Pharmacokinetics of creatine

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Subcell Biochem. 2007;46:261-73.

Pharmacokinetics of creatine.

McCall W, Persky AM.

Division of pharmacotherapy and Experimental Therapeutics, School of

Pharmacy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill,

NC 27599-7360, USA.

Research has demonstrated that creatine supplementation has some

therapeutic benefit with respect to muscle function and more recently

neurological function. Despite the growing body of literature on the

pharmacologic effect of creatine, very little is known about the

disposition of creatine after supraphysiologic doses.

The movement of creatine throughout the body is governed by transport

processes which impact the absorption of creatine from the intestine,

clearance of creatine from the kidney, and access of creatine to

target tissues. With repeated doses of creatine, it appears that the

clearance of creatine decreases mainly due to the saturation of

skeletal muscle stores.

Insulin and insulin-stimulating foods appear to enhance muscle uptake

of creatine but at the same time, high carbohydrate meals may slow

the absorption of creatine from the intestine. Little is known about

creatine disposition in special populations including the elderly and

patients with neuromuscular disease. Knowledge of creatine

disposition in these clinically relevant populations can help remove

some of the guess work of dose selection during clinical trials.