Creatine and IBD

Medical Q&A [Moderated]
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1

I have unclassified IBD and during a routine clinic appointment the doctor explicitly advised against me taking creatine, when I mentioned that I was training regularly and taking protein shakes daily (which don’t include creatine). I didn’t really question why at the time - I’m still fairly content with how training is going without creatine.

I’m aware (from Jordan’s creatine video) that creatine can cause gastric problems in some people, and I assume this was the reason the doctor advised against it.

- Are there any specific links between creatine and IBD, or was her recommendation probably just based on wanting to avoid any unnecessary gastric distress?

[slightly more context; 22 years old; IBD has been well controlled by Entyvio/Vedolizumab for ~4+ years. 2 years training, ok results]

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I would ask his specific reasoning for this, as there is no specific concern / established harm associated with creatine in the setting of inflammatory bowel disease. In fact, there are a few papers and ongoing clinical trials investigating creatine as potentially beneficial in Crohn’s disease, for example.

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