The largest safety review in the field covers doses up to 30 g per day for 5 years, which is six times a standard 5 g serving sustained for half a decade. Its conclusion is quoted in full below rather than summarised.
Creatine monohydrate is one of the most studied supplements in sports nutrition. That does not make it right for everyone, and this page includes who should not take it.
We sell creatine gummies, so treat our summary with the scepticism it deserves and read the quoted source instead. Where the evidence does not answer a question, this page says so rather than filling the gap.
There is no compelling scientific evidence that the short- or long-term use of creatine monohydrate (up to 30 g/day for 5 years) has any detrimental effects on otherwise healthy individuals or among clinical populations who may benefit from creatine supplementation.
Kreider et al. (2017), Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition 14:18
Two limits are worth reading precisely. It says "otherwise healthy individuals", and it says "no compelling evidence", which is a statement about the weight of evidence rather than a guarantee about any one person.
On the organ most often raised, the same review is specific:
there is no compelling evidence that creatine supplementation negatively affects renal function in healthy or clinical populations.
Kreider et al. (2017), Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition 14:18
The same paper is unusually direct about where the counter-narrative comes from:
Comments and public policy related to creatine supplementation should be based on careful assessment of the scientific evidence from well-controlled clinical trials; not unsubstantiated anecdotal reports, misinformation published on the Internet, and/or poorly designed surveys that only perpetuate myths about creatine supplementation.
Kreider et al. (2017), Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition 14:18
That is a fair standard to hold us to as well, which is why every claim on this page is either quoted or checkable.
No evidence has suggested that muscle creatine levels fall below baseline after cessation of creatine supplementation; therefore, the potential for long-term suppression of endogenous creatine synthesis does not appear to occur.
Kreider et al. (2017), Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition 14:18
Stores return toward their normal 60 to 80 percent saturation over 4 to 6 weeks. They do not drop below where they started, and your body does not stop making its own.
| Situation | What to do |
|---|---|
| Existing kidney condition | Speak to your GP first. The safety evidence above is explicitly about otherwise healthy individuals |
| Pregnant or breastfeeding | Speak to your GP or midwife. Not a population the evidence base covers |
| Under 18 | Supps is sold to adults. Speak to a GP |
| On prescription medication | Check with a pharmacist or GP, as you would with any supplement |
| Any existing medical condition | Speak to your GP before starting |
This concern traces to one 2009 study in 20 rugby players, which reported that DHT rose 56 percent after a creatine loading phase and stayed 40 percent above baseline during maintenance. That study measured a hormone. It did not measure anyone's hair.
In 2025 a randomised controlled trial set out to test the question directly. Thirty-eight participants completed 12 weeks of creatine or placebo, with hair follicle health measured by Trichogram and the FotoFinder system covering hair density, follicular unit count and cumulative hair thickness, alongside bloods for total testosterone, free testosterone and DHT.
There were no significant differences in DHT levels, DHT-to-testosterone ratio, or hair growth parameters between the creatine and placebo groups.
Lak et al. (2025), Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition 22(1)
The authors state the significance of that result plainly:
This study was the first to directly assess hair follicle health following creatine supplementation, providing strong evidence against the claim that creatine contributes to hair loss.
Lak et al. (2025), Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition 22(1)
Across every outcome measured, differences between the creatine and placebo groups were not statistically significant, with p values ranging from 0.31 to 0.99. Two limits worth stating: 38 completers is a modest sample, and 12 weeks is a shorter window than the years over which male pattern hair loss develops. It is nonetheless the first trial to measure hair rather than infer it, and it found nothing.
A creatine gummy contains a gummy base and a sweetening system alongside the creatine. Supps gummies are sugar free and use sucralose and steviol glycosides. Some people find sugar alcohols and sweeteners cause digestive discomfort, which is a property of the confection rather than of creatine.
Taking three gummies is 5 g of creatine. Eating a larger number because they taste pleasant means taking more creatine than intended, which is worth being deliberate about.
Every batch is independently tested by RSSL and Eurofins UK for creatine content, and both certificates are published against the batch number on your pouch at our lab results page. Every batch has measured above the 5 g label claim.
Knowing what is actually in the product is the part of safety a brand can control and evidence. We publish the measured number rather than the intended one.
Shop Supps Creatine GummiesThe 2017 ISSN position stand found no compelling scientific evidence that short or long-term creatine monohydrate use, at up to 30 g per day for 5 years, has detrimental effects on otherwise healthy individuals. That conclusion is specifically about healthy people. Anyone with an existing medical condition should speak to a GP first.
For the creatine itself, the position stand above reports no compelling evidence of detrimental effects in healthy adults. For the gummy specifically, the base and sweetening system can cause digestive discomfort in some people, which is a property of the confection rather than of creatine monohydrate.
The safety conclusion quoted on this page covers otherwise healthy individuals at up to 30 g per day for 5 years. It does not extend to people with an existing kidney condition, who should speak to their GP before taking creatine or any other supplement.
A 2025 randomised controlled trial found no significant differences in DHT levels, DHT-to-testosterone ratio, or hair growth parameters between creatine and placebo groups over 12 weeks. Its authors describe the result as strong evidence against the claim that creatine contributes to hair loss. It was the first study to measure hair follicle health directly rather than infer it from hormone levels.
A 2009 study in 20 rugby players reported DHT rising 56 percent after a creatine loading phase and remaining 40 percent above baseline during maintenance. DHT is associated with male pattern hair loss, so the inference spread. That study measured a hormone rather than hair, and the 2025 trial that did measure hair found no difference against placebo.
The 2025 randomised controlled trial found no significant difference in DHT levels or in the DHT-to-testosterone ratio between the creatine and placebo groups, with p values across all outcomes ranging from 0.31 to 0.99. The earlier 2009 finding has not been reproduced in a trial that also measured hair.
Muscle creatine stores return toward their normal 60 to 80 percent saturation over 4 to 6 weeks. The position stand found no evidence that levels fall below baseline after stopping, and no evidence of long-term suppression of your body's own creatine production.
The evidence quoted above covers continuous use for up to 5 years without compelling evidence of detrimental effects in healthy adults, so there is no safety argument in the literature for cycling off. Creatine works by keeping stores elevated, and stopping lowers them.
No. Creatine is a compound your body already makes and stores in muscle, and which is present in meat and fish. It is not a hormone and it is not related to anabolic steroids.
Every creatine guide we publish is listed in Creatine Guides: Further Reading.
Last reviewed: August 2026. Sources: Kreider et al. (2017), Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition 14:18, CC BY 4.0. Lak et al. (2025), same journal, CC BY 4.0. GB Nutrition and Health Claims register, version 19 May 2026. Supps batch certificates of analysis, RSSL and Eurofins UK, published at suppsgummies.co.uk/pages/verify.
Your cart is empty
Please enter a discount code!
