Conclusion

This research has shown that there is a popular idea among participants that Creatine
supplementation is dangerous to one’s health. Participants view the supplement as a
substance which has the potential to damage their bodies, particularly their kidneys.
Participants admitted that they have no evidence as to why Creatine is dangerous to
use and the majority of participants believe it does improve the performance of athletes.

The research answers the focus question which was, ‘what are the effects of Creatine
supplementation on the health and performance of young athletes?’ Those participants
who have used creatine as a supplement are more inclined to testify to its safety and
effectiveness, well those participants who have not been users but have been exposed
to the supplement are more skeptical of Creatine’s safety as they believe to have side
effects like kidney damage based on what they have heard from word of mouth however
the literature does not support this idea. For the most part, the findings of this research
do not coincide with the literature review. Rudy Mawer (2016) and Robert Cooper et al.
(2012) who found that there are no relatable side effects to creatine supplementation.
The research also does not agree with the findings of Clare E. Turner et al. (2015) who
found that Creatine has benefits to a user’s cognitive abilities, meaning it does not only
provide benefits along the lines of physical performance.

The research also provided answers to the aims of the focus question such as;
discovering all the benefits Creatine supplementation can have on an individual, finding
and determining any side effects pertaining to Creatine supplementation, determining
the extent of the performance increase felt by users of the supplement, Determining the
effects of the supplement on individuals of different body types E.G: responders vs.
non-responders and determining the safety of the supplement when young athletes are
considered.

The findings of this task indicate that Creatine supplementation may be beneficial to
many individuals and can be trusted as a safe supplement. The literature supports the
idea of using the supplement positively to maintain the best results, in a healthy and
safe way, wherever possible.

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Limitations

The task consisted of a small target group all participants were part of the same socio-
economic standing and community. The participants were from similar social circles
which means the information. They had previously heard about Creatine
supplementation from word of mouth, would be similar to that of other participants.
Younger participants were targeted in order to fulfill the requirements of the aim of
determining the effects of supplementation in young athletes, but a slightly larger target
group could be experimented with in which participants up to the age of 24 are
questioned.

Recommendations

It is recommended that further research is done with a larger sample of participants

from different socio-economic groups, races, nationalities and cultural backgrounds,
providing a more diverse range of perspectives in order to draw a conclusion.

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