Among athletes, bodybuilders, and fitness aficionados, creatine is one of the most widely used dietary supplements.Exercise performance, strength, and muscular growth can all benefit, and there may be other health advantages as well, such as protection against certain brain illnesses, according to the research.
You may be wondering if creatine has an expiration date and whether it is still effective beyond that period, despite the fact that it is generally safe to take.
Read on to find out if taking outdated creatine might make you sick and how long it stays effective for in this informative article.
Yes creatine monohydrate does expire. It can last up to 1 to 2 years based on brand quality. It is recommended to store creatine monohydrate in cool and dry environment to improve its shelf life.
Just what role does creatine play in the body?
Muscle phosphocreatine is the storage form of creatine, and taking a creatine supplement will increase this.
If your body runs out of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), its major source of energy, it will convert phosphocreatine into ATP. Athletes benefit from this because it allows them to exercise harder for longer, increases anabolic hormones, and improves cell signalling.
You may get creatine in a variety of forms, such as creatine monohydrate, creatine ethyl ester, creatine hydrochloride (HCL), creatine gluconate, buffered creatine, liquid creatine, and creatine sulphate. Creatine monohydrate, however, is the most popular and most studied kind.
What is the half-life of creatine?
The majority of creatine supplements have an expiration date within two to three years after the manufacturing date, however research shows that their shelf life is significantly longer than that.
- Creatine monohydrate powder, in particular, can withstand high temperatures without decomposing into creatinine.
- Creatine that has been broken down into creatinine has far less of an impact and is less likely to be beneficial.
- Creatine monohydrate powder, for instance, only exhibited detectable evidence of disintegration after nearly 4 years, even when maintained at a high temperature of 140°F (60°C), according to a study of research.
- If kept in a cold, dry place, your creatine monohydrate supplement should be good for an additional year or two after its expiration date.
- Creatine ethyl ester and, more so than solid or liquid creatines, creatine powders are less stable than creatine monohydrate and can degrade into creatinine more rapidly after their expiration dates.
Can using old creatine cause illness?
It has been established via extensive research that creatine is safe for human consumption. Creatine monohydrate is fairly stable, therefore taking it much past its expiration date shouldn’t give you any problems since it won’t have degraded.
Furthermore, clumpy creatine is still good for use. Though it may have been wet for a time, it is still safe to eat. It should have a noticeable effect and not make you ill. However, creatine’s effectiveness may decrease if the container has been exposed to moisture for an extended period of time or if it has been kept open at room temperature for many days.
However, if your creatine has changed colour, has a strong odour, or tastes odd, it is advised to discontinue use and seek medical advice. These kind of changes may be indicative of bacterial growth, although they are quite unusual in a healthy supplement unless the bottle has been open for quite some time at room temperature.
Creatine is quite cheap, so if you’re worried about using an old tub, you can just get a new one and use it without worry.
When and where should creatine be stored?
The ideal conditions for storing a product are often indicated on the packaging. A cold, dry location is usually suggested, though. The crystalline, or powdered, form of creatine is extremely stable, even at high temperatures. Because its molecular structure is so close to that of other amino acids, creatine lacks several of the characteristics of proteins, including the tendency of proteins to unfold and disintegrate when exposed to high temperatures.
Because chemical reactions normally proceed more quickly in higher temperatures than they would in lower temperatures, temperature becomes a more pressing concern when water is involved.
More crucial than the actual temperature of storage is that it be kept dry. Lacking sufficient sealing or normal use, creatine supplement containers are always vulnerable to the infiltration of airborne moisture (regular opening and closing of the container). Creatine can be contaminated by airborne moisture if its containers aren’t airtight. Creatine poses a very low danger of degradation into creatinine when exposed to dampness for a prolonged length of time.
When does creatine start to go bad, and how can you tell?
There are a few warning signs to look for in powdered creatine that indicates it has gone bad.
If, upon closer inspection, you find that your creatine powder is clumpy, this is simply an indication that it has been exposed to too much moisture. This is not necessarily a sign of impending death.
Clumping is not as alarming as, say, a foul odour or discoloration. Combining these indicators may suggest bacterial infestation. You should probably just stop taking it right now.
Is It Dangerous to Use Creatine That Has Already Expired?
Taking expired creatine is generally considered to be risk-free. Studies have demonstrated that there are no negative health effects from consuming creatinine, which is essentially degraded creatine. Importantly, “expired creatine” here refers to creatine that has beyond its expiration date.
As was previously noted, if your creatine supplement has a foul odour or has changed colour, you should not take any chances and consider it hazardous to use.
However, creatine that has been out of date but else appears unchanged should still be safe to consume. Creatine, even if it clumps together, should be fine to use. The worst that can happen is that you take in less creatine than you planned, as some of the creatine may have been converted to creatinine.
Last Words
One of the most often used supplements for athletes is creatine. Creatine monohydrate, the most popular form of creatine, is extremely stable and retains its effectiveness for years after its expiration date.
Creatine that has been stored correctly in a cool, dry place over its expiration date is still safe to ingest and shouldn’t produce any undesirable side effects. Creatine is widely available in health food stores, sports nutrition shops, and on the internet, so it’s easy to try it out or stock up if you’re curious.
