Food Creatine and DXA-Derived Body Composition in Boys and Girls Aged 8 to 19 Years.
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Cross-sectional population study
PubMed 34898990 · doi:10.1177/11786388211059368
What was done
This cross-sectional study analyzed data from the 2017–2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) to assess the relationship between dietary creatine intake and DXA-derived body composition in 1,273 U.S. youth aged 8 to 19 years (649 boys and 624 girls). Daily creatine consumption was calculated from dietary records using an assumed average of 3.88 g of creatine per kg of creatine-containing foods. Primary and secondary outcomes were whole-body DXA measures including lean mass (excluding and including bone mineral content [BMC]), bone mineral density, BMC, fat mass, and percent body fat.
What was found
Mean dietary creatine intake across the sample was 0.65 ± 0.72 g/day (95% CI, 0.61 to 0.69). Creatine intake was weakly positively correlated with lean mass excluding BMC (r = .18, P < .001) and BMC (r = .20, P < .001), and weakly negatively correlated with percent body fat (r = -.09, P = .001). Higher creatine intake was associated with higher lean mass in girls, higher BMC in boys, and lower body fat in both sexes (P < .05).
Why it matters
It provides nationally representative observational data linking natural dietary creatine consumption to lean mass and adiposity metrics in children and adolescents.
Limits
The study is cross-sectional and cannot establish causality. Dietary intake was estimated using self-reported dietary recalls and a single fixed conversion factor. The observed correlation coefficients were very weak (r = .09 to .20), and the abstract does not report adjustment for total energy intake, overall protein intake, or physical activity.