Creatine and green tea are both highly beneficial to your health.
However, there’s a controversy that you shouldn’t mix them. Some studies show creatine and green tea mixed harm your health.
So, the question is, should you put creatine in green tea?
Yes, you can put creatine in green tea. However, there are some factors to consider before you do so. For instance, your age, or diabetic condition can play a role in determining the answer. But in most cases, you can take creatine with green tea.
More insight is required for you to decide if you want to mix them. Stick along to learn the details. Hopefully, by the end of this article, all your doubts will be cleared.
Let’s jump into the discussion.
Should You Take Creatine In Green Tea?
The primary concern is the caffeine in green tea because it interacts with creatine. A 230ml cup of green tea contains around 30-50g of caffeine.
Caffeine and creatine are probably the two of the most natural and effective supplements out there. Caffeine is a potent stimulant that improves muscular endurance and strength output. On the other hand, creatine helps to create ATP in the body. ATP consequently produces energy in the body.
However, there is speculation that you shouldn’t take creatine and caffeine together.
This speculation stems from the interaction of these two elements with water.
Interaction Between Creatine And Green Tea
Caffeine in green tea is a stimulant that can accelerate water loss through urination. In contrast, creatine tends to pull water into the muscle cells. That is precisely how creatine works to build muscle.
If they are taken together, they are essentially working against each other in terms of hydration. One element is pushing water outside the body, and the other is pulling it in.
If hydration occurs in the body, different functions in the body will suffer. Moreover, performance will also decrease.
Is It Okay to Take Creatine And Green Tea Together: Studies And Research
A study in 1996 shows that taking either creatine or creatine with caffeine increases muscle concentration. However, taking both creatine and caffeine together didn’t significantly affect force production. In contrast, taking only creatine had significant improvements.
For other activities such as cardio, studies found no adverse effects of taking both components together.
This study is alarming for those who’ve been taking creatine and caffeine together. However, there are some limitations to this study.
Limitations of The Studies
Firstly, the sample size was only nine people, which can hardly represent the whole population.
Secondly, the researchers had no information regarding the subjects’ diets and nutrition. So it would be impossible to know if the subjects were getting creatine from other sources.
Thirdly, the study had a crossover design. This means there were no different groups taking different things that would compare. Instead, the subjects went through a placebo stage and an experimental phase three weeks apart.
Furthermore, creatine levels can stay elevated up to six weeks after consumption. Therefore, the subjects had high creatine concentrations even in the control stage. This makes the result of the study inaccurate.
In truth, there is no solid evidence that suggests creatine and caffeine cannot be mixed.
Moreover, you can simply drink more water to solve the hydration issue. Drinking more water will help to nullify the opposite directional flow of water.
How to Take Creatine in Green Tea?
Like the use of Hydroxycut, It’s best to take creatine with green tea after your workout session. The creatine and the caffeine in the tea will help recover your muscle faster.
Generally, one scoop of creatine in a cup of green tea (230ml) is ideal. However, if you haven’t taken creatine before, then you can start the loading phase.
The loading phase means taking around 20g of creatine for the first five days. Then take 5g for the next two days. You can distribute 20g of creatine throughout the day in your green tea.
Like creatine, you can also take Golden Revive + which is good for muscle and joint tissues. Make sure the water is slightly warm so the creatine can mix well.
You can also find flavored and unflavored creatine that you can consume with green tea.
Benefits of Taking Creatine in Green Tea
Creatine itself has many benefits. However, taking it with green tea gives you additional perks. Below are some benefits you can get by mixing creatine with green tea:
- Creatine mixed with green tea before working out can give you additional energy. This will help you to perform extra 2-3 reps, resulting in more muscle mass.
- You can also take creatine and green tea after working out. The caffeine in the green tea will work with creatine and help recover muscle faster. This will allow you to work out with the same energy the next day.
- If you’re struggling to gain weight, creatine in green tea might be helpful for you. Creatine and caffeine together can help in gaining weight.
- Creatine in green tea can prevent diabetes.
Side Effects of Taking Creatine In Green Tea?
Similar to using creatine with sparkling water, creatine in green tea has some side effects. You should be concerned about the unexpected effects. Here are some of the side effects of mixing creatine with green tea:
- It can cause kidney and liver damage
- It can promote weight gain if taken excessively
- It may cause dehydration
- It can cause rhabdomyolysis. It’s a condition that occurs when the muscle is damaged severely.
- Too much creatine and green tea can cause bloating.
A good alternative to creatine could be Joint N-11.
Which People Should Not Take Creatine in Green Tea?
Below are some groups of people who should avoid taking creatine and green tea together.
Kids And Teenagers
Taking creatine itself is controversial when it comes to kids and teenagers. Although creatine is legal, some nutritionists suggest not taking it.
The American College Of Sports Medicine has advised people below 18 not to take creatine. The reason is researchers are not sure of the long-term effects.
Similarly, pediatricians advise against taking caffeine for children below 12 years old. Moreover, they suggest limiting caffeine use to 100mg a day at most for 12-18 years old.
So, the simple conclusion is that children and adolescents should not take creatine in green tea.
Pregnant Woman
Creatine is converted into creatinine in a pregnant woman. This creatinine enters the infant’s body and can change the infant’s kidney function.
Some researchers suggest that taking creatine during pregnancy can help to avoid creatine deficiency syndrome. However, no substantial evidence is available to test this theory.
So it’s best not to take creatine during pregnancy.
In the case of green tea or other caffeine-rich beverages, consult your doctor first. Studies show that taking caffeine more than 150-200mg in a day can lead to health complications.
If you’re a green tea lover, you may face trouble stopping green tea consumption. You can follow these steps to stop taking green tea during your pregnancy:
- Take only one or two cups of coffee daily
- Mix your decaffeinated green tea with regular tea
- Slowly stop taking the caffeinated coffee
Diabetic Patients
Doctors advise diabetic people not to take creatine supplements. Kidneys have to work more when creatine supplements enter the body. As diabetic people are already prone to kidney diseases, this can provoke the issue.
However, no study proves that creatine cause kidney damage in diabetic people. In contrast, one study showed that taking creatine can help to improve diabetic conditions.
According to studies, people with T2 can easily consume creatine. In contrast, there is research lacking for T1. So, it’s best advised not to take creatine if you have type 1 diabetes.
Now, let’s talk about green tea. Besides helping prevent diabetes, green tea helps manage blood sugar levels.
Some studies show that green tea helps to control diabetes as well as improve insulin sensitivity. If you’re struggling with controlling diabetes, you can try the Diabetes Solution Kit.
FAQs
Can creatine stunt your growth?
No, creatine will not stunt your growth. Creatine pulls water to the muscle. This helps to make the muscle bigger and stronger. So, taking creatine will make you grow, not the other way around.
Does Green Tea Contain The Most Caffeine?
Not really. 230ml (1 cup) of green tea contains around 30-50mg of caffeine. Among all the tea, black tea has the most amount of creatine. It contains caffeine between 64 and 112mg.
Can I Take Green Tea Every Day?
Yes, you can. However, you should drink green tea in moderate amounts. You shouldn’t take more than 8 cups a day. Taking more than this will affect your body negatively. It’s because the amount of caffeine will be too much.
Take Away
Hopefully, this article has helped to clear your confusion if you should take creatine in green tea.
If you have any more questions, let us know below.
Have a good day and good luck!
