I am a bit confused about Creatine and Creatinine
I have just had a blood test and my Creatinine levels in my blood were abnormal is this do with me taking Creatine or not?
Without delving into too much research (and somebody stop me if I’m wrong) creatinine is the broken down form of creatine. This will be caused by 3 things in the weightlifting population generally:
- Taking creatine
- Diet high in animal protein (contains creatine too)
- Increased protein turnover (little hazy on this one)
So yes, your creatinine levels are abnormal. You are abnormal. Everyone who weight trains with intensity regularly and eats a high protein diet is abnormal. This is a good thing.
To the best of my knowledge, while having abnormal creatinine levels in a normal sedentary person would be cause for concern, in your case it’s just a harmless symptom of the lifestyle.
So keep taking your creatine and lift something you freak 
Thanks for your reply
I will have to tell the doctor that I have been taking Creatine for the past month or so
I wont need to have another blood test in 2 weeks now
Thank goodness
I was under the impression that it didn’t have much to do with creatine intake, and was related to protein synthesis and catabolism, in other words, eating lots of protein and lifting heavy stuff.
[quote]graphicsMan wrote:
I was under the impression that it didn’t have much to do with creatine intake, and was related to protein synthesis and catabolism, in other words, eating lots of protein and lifting heavy stuff.[/quote]
No it mainly has to do with creatine intake. Meat contributes to it too, but creatine supplements takes the win.
I had been told to stop taking the creatine by my doctor as my creatinine levels were to high what effects can this have on my body
Are you drinking plenty of water OP?
[quote]drenelin wrote:
Are you drinking plenty of water OP? [/quote]
Not the recomended 2 litres a day
?OP?
OP = original poster
You need to drink more water - it cannot be stressed how important it is to get an adequate amount of water. Not drinking enough water puts much more stress on your kidneys - not good for someone on a high protein diet supplementing with creatine.
Make sure you get plenty of water throughout the day and when you retake the creatinine test, then the levels will most likely be significantly lower.
I think people need to realize that getting blood work done while taking supplements and training hard will almost always yield odd results. Next time you go in for blood work take a few days off the gym, stop supps and then see if you actually have a problem or not.
[quote]RSarin wrote:
So yes, your creatinine levels are abnormal. You are abnormal. Everyone who weight trains with intensity regularly and eats a high protein diet is abnormal. This is a good thing.
To the best of my knowledge, while having abnormal creatinine levels in a normal sedentary person would be cause for concern, in your case it’s just a harmless symptom of the lifestyle.
So keep taking your creatine and lift something you freak :)[/quote]
Absolutely hilarious, Sarin.
And yes, Creatinine levels will raise due to intake of creatine. It is possible, however HIGHLY improbable to get such increases from natural food sources alone.
If you don’t believe us, check this out:
[quote]ectomorph68 wrote:
I am a bit confused about Creatine and Creatinine
I have just had a blood test and my Creatinine levels in my blood were abnormal is this do with me taking Creatine or not?[/quote]
The simple answer is yes. If you have been taking creatine for a significant time, your creatinine levels will be elevated. Creatinine is the by-product of creatine digestion, so it’s not a surprise that if you’re taking in a lot of creatine, you have a higher level of creatinine.
However, if the creatinine level is disproportionate to what your supplementing with, there could be a problem.
[quote]ectomorph68 wrote:
I had been told to stop taking the creatine by my doctor as my creatinine levels were to high what effects can this have on my body[/quote]
If it is only due to you taking in extra creatine, nothing. Just make sure you are drinking an adequate amount of water. Creatinine will concentrate in the urine if you aren’t hydrated appropriately. If you never supplemented with creatine, and you gave a urine sample after a day or so with inadequate hydration, the creatinine level will be high, along with other metabolites. Key thing to remember is to drink enough water. Though creatine will not cause kidney stress when taken as recommended, being underhydrated will.
[quote]bmitch wrote:
how much water should one take? i started taking creatine 2 weeks ago and have been drinking 5-6 litres a day… is this enough?[/quote]
How can you drink this much, I would never have time to workout as i would be on the toilet all day
How much water should we be drinking
I recommend about 100+ oz a day, but nothing too crazy
I drink 1.5-2 gallons every day, sometimes more with crystal lite or green tea, and the water in my protein shakes/workout drinks.