Creatine Monohydrate: It’s a safe bet that most athletes, at least once in their athletic careers, have toyed with the notion of supplementing with creatine. After all, creatine’s undeniable presence in professional (and amateur) sports sends a strong message to the masses, especially young aspiring athletes who (by the mere pressure to excel at their respective sports) are often impelled to emulate the professional ranks. Consequently, creatine use is increasing among younger athletes at the junior high and high school levels. Yet, despite creatine's increasing popularity, a lack of accurate and honest information about this important nutritional supplement exists for the layperson (non-scientist). Coaches, parents, health care professionals, and teachers all need to educate themselves concerning creatine to better assist those in their care.

False rumors and misinformation about creatine also flood the popular media, including many so-called authoritative sources. This would be relatively harmless, if not for the fact that the huge amount of wrong information circulating about creatine often leads to erroneous, and possibly dangerous, supplementing practices. In fact, the few reported incidences where creatine supplementation has been unequivocally linked to adverse side effects almost certainly arose from misguided supplementing practices. Sadly, these mishaps could have been altogether avoided, had reliable information only been available.

The fact that the supplement industry transparently reports only the positive aspects of creatine supplementation understandably heightens the public's suspicion of creatine. After all, in light of all the obviously slanted marketing hype some cynicism should be expected. This skepticism is further compounded by the fact that the public often wrongly confuses creatine supplementation with the use of anabolic steroids. This is all very unfortunate; especially since scientific research is increasingly showing that creatine is a legitimate and safe ergogenic supplement - one of the very few that exist today! However, like any other synthetically produced nutritional supplement, prudence is in order, especially when consuming much greater quantities than would be normally obtained from natural sources. There is an obvious need for unbiased and responsible information about creatine and its proper use for the layperson.

Ironically, the controversy surrounding creatine supplementation often overshadows some of the lesser known, but equally important, benefits of creatine for the public as a whole. New information is becoming available each day clearly demonstrating that the benefits of creatine supplementation extend far beyond the athletic arena. For instance, creatine supplementation has been recently shown to help reduce the risk of certain vascular and neurological disorders that plague the elderly.