Kelsey Higginson says there's no hard age limit for creatine, but athletes should have solid habits first: consistent training, enough protein and calories, good hydration, and sleep. Around 15 or 16 might work if those are in place. Check with a doctor before starting.
How old do your athletes need to be before they start taking creatine?
Supplements are kind of hard to have like a big blanket statement around just because every individual athlete and every individual body is different. So I don't necessarily have a, by the time they're 16 and 3/4 years old, they can start taking creatine. I think it's more about the development of the athlete in general and the habits they currently have. So first I would ask, are you currently weight training? What are you eating? Are you getting enough protein? Are you getting enough food? How are you hydrating? How are you sleeping? And if they're advanced in those things, things, then it's like, yeah, let's look at some creatine. Creatine is a very safe and well-studied supplement. It's not studied as much for the younger generation, the adolescents. However, it is generally a very safe supplement, so it's probably one of the supplements that I would feel the most secure in giving to my kid one day when he's 15 or 16 years old, after he has gotten all the other sleep and nutrition and hydration down. And the best piece of advice I could ever give is to go talk to your child's doctor and make sure that everything's sound before you ever put them creatine.
