Answer

Does creatine raise creatinine and damage your kidneys?

Creatine creatine safety kidneys

By Arun AgrahriLast reviewed

Short answer

Usually not damage. Creatine breaks down into creatinine, the marker a standard kidney test reads, so the number can rise while the kidneys are fine. The counted sources lean toward calling that a false alarm in healthy people. If your kidneys already struggle, talk to your doctor first. Precis has not read any studies on this yet.

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people on creatine with a high creatinine result on a blood test.
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Based on what researchers say in public interviews on YouTube. Educational only, not medical advice. Ask a qualified clinician before changing a supplement, medication, treatment, or testing plan.
Strong consensus for

Creatine is worth taking.

The verdict on Creatine overall. 11 sources: 8 positive, 2 partly, 1 neutral

What the evidence says

positive partly neutral negative Each researcher and each study counts once per claim, however often they come up.

  1. Leaning for

    Creatine raises blood creatinine without damaging the kidneys.

    20 sources: 15 positive, 4 partly, 1 negative.

    Researchers say

    1 positive, 2 partly

    Studies show

    14 positive, 2 partly, 1 negative

    17 papers we read

    18 more not counted · see why
    The study is not yet read in full. 13
    We could not confirm who is speaking. 2
    We could not tell what position it takes on this claim. 1
    We could not tell where the evidence comes from. 1
    The study cited could not be identified. 1
    Show the receipts from 20 sources

    1. Darren Candow, on FoundMyFitness, at 1:32:28 Video · positive · Opinion

      “it's logical that if you're taking creatine your creatin might be acutely raised and then that causes a false positive”

    2. Trial or observed group, Med Sci Sports Exerc, 1999, PMID 10613426 Study · positive

      The concentration of Cr was increased significantly in urine (P < 0.001) and serum (P = 0.005), whereas creatinine (Crn) was increased in serum (P < 0.001).

    3. Other primary study, Life Sci, 1999, PMID 10622230 Study · positive

      We also found a moderate but significant rise in serum Crn concentration averaging 13 % after 3 h (peak value at 99.5 +/- 10.5 micromol x l(-1)).

    4. Controlled trial, JAMA, 2015, PMID 25668262 Study · positive

      In September 2008, the DSMB noted increasing creatinine levels and reductions in eGFR and became concerned that creatine was affecting the reliability of creatinine as a means of monitoring adverse trends in eGFR.

    5. Controlled trial, J Strength Cond Res, 2016, PMID 26439785 Study · positive

      A time × treatment interaction was observed for serum CRN values (p ≤ 0.05) that showed increases in all groups except PLA.

    6. Controlled trial, Neurology, 2017, PMID 28701493 Study · positive

      Permanent discontinuations and temporary suspensions were more common in the creatine group, the latter being primarily due to creatinine elevations.

    7. Other primary study, Toxicol Res (Camb), 2020, PMID 32670557 Study · positive

      These findings indicate that the use of CS at doses of 3 g and 5 g/day for a short period (35 days) is safe and did not impair the kidneys or renal function in young healthy subjects.

    8. Controlled trial, Med Sci Sports Exerc, 2023, PMID 37144634 Study · positive

      Many of the kidney-related adverse events in the creatine group were due to elevated blood creatinine levels or lower estimated glomerular filtration rate, which is estimated using levels of blood creatinine.

    9. Controlled trial, Nutrients, 2024, PMID 39683542 Study · positive

      Regarding the biochemical tests, creatine supplementation was associated with higher serum creatinine levels ( p = 0.04) and decreased PGRN ( p = 0.04) compared to the placebo group.

    10. Other primary study, J Am Nutr Assoc, 2025, PMID 39778146 Study · positive

      Findings suggest that food-derived creatine does not pose a risk of kidney stress, even for individuals with kidney failure, and might be considered a renoprotective nutrient.

    11. Pooled analysis, BMC Nephrol, 2025, PMID 41199218 Study · positive

      Creatine supplementation was associated with a small but statistically significant increase in serum creatinine (MD: 0.07 µmol/L; 95% CI: 0.01 to 0.12; p = 0.03).

    12. Other primary study, J Int Soc Sports Nutr, 2025, PMID 41328005 Study · positive

      As a result, athletes who use creatine supplements may have higher serum creatinine levels without necessarily indicating an impaired renal function [ 25 ].

    13. Other primary study, J Ren Nutr, 2026, PMID 42035842 Study · positive

      Cre supplementation was associated with an increase in serum Crn (mean difference (MD) = 0.13 mg/dL, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.07 to 0.18, n = 19).

    14. Controlled trial, J Int Soc Sports Nutr, 2026, PMID 42578920 Study · positive

      As expected, creatinine increased in the NoEx+CrM and Ex+CrM groups, with a greater increase in the exercise group.

    15. Trial or observed group, Rev Esp Fisiol, 1997, PMID 9542771 Study · positive

      The most important differences in the biochemical parameters analyzed have been in plasma creatinine concentration, which increased substantially both before and after the race in the group that had received a daily supplement of 25 grams of creatine monohydrate for the previous three days.

    16. Mike Min, on Bryan Johnson's channel, at 22:21 Video · partly · Opinion

      “You could look at your uh creatinine, which will be um a little bit falsely elevated.”

    17. Peter Attia, on The Drive, at 22:36 Video · partly · Opinion

      “high doses of creatine can impact serum doses of creatinin which we would um we would use as one of the metrics”

    18. Trial or observed group, Med Sci Sports Exerc, 1999, PMID 10449011 Study · partly

      There were no statistical differences between the control group and the creatine consumer group for plasma contents and urine excretion rates for creatinine, urea, and albumin.

    19. Other primary study, J Int Soc Sports Nutr, 2013, PMID 23680457 Study · partly

      Serum creatinine (mg/dL) 1.1 (0.1) 1.2 (0.2) 1.0 (0.1) 1.1 (0.1) 0.30

    20. Controlled trial, J Int Soc Sports Nutr, 2025, PMID 40265319 Study · negative

      In addition, there were no changes in creatinine (often used as a surrogate marker of kidney dysfunction) and eGFR.

Where the sources disagree

Leaning for

Creatine raises blood creatinine without damaging the kidneys.

Supports it 15 sources

Researchers

Studies

Partly 4 sources

Researchers

Studies

Against it 1 source

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Detailed Answer

Three credited sources count toward this claim, all of them on tape. One backs it in full and two back it in part, and none says creatine harms healthy kidneys. Precis has not read any studies on it yet, so the tape is the whole record here.

Why the number reads high

Creatinine is what creatine breaks down into. Labs use it to estimate how well your kidneys filter blood, a figure called eGFR. Darren Candow, a guest on Rhonda Patrick's show, calls the raised reading a false positive. When people stop creatine, he says, their kidney function comes back, because it is just the metabolism of the molecule.

Mike Min, a guest on Bryan Johnson's podcast, says your creatinine will be a little falsely elevated once you start. Gabrielle Lyon, a guest on Andrew Huberman's show, says people who carry a lot of muscle almost all have higher creatinine, and that this doesn't mean their kidneys are suffering. Her remark is not counted toward this claim.

A test creatine doesn't skew

Cystatin C is a second kidney marker. Lyon names it as the clinical check for a corrected filtration rate. Peter Attia, as a guest on Huberman's show, calls it far more accurate than creatinine. Neither remark is counted toward this claim.

Tell your doctor before a blood test

Attia, on his own show, says your doctor should know you take creatine before any blood test that measures creatinine. His patients with anything but perfect kidney function usually stop it for a couple of weeks before the test. Candow also says to tell your doctor.

If you have kidney disease

Candow says anybody can take creatine, even with chronic kidney disease. Attia is more careful: if your kidneys don't work perfectly, talk with your doctor before you start. Precis has read no study that settles it, so decide with your physician.

Related Questions

Why is my creatinine high if I take creatine?
Creatine breaks down into creatinine, so the level in your blood rises. Candow calls this a false positive in most cases. Lyon adds that more muscle also raises it, in a remark that is not counted here.
What is cystatin C and why does it matter?
Cystatin C is a second kidney marker. Attia calls it far more accurate than creatinine, and Lyon names it as the way to check a corrected filtration rate. Neither remark is counted toward this claim.
Should I stop creatine before a blood test?
Tell your doctor you take it first. Attia has patients whose kidneys are less than perfect stop it for a couple of weeks before the test.
Is creatine safe if you have kidney disease?
The sources disagree. Candow says anybody can take it, even with chronic kidney disease, while Attia says to talk with your doctor first. Precis has not read any studies on this, so decide with your physician.

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