The police closed a creatine factory located in Jundiaí, in the interior of São Paulo, for not having a license to produce dietary supplements. According to a report shown by the program Fantasticfrom TV Globo, the company supplied the product to Soldiers Nutrition, owned by Yuri Silveira de Abreu and Fabiula de Arruda Freire, known as the “king and queen of creatine”.
The ban comes months after the release of a list of adulterated creatines. In October, the Brazilian Association of Nutritional Products Companies (Abenutri) published a report disapproving 18 brands sold in Brazil, due to the discrepancy between the creatine content stated on the label and the actual amount present in the product. The analyzes showed that the products did not comply with what was declared.
Brazilian legislation allows maximum variation of up to 20% of the amount of creatine specified on the label . Therefore, the product must have at least 80% purity .
The research, launched in October, analyzed a total of 88 products. Of the 18 rejected brands, 10 showed a variation of 100%, that is, they contained other substances instead of creatine. Among the 10 brands, five belong to the same manufacturer.
What are the risks of consuming adulterated creatine?
According to Lorena Lima Amato, endocrinologist and doctor from the University of São Paulo (USP), some studies indicate that different substances have been used to adulterate creatine to lower the cost of the supplement. This is the case with simple carbohydrates, such as maltodextrin, dextrose and cheaper amino acids, such as glycine, taurine and arginine, as well as salts and artificial sugars.
“This is done just to fill the volume of the supplement and lower the cost, delivering a cheaper product than if you delivered 100% pure creatine”, explains Amato. “There is also the possibility of adulterating the product with stimulant substances, which would give the consumer a feeling of energy, such as caffeine,” he adds.
However, the addition of these substances to lower the cost of creatine may pose health risks, according to the endocrinologist. “The risks will depend on each substance added to creatine. For example, if dextrose or some other type of carbohydrate has been added, it can increase blood glucose in people with diabetes and the elderly. If it’s caffeine, it can increase your heart rate…”, says Amato.
There is also a risk of side effects, such as allergies, and the consumer not knowing what the cause is, as they do not know which products are present in adulterated creatine.
Therefore, it is important to pay attention to the warning signs that may appear after consuming creatine. “Creatine is a product that is not intended to cause side effects when consumed, such as nausea, diarrhea, palpitations, irritability, insomnia, gas or any other gastrointestinal changes. The consumption of pure creatine is not likely to cause any of these symptoms”, emphasizes the endocrinologist.
“If you started consuming creatine and started to have acne, hair loss, any of these different symptoms, it is worth suspecting that, perhaps, that product is not what you think it is”, he adds.
How do you know if creatine is fake?
The precise assessment to identify whether a creatine is pure or adulterated is only carried out in the laboratory. However, some homemade tips can help you suspect that the supplement has been tampered with. One of them is the appearance .
“Creatine is white like sugar, it looks like refined sugar. So, if the creatine you are using has a lumpy appearance, a yellowish or darker color, this should draw attention to the suspicion that it is not creatine”, advises Amato.
Another point to be noted is the dilution . Pure creatine is partially soluble in water, which means it does not dissolve quickly, but it also does not form droplets or float in water. “If you put it in water and it looks like this, there may be another component,” says the endocrinologist.
An alternative is add vinegar to water and then add creatine. If it bubbles, there may be other components in the product, such as sodium bicarbonate, for example.
It is also worth remembering that creatine has no flavor. So, if you notice that the supplement tastes sweet, for example, some type of sugar may have been added to increase the volume of the product.
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*With information from João Rosa, from CNN, and Estadão Conteúdo
This content was originally published in What are the risks of consuming adulterated creatine? on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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