Long-Term Effects Remain Unknown.

• Position: Creatine for muscle building - Brief Article

Can and should you build muscle by taking a pill? Creatine, the energy burst supplement, will improve people's athletic performance in some sports, according to orthopedic surgeon Clarence L. Shields, Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic, Los Angeles, Calif.

He points out that "Creatine helps the athlete hit a baseball, lift weights, sprint, and do other activities requiring short bursts of energy. It does not, however, help with endurance activities such as long distance running and swimming.

"Muscle fibers do get larger with creatine. Taking the supplement appears to be okay, except for people who have kidney problems, but the long-term effects of creatine are not known. There is a gap between the laboratory results and the real world. Right now, teens and adults are making decisions based on hearsay or what they see in the locker room, at the gym, or at a sporting event," Shields indicates.

Creatine is a nutritional supplement, not a prescription drug, so...