CREATINE IS THE prom king of social media—everyone’s talking about it. And not always nice things, either. Because for all the (very warranted) complements about how creatine can help you grow stronger, there’s also some (baseless) behind-the-back whispers about how it can make your hair fall out, poison you with heavy metals, and yes even kill you.
Between this polarization, there’s the seemingly reasonable personal stance of Andrew Huberman, PhD: Take creatine, but also take a creatine break. Just in case you’re unfamiliar, a Huberman is a neuroscientist and associate professor in the Departments of Neurobiology and Ophthalmology at Stanford University School of Medicine. And he only hosts one of the most popular health podcasts of all time, Huberman Lab.
When Huberman says anything about anything, people listen. So when Huberman posted that he does a “creatine washout” every four months “just to see what effect it continues to have over time,” you have to wonder. IT’S THE TIME period after you stop supplementing with creatine.
The term is used frequently in scientific research that assesses the effects of creatine supplementation, often in athletic performance studies. But, admittedly, there aren’t that many studies that look at the creatine washout phase itself. The most recent goes all the way back to 2004: “Effects of repeated creatine supplementation on muscle, plasma, and urine creative levels.” In that study researchers found that levels of muscle phosphocreatine—that’s the amount of creatine stored within muscle cells—did not return to pre-supplementation baselines even after a 30-day washout period.
Since that 2004 study, there hasn’t been any supportive—or contradictory—science, but the lead author says the findings hold up more than 20 years later. MAYBE, BUT NOT for reasons you might think. Or their calcium supplements.
Or whey protein.” Meaning, do you have the same washout concerns about creatine as you do your other supplements? How long a break is sort of up to you and your long-term goals. But let your body and brain be the judge of that—not whatever you hear on social.
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