Creatine

[HPgeno]

First I would like to say thanks to Brian for his vision and this inspired program that he has developed. I will be starting my 4th cycle this Monday and have made great strength/size gains. Currently at 6' 235lbs and around 13%bf (hoping to drop this a bit more through tweaking my diet)

I do have a question in regards to Creatine and its effects on the Kidneys. Three years ago I (I'm 30) found out that I was born with only one kidney. The one kidney I have is a bit larger than a normal kidney ( I would assume it grew larger to compensate for the lack of two). I have had blood work done this past month and a half and one of the kidney functions keeps coming back a little elevated. My Dr. isn't overly concerned at the moment but wants me to keep comming in for more blood tests periodically to keep an eye on it. I believe the issue is macroalbuminuria but I can't quiet remember the specifics of what he was telling me. Anyway to get to the question, is Creatine hard/damaging to the kidneys. I have been taking SCI-FITS Kre-Alkalyn which states that it is better absorbed in the body and therefore you take less. 1 heaping teaspoon of Creatine is equal to 1/4 teaspoon of kre-alkalyn. Anyway any advise/knowledge and even links to studies would be appreciated.

Regards,
Geno

 

[BoSox]

what did the Doc say about it?

 

[xahrx]

You should talk to your doctor about this, and to play it safe until then stop taking any form of creatine. It won't cause kidney damage, but it can aggravate an existing condition with the higher levels of creatinine in your system. For adults with a healthy system their creatinine levels will simply go up until they hit a steady state level, with their kidneys filtering at their usual pace. Those who have problems with their kidneys could see a continual rise in creatinine because their system isn't clearing it at a steady pace. Lots of things can cause elevated levels of creatinine, like muscle damage, simply having more muscle mass than normal, etc.

But the safe bet is to stop taking it until you see your doctor and ask him or her for some advice on this subject. You wouldn't want to make a managable condition worse. Macroalbuminuria basically means your kidney's 'filters' are leaking protein and other needed blood components into your urine instead of keeping them in the blood where they belong. Macroalbuminuria is a more advanced condition. It is treatable, but you shouldn't be doing anything at all to stress your kidneys right now. Lay off the creatine, lay off high sugar foods, etc. You should be avoiding anything that can cause stress to your renal system. In diabetics macroalbuminuria would be serious cause for worry. In an otherwise healthy adult I don't think it's as serious, but still worth worrying about and taking precautions.