Like sardines, sun-kissed skin, and barely there manicures, creatine is trending this summer. From my mom asking me whether she should start taking that powder she’s been seeing everywhere (creatine, thank God) to the various brands putting out their own versions of the supplement, it’s becoming more and more mainstream after years of being taken primarily by professional athletes and truly dedicated gym-goers.
A chemical the body naturally produces, creatine is stored largely in our muscle tissue and acts as an energy source. The more you have of it, the more you’re able to demonstrate sustained endurance and maximum effort. Essentially, it’s a building block for neurotransmitters—the messages our cells send to one another—and also supports healthy metabolic function.
While we produce it ourselves, supplementing with creatine can help with energy production, expedited recovery, and better performance results when exercising. Want to smash your one-rep max? Creatine could potentially help.
There is a right way to take it, though—and it’s not the method you might have seen all over social media. Namely, dry scooping.
What is dry scooping?
The practice of loading up a scoop of dry creatine powder, only to swallow it without water (hence “dry scooping”) is sometimes framed as offering “faster absorption.” Dr. Ishrat Ahmed, a general practitioner and women’s health and hormonal specialist at Myprotein, tells Vogue that this is a social-media myth. “Consuming dry creatine poses a range of serious health risks (choking, inhalation, and digestive issues), and there’s no evidence to show any benefit of doing it,” she says.
What are the downsides of dry scooping?
Beyond the risk of choking, “when a concentrated powder enters your stomach undiluted, your body has to pull water from other tissues to digest it,” Ahmed explains. “The result of this can be nausea, cramps, bloating, and diarrhea.” Not what you want as you gear up for a workout.
How to take creatine properly.
Ahmed recommends taking three to five grams of creatine a day mixed with a little water. This eliminates the risk of “throat irritation, choking, and digestive discomfort.” Ensuring you drink enough water throughout the day will help to compound the benefits too, as the non-protein amino acid works by pulling water into the muscle. Being hydrated, therefore, helps it work to its fullest potential.
Her final tip is to separate your creatine from your morning coffee in your routine. “Caffeine can interfere with hydration and even reduce the effectiveness of creatine in some individuals,” she explains. She suggests having your coffee in the morning and then waiting a few hours before taking creatine.
Another internet fad she cautions against: the attempt to create a creatine “loading phase,” whereby you take up to 20 grams of creatine every day for five to seven days, to rapidly saturate your muscles with creatine. This can cause water retention and a feeling of puffiness as your body attempts to pull as much water as it can into the muscle tissue. A better approach is to stick to three to five grams a day and let your muscles reach a saturation point over the course of a few weeks. This, Ahmed says, helps avoid sudden fluid shifts.
Why creatine is beneficial for women.
If you’re reading this thinking, Surely creatine is only for muscular men with a podcast bro fetish, know that it offers plenty of benefits for women too. “Creatine speeds up the regeneration of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the body’s primary energy source,” Ahmed points out. “For women who are active, this means taking a creatine supplement can give you more strength to push through high-intensity workouts, whether that’s cardio or weights.”
