Creatine is without a doubt one of the most effective supplements legally available. In addition to many scientific studies, hundreds of articles have been written about it - even we have broken it down its the correct dosage, what to combine it with for maximum effect and we've compared the best ones in our testing of the best creatines on the market.
However, I have not yet come across an article that deals with the issue of taking creatine after expiry. And that's what we're going to address in today's article.
How to recognize expired creatine?
It's hard. Generally speaking, expired supplements are not easy to recognize. The basic indicator of health safety should be the expiration date for creatine, as for any other supplement. In general, even after this date has been exceeded, which should be marked carefully on any shelf-life food, supplements should be fine for some time. Since they tend to be vacuum-packed, it can be assumed that they are not meant to beair and moisture, which means that they cannot in principle be infected by bacteria or mould.
However, let's stick with the idea that you will discover old creatine at home that has only been expired for a short time (on the order of a few weeks). How do you know if you can still use it? From my personal experience, I recommend mixing one dose in a small amount of water and checking how the creatine smells and if it looks normal. If nothing seems wrong with it, it will most likely be fine.
TIP: Which is the best creatine currently on the market?
Is it safe to use expired creatine?
Yes and no. Again, it mainly depends on how long the creatine is past its expiration date. But if you've followed the advice above and checked the supplement carefully before use, it should be perfectly fine. However, if you find something strange about it, it would be better to avoid using it. After all, creatine is definitely one of the cheaper supplements and therefore it's really unnecessary to risk health problems by taking expired ones.
In case you try outdated creatine that you don't findthe worst-case scenario is that you'll have intestinal problems.
If you're more interested in the issue of expired supplements, we definitely recommend watching this concise and beneficial video:
So what's the conclusion?
Every time a question is asked about taking expired supplements comes up in a social media discussion, there' s a person who answers: "Try it and see.". And that's exactly what we would be inclined to do.
If the creatine looks perfectly normal and doesn't smell weird, it will be 99% perfectly fine. The worst thing that can happen to you after consuming expired glutamine is minor intestinal upset.
In that case, it's ideal to reach for a new creatine. You can find it in our supplement catalogue or use independent rankingwhere we compare the best creatines against each other.
Do you have other expired supplements at home?
- Is it safe to use expired protein?
- Is it safe to use expired BCAAs?
- Is it safe to use expired glutamine?
Everything you need to know about creatine (video):
Why can you trust us?
Hey! Hey! I'm Mirek and I've been working at World Fitness almost since the beginning, except for a small break. But before that I lived only in the gym for a few years, doing deadlifts and power triathlon, going to competitions and winning a few medals.
Probably the one I value the most is the national record in the WUAP federation. But besides working out, I was also interested in food and supplements, I liked to enjoy my free timeI used to read different researches and professional books in my free time to know as much as possible.