Is Creatine Safe for Teenagers? Evidence, Age Limits and Growth

No trial has been designed to test whether creatine is safe for teenagers. Thirteen small studies of 268 young athletes report no adverse events, and a 2023 review graded their quality poor. UK law sets no age limit on buying creatine, the authorised performance wording is for adults only, and this page gives no dose for anyone under 18.

Sources checked on 30 October 2026.

Is creatine safe for teenagers?

"Safe" would need a study built to measure it: hundreds of 13 to 17-year-olds, a placebo group, blood markers, growth measurements, years of follow-up. None exists. A 2023 review found 13 studies, 268 participants, mean ages 11.5 to 18.2, mostly footballers and swimmers: "The overall quality of the studies was poor", there were "no consistent findings" on performance, and "No studies were designed to address the topic of safety."¹

Those trials recorded no adverse events,² but none measured markers of clinical health,³ and a 2026 systematic review found only five studies with any safety outcome: no consistent short-term signal in kidney, liver or metabolic markers, and a call for larger, longer studies.⁴

What creatine does and its side effects are measured in adults; a growing body is a different question.

Is there an age limit for creatine in the UK?

No. Creatine is a food supplement, and the Food Supplements (England) Regulations 2003 set no minimum age for buying or taking one. The label must carry the daily portion, "a warning not to exceed the stated recommended daily dose" and that the product "should be stored out of the reach of young children".⁵

The "18+" line on many tubs is the seller's wording, not a legal rule; the International Society of Sports Nutrition calls it "a legal precaution".⁶ One reason it appears: Great Britain's authorised creatine performance claim "may be used only for foods targeting adults performing high intensity exercise",⁷ so a product carrying it cannot be aimed at teenagers. A marketing rule, not a finding about harm.

Nor is creatine covered by the coming energy-drink law, which from 6 April 2027, subject to Parliamentary scrutiny, stops sales of high-caffeine drinks to under-16s in England; food supplements are out of scope and creatine is not mentioned.⁸

Can a 13, 14, 15, 16 or 17-year-old take creatine?

The evidence has no age-by-age answer. The three trials in the table below enrolled 17-year-olds, under-16s and 13 to 14-year-olds^{9, 10, 11} and measured sprints, jumps or ball skills, never growth, bone age, hormones or long-term blood markers; none lasted longer than eight weeks. No age flips the evidence from unknown to known.

The ISSN's 2017 position stand finds creatine acceptable only for younger athletes who "are involved in serious/competitive supervised training", eat "a well-balanced and performance enhancing diet", are "knowledgeable about appropriate use of creatine" and "do not exceed recommended dosages".⁶ The American Academy of Pediatrics takes the other view: for most young athletes, performance-enhancing substances do "not produce significant gains over those seen with the onset of puberty", and it lists "high rates of product contamination" among its concerns.¹²

Neither has a safety trial to offer; how much creatine should you take is written for adults from adult trials.

Does creatine stunt growth, or make you taller?

Neither has been measured, so the fear and the hope rest on nothing. No adolescent creatine trial has recorded height, growth velocity, bone age or pubertal stage; the 2023 review calls for studies on "the growth, development, and performance of the developing athlete".¹ No study has shown creatine acting on growth plates or growth hormones either way. "Stunts growth" is unsupported; so is "makes you taller". What adults see in the first weeks is on the scales, not in height: does creatine make you gain weight has the water figures.

What do the studies in young athletes show?

Protocols are as the trials ran them, under supervision, not a suggestion for anyone.

What about children under 13, and a toddler who swallows some?

The youngest group in the 2023 review had a mean age of 11.5, in a small performance study; below that, no trial has given creatine to healthy children.¹ It has been studied in children with neuromuscular and metabolic disorders under specialist care,² which is not evidence for a healthy ten-year-old. Nothing supports giving creatine to a baby or toddler, and the label says "out of the reach of young children".⁵

If a small child swallows some, the NHS poisoning advice applies: call NHS 111 if you are "not sure if something you or someone else have swallowed, touched or breathed in" is harmful; 999 or A&E if they have lost consciousness, have severe difficulty breathing or have a seizure; do not make them sick.¹³

What should you do if your teenager is asking for creatine?

Parents describe the same scene: a son who "will not stop going on about it", who is "adamant everyone his age is taking it", and no clear answer online. The lack of an answer is the answer: nobody can call creatine proven safe, or proven harmful, at 15.

• Start with meals, sleep and training, which the paediatric academy says deliver most of a young athlete's gains,¹² then ask the GP, school nurse or a registered sports dietitian to weigh diet, growth, any kidney condition or regular medicine.
• Ask the club or governing body. No national UK school or club rule on creatine was found. A junior in a tested sport should ask the governing body about its supplement guidance before anything is bought.
• The GCSE "brain power" hope. Great Britain's health-claims committee refused a cognition claim for creatine in 2024.⁷ The adult trials are on creatine and the brain; none is in teenagers or tested exam performance.
• If he is going to anyway, insist that the GP knows, that he never exceeds the label's stated daily dose, and that anyone ordering a kidney blood test is told.

What we don't know

No trial has been designed to test safety in anyone under 18, and the 2023 review rated the 13 studies it found poor in quality.¹ Only five studies report any safety outcome, none long term.⁴ No adolescent trial has measured height, bone age, puberty or hormones; the three above ran five days to eight weeks and enrolled no girls.^{1, 9, 10, 11} Three signals sit outside those trials, each what it says and no more. In 19 elite footballers aged 16 to 21, eight weeks of creatine was followed by a trend towards more airway inflammation that did not reach significance.¹⁵ In 912 Canadian adolescents and young adults, those using creatine were more likely to report muscle dysmorphia symptoms at a second survey, an association that cannot show cause.¹⁶ And one 2025 case report is described under the kidney question below.

Frequently asked questions

What age can you start taking creatine?

There is no evidence-based age. The authorised performance claim is restricted to foods targeting adults, and no trial has been designed to test safety under 18.^{1, 7}

Is creatine safe for a 16-year-old?

Not established either way. Trials in 16 and 17-year-olds lasted days to weeks, measured performance and recorded no adverse events; none measured growth, hormones or long-term kidney markers.^{1, 2, 9}

Is creatine beneficial for children with ADHD?

No trial has tested creatine in ADHD at any age. The NHS says "ADHD medicines must be started and monitored by an ADHD specialist"; support starts with the GP or the school's SENCO.¹⁴

Can a teenager take creatine gummies?

The same answer as powder. A gummy is an adult food supplement in a different form (do creatine gummies work); no format has been tested in teenagers, so none is safer or less safe.

Does creatine cause kidney damage in teenagers?

Barely studied. The adolescent performance trials did not measure kidney markers;³ a 2026 review of five safety studies saw no consistent short-term kidney signal.⁴ One 2025 case report describes a 17-year-old who developed acute kidney injury, with cast nephropathy confirmed on biopsy, after six days of high-dose creatine loading; a single case, which cannot show that creatine was the cause, and a reason the GP must know.¹⁷ In adults, creatine raises blood creatinine, the marker kidney tests read, with measured kidney function unchanged in healthy people;³ creatine side effects explains why the GP must know.

Sources

1. Metzger GA, et al. Creatine supplementation in the pediatric and adolescent athlete. Journal of Orthopaedics, 2023. Literature review, 13 studies, 268 participants; authors declare no conflicts. PubMed 37008451.
2. Jagim AR, Kerksick CM. Creatine supplementation in children and adolescents. Nutrients, 2021. Narrative review; authors paid by a creatine maker to prepare it. PubMed 33670822.
3. Antonio J, et al. Common questions and misconceptions about creatine supplementation. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 2021. Narrative review; authors declare industry research funding and advisory roles. PubMed 33557850.
4. Rubinchuk A, et al. Evaluating the safety of creatine monohydrate in adolescents. Cureus, 2026. Systematic review, 5 studies; authors declare no funding or conflicts. PubMed 42124755.
5. The Food Supplements (England) Regulations 2003 (SI 2003/1387), regulation 6, as made. Read 30 October 2026. legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2003/1387/regulation/6/made
6. Kreider RB, et al. International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 2017. Position stand; the society is sponsored by supplement companies. PubMed 28615996.
7. Great Britain nutrition and health claims (NHC) register. Updated 19 May 2026. Read 30 October 2026. gov.uk/government/publications/great-britain-nutrition-and-health-claims-nhc-register
8. Banning the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to children: consultation outcome. Updated 16 July 2026. Read 30 October 2026. gov.uk/government/consultations/banning-the-sale-of-high-caffeine-energy-drinks-to-children
9. Yáñez-Silva A, et al. Effect of low dose, short-term creatine supplementation on muscle power output in elite youth soccer players. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 2017. Double-blind randomised trial, 19 male footballers, 14 days; funding not stated on PubMed. PubMed 28190980.
10. Vargas-Molina S, et al. A randomized open-labeled study to examine the effects of creatine monohydrate and combined training on jump and scoring performance in young basketball players. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 2022. Open-label randomised trial, 23 boys, 8 weeks; supplier-provided creatine, supplier-linked authors. PubMed 35966022.
11. Wu J, et al. Acute creatine supplementation enhances technical performance in adolescent basketball players under cognitive-motor dual-task condition. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 2025. Randomised crossover, 40 boys aged 13 to 14, 5 days; authors declare no conflicts. PubMed 40758095.
12. LaBotz M, Griesemer BA; American Academy of Pediatrics. Use of performance-enhancing substances. Pediatrics, 2016. Clinical report of the American Academy of Pediatrics. PubMed 27354458.
13. NHS. Poisoning. Reviewed 12 June 2025. Read 30 October 2026. nhs.uk/conditions/poisoning
14. NHS. ADHD in children and young people. Reviewed 19 March 2025. Read 30 October 2026. nhs.uk/conditions/adhd-children-teenagers
15. Simpson AJ, et al. Effect of creatine supplementation on the airways of youth elite soccer players. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 2019. Randomised double-blind placebo-controlled trial, 19 players aged 16 to 21, 8 weeks; non-commercial research support, funder not named on PubMed. PubMed 30913162.
16. Ganson KT, et al. Creatine monohydrate use is prospectively associated with muscle dysmorphia symptomatology. Eating Behaviors, 2024. Prospective cohort, 912 Canadian adolescents and young adults, two survey waves; authors report no conflicts. PubMed 39173400.
17. Filler G, et al. Acute kidney injury with cast nephropathy following creatine loading in a 17-year-old. Pediatric Nephrology, 2025. Case report, one patient; authors declare no competing interests. PubMed 40304760.

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General information, not medical advice: for a child or teenager, speak to the GP, school nurse or a registered sports dietitian first.