Creatine-Cancer Link Unsupported

PARIS--A news story hitting newswires in late January suggestedthat creatine may cause cancer. However, many scientists cried foul. The report,published on the French Agency of Medical Security for Food (AFSSA) Web site,garnered international attention, even though it cites no studies to back up itsallegation. The report, authored by Martin Husch, stated that creatine use"constitutes a risk that has not been sufficiently evaluated, particularlyin the long term." In conducting a keyword search using "Martin Husch"on PubMed (the largest online search engine for internationally peer-reviewedstudies), neither studies--including creatine and cancer--nor reference to himas a researcher were found.

"It's interesting that in one paragraph of the report researchers saidthere are no long-term studies showing the effects of creatine in regards tosafety," said Conrad Earnest, Ph.D., an exercise physiologist for theCooper Institute for Aerobics Research who read a translated version of thereport. "Then, two paragraphs later, the report says that theepidemiological data shows that there is a possible link between cancer andcreatine, and epidemiology is a science of long-term association." He addedthat since there is no long-term data available, how did the report's authorconclude there was a long-term association between cancer and creatine?

"There are four papers in scientific journals that show that creatineanalogs will actually inhibit the rate of tumor growth in animal models,"Earnest stated. "If anything, creatine may be anti-carcinogenic as opposedto pro-carcinogenic."

And instead of citing studies supporting the alleged carcinogenic effects ofcreatine supplementation, the AFSSA report cited studies associating creatinewith other maladies such as digestive problems. "There have been issuesbrought up between creatine and kidney function, but creatine and cancer? Thisis something shocking and new at the same time," said Carl Germano, seniorvice president of research and development at Fairfield, N.J.-based NutratechInc. He admitted that he had only read about the report in media accounts andthat he had not read the original report. "This [alleged association] isbased on a posted paper that is statistically insignificant. Like we needed toknow that." For additional information, visit www.afssa.fr.It should be noted that the report, as well as the entire Web site, is inFrench.