Creatine intake guidelines suggested amid ‘conditionally essential’ debate

Creatine, a conditionally essential nutrient critical for cellular energy metabolism, lacks established dietary reference intakes (DRIs) despite its well-documented physiological role. This analysis integrates data on creatine turnover, endogenous synthesis, and dietary exposure to propose evidence-based adequate intake (AI) values for adults aged 19–65 years. Daily creatine losses via irreversible conversion to creatinine are estimated at ~20 mg/kg/day in men and ~15 mg/kg/day in women, of which ~73% is met through endogenous synthesis and ~27% through diet. Accordingly, proposed AIs are 5.4 mg/kg/day for men (≈400 mg/day for a 75 kg individual) and 4.1 mg/kg/day for women (≈240 mg/day for a 60 kg individual). While typical omnivorous diets are likely sufficient, populations such as vegetarians, vegans, older adults, and those with limited access to animal-source foods may be at risk of suboptimal creatine status. These findings position creatine as a conditionally essential nutrient and provide a practical framework for dietary planning, public health strategy, and targeted supplementation to address potential insufficiency.

Source : https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41689538/