David PerlmutterPresident,, Perlmutter Health Center · Board-Certified Neurologist | Functional Medicine Pioneer | #1 New York Times Best-Selling Author | International Speaker | Host of The Empowering Neurologist Podcast

Is Creatine Safe for Your Kidneys?

12 Jan 2026 · 1 min

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1:12

In this short video, Dr. David Perlmutter addresses concerns that creatine supplementation may harm the kidneys. He explains that creatine is metabolized into creatinine, a marker used to assess kidney function, and clarifies that an increase in creatinine from supplement use does not indicate kidney damage—it simply reflects normal metabolism of the ingested creatine. He cites a recent five‑year study of healthy adults that found no evidence of kidney injury from regular creatine monohydrate use. While affirming his support for creatine’s brain, body, and muscle benefits, he cautions that individuals with pre‑existing kidney disease should consult their healthcare provider before taking creatine or any supplement. The video aims to dispel confusion and reassure viewers about the renal safety of creatine in otherwise healthy people.

Chapters

Is your creatine supplement damaging your kidneys? Hi everyone, I'm Dr. David Perlmutter, and there is some discussion of this from time to time. As you know, I am a huge supporter of using supplemental creatine, generally creatine monohydrate, because of its brain benefits, its body benefits, its muscle benefits, and it's really important to understand that creatine is metabolized to something called creatinine. They're spelled differently, and creatinine is a kidney function kind of metric. So when the creatinine goes up, It is not an indication that the kidneys are having any problem. It's simply an indication that creatine that you are taking as a supplement is being normally metabolized and not indicative of any threat or damage to the kidneys. Now, one study that recently was published looked at individuals taking this supplement for five years and found no evidence of any kidney damage whatsoever. But of course, these were normal adults. Individuals with existing kidney damage or kidney issues should obviously discuss creatine or really any nutrition. nutritional supplement, or medication for that matter, with their healthcare provider. I hope this straightens out this bit of confusion. Bye for now.