Creatine Supplementation Practices in Saudi Arabia: Prevalence, Patterns, and Health Implications

TL;DR

This study explores how often young Saudi athletes use creatine, finding low usage and potential misuse, suggesting a need for better education and regulation.

Contribution

The study provides the first insights into creatine supplementation practices among young Saudi athletes and identifies factors influencing supplement use.

Findings

Only 5.8% of Saudi athletes aged 18-25 reported using creatine, lower than international rates.

Supplement use was significantly associated with male gender, frequent exercise, and high nutrition value perception.

Many users lacked knowledge about proper dosing and relied on non-expert sources for advice.

Abstract

Background

Creatine monohydrate is a well-known ergogenic aid that increases phosphocreatine resynthesis and improves performance during high-intensity exercise. Although common, the creatine supplementation practices of young Saudi athletes are unknown.

Objective

The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence, use patterns, and sources of information of creatine supplementation and to investigate demographic and behavioral determinants of supplement use among Saudi athletes aged 18-25 years.

Methods

A cross-sectional survey questionnaire of 326 athletes from Jeddah provided data on sport supplement types taken, dosing regimen, self-reported side effects, main advisers, and nutrition attitudes. Using IBM SPSS Statistics software, version 28 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY), chi-square tests were employed to test associations of supplement intake with gender, frequency of exercise, importance attached to nutrition, and participation at workshops.

Results

Among the respondents, 30.4% reported any sport supplement use, 5.8% of whom took creatine. Amongst users of supplements, 30.7% did not have any knowledge of dosage. Coaches (31.9%) and nutritionists (22.4%) were the chief advisers, while 15.6% of participants attended a formal workshop. Supplementation use was significantly associated with male gender (χ²(1)=11.899, p<0.001), exercise (χ²(1)=37.159, p<0.001), high nutrition value placing (χ²(2)=21.341, p<0.001), and attendance at workshops (χ²(1)=6.665, p=0.010).

Conclusion

Creatine supplementation was less than internationally reported in young Saudi Arabian athletes. Confusion and misuse of high dosing, as well as reliance on non-expert recommendations, highlight the need for education by dietitians and more effective regulatory advice on supplement labeling to promote safe, evidence-based usage.

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