A man has shared a harrowing warning over why it's important to read the fine print when taking supplements like creatine, after landing himself in hospital.
Chris Hogan, from Australia's Gold Coast, took to social media from his hospital bed after making the horrifying realisation he had been overdosing on the health supplement.
Like many people who go to the gym, Chris was familiar creatine, but admits a lot of what he'd heard about the supplement came from 'bro science' — which refers to advice shared among gym goers that are based on personal anecdotes, rather than science.
However, it wasn't until the author was in hospital recovering from his second of three operations to remove a ginormous, and excruciatingly painful kidney stone that he realised the gravity of his mistake.
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"A bit of a public service announcement if you are taking creatine, then be careful and read the label," he told his followers last month, adding that he had effectively 'used [his] body as a test tube' when experimenting with the supplement.
Chris admitted he'd 'missed the fine print' and 'followed the advice of the wrong people' when taking creatine over the last few months, confessing he had been taking a super dose of creatine monohydrate amounting to 20g per day for seven weeks, before noticing a number of worrying symptoms.
The fitness fanatic started to experience severe dehydration, dry skin and persistent thirst despite drinking two litres of water every single day, though he now realises he should've been drinking at least four litres of water everyday while super dosing the supplement.
The recommended dosage for taking creatine is between 3g and 5g per day, with the option of adding in a 'loading phase' at the beginning. A loading phase is where people saturate their muscles by taking 20g per day for a maximum of seven days, before returning to the usual daily dosage, in a bid to speed up results.
By taking the super dose for as long as seven weeks, Chris massively exceeded the safe research-backed range, potentially putting huge stress on his kidneys as it works to breakdown the excess creatine.
This is something he learned the hard way, when he began suffering from agonising pains in his abdomen and back, eventually leading to him being hospitalised and doctors finding a 17mm kidney stone.
Although there's no suggestion that the creatine itself caused the kidney stone, excessive creatine supplementation can cause severe dehydration, which is one of the leading causes behind kidney stones.
Chris was forced to undergo three surgeries to finally remove the mass from his body and is now recovering well, but wants to warn others not to make the same mistake he did.
"So many people I know are into creatine," he said. "Yes, it's the most studied supplement on the planet, yes it's got lots of benefits, but if you overdo it and don't read the fine print and don't read the label, then essentially you could put yourself in hospital."
What is creatine?
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Creatine is a naturally occuring compound in the human body, as well as being in some of the food we eat, like fish and red meat. However, many people choose to boost their creatine levels by taking it as a supplement, usually creatine monohydrate, which is the most researched and effective way of supplementing.
Creatine helps our muscles to produce energy during short and intense bursts of energy, like weight lifting, helping you lift heavier and maintain a higher intensity. However, there's growing research that supplementing creatine could also be hugely beneficial to brain health, supporting short-term memory and quick thinking, and staving off the symptoms of neurological diseases like Alzheimer's.
Topics: Health
Emma Rosemurgey