with favorable individual liver function tests; further safety studies are needed to address the upper threshold for dietary creatine intake in the general public.
Creatine monohydrate continues to be the only source of creatine that has substantial evidence to support bioavailability, efficacy, and safety. Additionally, creatine monohydrate is the source of creatine recommended explicitly by professional societies and organizations and approved for use in global markets as a dietary ingredient or food additive.
The average intake of creatine across the sample was 0.65 ± 0.72 g/day (95% CI, from 0.61 to 0.69). Creatine positively correlated with lean mass (excluding BMC) and BMC across the whole sample (r = .18 and .20, respectively; P < .001); a significant negative correlation was found between creatine intake and percent body fat (r = −.09; P = .001).
The mean creatine intake of 0.83 g per day for pregnant women is ∼11% above the estimated dietary creatine requirements. However, approximately 6 out of 10 pregnant women (57.2%) consumed creatine below the recommended amounts for an adult female, suggesting a possible risk of creatine malnutrition in this population.
Recent advances in creatine nutrition and physiology suggest that the quantity of creatine the body naturally synthesizes is not sufficient to meet human needs. As a result, humans have to obtain enough creatine from the diet, which nominates creatine as an essential nutrient in certain circumstances.