Home | About Natural News | Contact Us | Write for Natural News
Search our 25,000 free articles and special reports

Creatine gains in popularity as safety questions abound; the FDA can't wait to regulate or outlaw the substance

Wednesday, June 09, 2004 by: Mike Adams (see all articles by this author)
Key concepts: Creatine, The FDA and Nutritional supplement

Email this article to a friend Printable Version  FREE Email Newsletter

Breaking News from across the 'net:

     See all Breaking News...

Get Our FREE Email Newsletter

Receive natural health product reviews, recommendations and alerts.
Instant download of 20+ free health reports and exclusive interviews.
Join over 1.2 million monthly readers.



Unsubscribe anytime, email privacy guaranteed


Articles Related to This Article:

Creatine to be tested as treatment for Parkinson's

The FDA Exposed: An Interview With Dr. David Graham, the Vioxx Whistleblower

Mercury Fillings Shattered! FDA, ADA Conspiracy to Poison Children with Toxic Mercury Fillings Exposed in Groundbreaking Lawsuit
Creatine has rapidly become wildly popular among people looking for an edge in strength training and sports performance. One study indicates as many as 16% of teenagers use creatine, and 57% of people who frequent health clubs also take the nutritional supplement. Creatine has been clinically proven to increase lean muscle mass and boost performance, but is creatine safe?

When it comes to creatine, you can count on two things happening. First, some users will abuse it and consume ridiculous levels of the substance in a desperate effort to boost their performance. And secondly, the FDA and organized medicine will do everything they can do discredit creatine as part of their campaign to regulate or outlaw all nutritional supplements. These two actions go hand in hand, of course: as a few isolated abusers of creatine are found to exhibit negative side effects, the FDA will leap at the opportunity and publicly declare creatine to be "dangerous to everyone" in a sensationalist manner. The campaign to discredit creatine will, in fact, closely mirror the FDA's campaign to suppress ephedra -- a common weight loss herb that is actually remarkably safe, despite what you may have heard in the popular press.

Creatine is like most other nutritional supplements: if used widely, it can assist in reaching health goals like losing weight or attaining greater physical strength. But if abused, it can overload certain body organs (the kidneys, especially) and ultimately cause serious health problems. The key is to understand that the substance is not the problem, it's the desperation and lack of nutritional wisdom of certain individuals that's the actual source of the problem. The FDA would argue that since a few people can't figure out how to limit their consumption of creatine to safe levels, then the substance should be removed from the reach of the entire population. It reminds me of the state of Oregon, where it's illegal to pump your own gas at a gas station. Minimum wage attendants have to pump all your gas for you in Oregon, because the state legislature decided that the average gasoline consumer somehow has even lower intelligence than the attendants who work there.

The FDA thinks the same way about the general public: since a few people are too stupid to limit their consumption of creatine, it should be restricted from everyone. It's an insult to the intelligence of the thinking, lucid people in American society. Yes, the number of lucid people may be shrinking rapidly thanks to brain-destroying diets (hydrogenated oils, aspartame, MSG) and food additives, but there are still tens of millions of people running around this country who can think for themselves, and in my view, the FDA has no right to restrict their access to relatively safe nutritional supplements like creatine. Technically, creatine is no more dangerous than coffee. There are probably thousands of deaths caused each year by the frequent consumption of coffee, yet the FDA isn't at all interested in banning that substance.

Do I use creatine myself? I tend to stay away from it, but on occasion, I will consume a tablespoon of creatine as part of a pre-workout protein drink made with soy milk, stevia and whey protein. In my experience, it definitely helps with the workout. But I don't rely on it as a foundation of my physical health, and I would never consume it on a daily basis. It's not like vitamins and minerals -- creatine isn't something you need on a daily basis. It can, however, help the intensity of your workout if used wisely.

Boost this article on YahooBuzz! Click "BuzzUp!"

About the author: Mike Adams is a holistic nutritionist with a passion for sharing empowering information to help improve personal and planetary health He is a prolific writer and has published thousands of articles, interviews, reports and consumer guides, impacting the lives of millions of readers around the world who are experiencing phenomenal health benefits from reading his articles. Adams is an honest, independent journalist and accepts no money or commissions on the third-party products he writes about or the companies he promotes. In 2007, Adams launched EcoLEDs, a maker of super bright LED light bulbs that are 1000% more energy efficient than incandescent lights. He also launched an online retailer of environmentally-friendly products (BetterLifeGoods.com) and uses a portion of its profits to help fund non-profit endeavors. He's also a successful software entrepreneur, having founded a well known email marketing software company whose technology currently powers the NaturalNews email newsletters. Adams is currently the executive director of the Consumer Wellness Center, a 501(c)3 non-profit, and practices nature photography, Capoeira, Pilates and organic gardening. Known as the 'Health Ranger,' Adams' personal health statistics and mission statements are located at www.HealthRanger.org

Get articles like this delivered to you FREE in our popular email newsletter

Related CounterThink Cartoons:


Related Articles:

Creatine to be tested as treatment for Parkinson's

The FDA Exposed: An Interview With Dr. David Graham, the Vioxx Whistleblower

Mercury Fillings Shattered! FDA, ADA Conspiracy to Poison Children with Toxic Mercury Fillings Exposed in Groundbreaking Lawsuit

Take Action: Support NaturalNews.com

Email this article to a friend

Share this article on: NewsVine | digg | del.icio.us

Permalink to this article: http://www.NaturalNews.com/001120.html

Reprinting this article: Non-commercial OK, cite NaturalNews.com with clickable link.

Embed article link: (copy HTML code below):


Free Special Reports

How to Build Your Financial Safety Net
The 7 Principles of Mindful Wealth
The Healing Power of Sunlight and Vitamin D
The pH Nutrition Guide to Acid / Alkaline Balance
Pet Food Ingredients Revealed! (shocking)
Medicine From Fish
The Water Cure

Additional Products of Interest to All

Breville Juice Fountain Elite 800JEXL
Simply the best juicer in the world
for fast, easy juicing

Preparedness Tools Natural News Bundle
For preparedness and safety: 60% off
for preparing for natural disasters

Boku Superfood
High-potency superfood powder
for preventing numerous diseases

Katadyn Exstream XR Water Purifier
#1 personal water purifier
for clean, pristine water in seconds

How to Halt Diabetes in 25 Days
Health Ranger guide to reversing diabetes
for reversing type-2 diabetes

Hair Soap
A pure, simple and chemical-free shampoo
for washing hair without chemicals

Living Fuel SuperBerry Ultimate
Delicious superfood meal powder
for disease prevention, antioxidant boost

The Weiss Method for Heart Disease
How to reverse heart disease naturally
for heart disease, high cholesterol

Katadyn MicroPur Water Purifier Tablets
The best water purification tablets
for purifying almost any water source

Aloe Vera 100
Pure, dried 100% aloe vera gel flakes
for sludge blood, IBS, Crohn's disease

Spirulina Pacifica
Pure, pristine spirulina superfood
for cancer prevention, alkalizing, immune func

Vitamineral Green from Healthforce
Nutrient-dense superfood powder
for disease prevention, body alkalizing & more

Blood Support
Halts growth of cancer tumors
for breast cancer and all cancers

Fucoxanthin with PinnoThin
Natural appetite suppressant
for obesity, overweight, overeating

Amaz-a-Power
Amazing wild berry tincture from Peru
for eye & brain protection, cancer prevention

Zyflamend
Powerful anti-inflammatory herbal formula
for arthritis, joint pain, inflammation

Nascent Iodine
Miraculous nascent iodine solution
for thyroid function, Alzheimer's, brain func.

MGC-5 Mushroom Extracts
Potent extracts of medicinal mushrooms
for reversing cancer, boosting immune function

P-73 Oreganol
Potent source of wildcrafted oregano oil
for parasites, heart disease, immune func.

Ocean Minerals Pure Magnesium Oil
#1 product for magnesium therapy
for back pain, heart health, muscle health

SunWarrior
Raw, vegan brown rice protein
for plant-based protein intake

FruitFast Cherry Fruit Concentrate
Fruit remedy for gout and arthritis
for gout, arthritis, inflammation

PureEnergy with Ribose
Powerful cellular energy enhancer
for heart disease, fatigue, poor energy

Peri-Gum
Anti-cancer, anti-gingivitis herbal mouth
for oral health without chemicals

Better Than Roasted - Macadamia Nuts
The most delicious raw nut spread ever
for heart health, circulatory health

* Products do NOT pay to be listed here. These are genuine, independent recommendations by the Health Ranger

☯ Products with this symbol are sold by NaturalNews or its affiliates and earn revenues for NaturalNews

Discover on NaturalNews NaturalPedia™

Creatine
The FDA
Nutritional supplement

Also on NaturalNews:

Streaming Health Ranger Videos
CounterThink Cartoons
FREE Special Reports
Podcasts
This site is part of the Natural News Network © 2008 All Rights Reserved. Privacy | Terms All content posted on this site is commentary or opinion and is protected under Free Speech. Truth Publishing International, LTD. is not responsible for content written by contributing authors. Truth Publishing sells no health or nutritional products and earns no money from health product manufacturers or promoters. The information on this site is provided for educational and entertainment purposes only. It is not intended as a substitute for professional advice of any kind. Truth Publishing assumes no responsibility for the use or misuse of this material. Your use of this website indicates your agreement to these terms and those published here. All trademarks, registered trademarks and servicemarks mentioned on this site are the property of their respective owners.