With all of the controversy regarding the use of performance enhancing drugs in sports, it is no surprise that many coaches, athletes, and sports nutritionists are confused when it comes to deciding which are legal and safe to use.  Creatine supplementation is known to have first been experimented by athletes of the former Soviet Union during the 1960's (Zalinski, 2003).  It gained popularity among elite athletes in the European countries during the mid 1980's.  Creatine was first introduced to the public as a nutritional supplement in 1993 due to its use by Olympic Gold Medal winners Linford Christie and Sally Gunnel (Hawes, 1998).  From 1998 to 2000 the sale of creatine increased from $100 million to over $200 million proving that its use has skyrocketed.  Creatine sales reached over $400 million in 2004.  Creatine use by athletes is not uncommon since many athletes now have developed the mind frame to "win at all cost"  since athletic performance determines whether an athlete will receive that college scholarship that they have been wanting or if they are offered more money on their next contract.

We have all heard of Creatine Monohydrate and the different opinions that surround its use.  Creatine supplementation by athletes is legal in all sports because it is considered a "food" and Not a drug.  Creatine supplementation should not be confused with or considered as a doping agent. When creatine first hit the market as a dietary supplement many experts questioned the effectiveness of its use and whether the benefits were worth the possible risk.  Much of the argument against creatine supplementation is based on the fact that there are no long term studies to verify if creatine supplementation truly improved athletic performance and what possible side effects could result from its short and long term use.  People may ask how something such as creatine could be sold to the public if it is not known whether the product is safe to use or not.  Since creatine is considered a dietary food supplement it is not subjected to regulation by the FDA.

Creatine supplementation is suggested to greatly improve performance in activities that are high intensity and short in duration (<30 sec.).  Evidence is limited in regards to creatine use and its effects on activities lasting  >90 seconds.  It is also claimed to aid in increased power in muscle contractions, increased explosiveness, quicker muscle recoverability rate, minimized fatigue, increase of lean body mass, and increased muscle size (Dimitri Sport Science).  Many universities and professional sports organizations have questioned the safety of creatine use.  The Tamps Bay Buccaneers and the San Diego Padres have tried to ban and restrict the use of creatine by their athletes because of the belief that it increase hamstring and groin strains.  Kansas University has made efforts to control creatine use by athletes due to the unknowns from long term supplementation.  (Haff and Kirksey, 1999).  With more than a decades worth of creatine supplementation in our country and years of research conducted much is still unknown about the possible long term side effects of its use.  Questions regarding the unknown long term side effects have been clinically researched and presented, however, most of the negative results discovered are not considered valid because they are based on individual cases and not organized and controlled scientific research studies.