Creatine use rises among teens, study finds
- A study tracking more than 870,000 teens across two decades found adolescent steroid use declined while creatine use rose, IndiaTimes reported yesterday. - Experts quoted warned that creatine is generally safer than steroids but may cause dehydration, bloating and other problems in teens, some doctors said. - Researchers reviewed consumer trends and social media influence across the two-decade period, IndiaTimes said on May 19. (indiatimes.com)
A new University of Michigan study is getting attention because it found a long-term shift in how U.S. teens pursue muscle-building: anabolic steroid use fell over the past two decades, while creatine use rose, especially in recent years. The study covered adolescents from 2001 to 2024 and drew on data from more than 870,000 teens. (news.umich.edu) The paper’s framing is important. Researchers were not saying creatine and steroids are the same thing. They reported that steroid use among teens is much lower than it was 20 years ago, but creatine use has climbed rapidly enough to stand out as a separate trend. The study was published in *Annals of Epidemiology*, and the lead author, Philip Veliz of the University of Michigan, said he undertook the work amid the rise of social media trends that “glorify toxic gym culture” and “looksmaxxers.” (news.umich.edu) One of the clearest findings was how fast creatine use increased. University of Michigan said girls’ creatine use rose 168% over the study period, compared with a 90% increase among boys, though boys still accounted for the larger share of users. Separate coverage of the findings reported that among boys, use rose from 8.71% in 2019 to 16.57% in 2024, while girls’ use rose from 1.22% to 3.27% over the same stretch. (news.umich.edu) The researchers also tracked attitudes, not just use. University of Michigan said teens’ perceptions of steroid harm declined and disapproval softened somewhat, particularly among boys, even as actual steroid use did not rise over the past five years. Veliz said that was a “positive finding,” but added that more research is needed. (news.umich.edu) Why is creatine at the center of the conversation? Because it is legal, common in fitness culture, and widely promoted online. Veliz said the rise may reflect social media influencers who post gym content and share supplement routines. The university release said that can overlap with other products that may be riskier for teens, including highly caffeinated pre-workout mixes and energy drinks. (news.umich.edu) The caution from researchers and pediatric guidance is narrower than some headlines suggest. University of Michigan said teen creatine use is “not necessarily cause for alarm,” but may be a signal that an adolescent is using products to enhance muscularity or performance. At the same time, the release said pediatric guidance recommends adolescents avoid creatine because evidence on safety and efficacy in youth remains limited. (isr.umich.edu) That distinction matters for parents, coaches and schools. The study does not report a wave of steroid use returning among teens. It reports a culture shift in which legal muscle-building supplements have become more normalized, while concern about steroid harms has eased somewhat. That combination, the researchers said, is worth watching as online fitness and appearance-driven content continue to spread. (news.umich.edu) The next place to look is the underlying journal article, “Recent trends in past-year steroid use, past-year creatine use, and attitudes toward steroid use among U.S. adolescents,” listed by *Annals of Epidemiology* with authors Phil Veliz, Jingze Li, Karam Mattar, Ryan Pero and John Jardine. (sciencedirect.com)
