Analysis of health claims regarding creatine monohydrate present in commercial communications for a sample of European sports foods supplements

Abstract

Objective: To analyse the information on health claims present in the labelling of creatine monohydrate (CM) products.

Design: A descriptive study of a selection of products marketed as CM, with health claims, and that met the inclusion/exclusion criteria, was conducted using the Amazon and Google Shopping websites. The adequacy and compliance of the health claims were evaluated with the European legislative requirements (European Food Safety Authority and European Commission). The results were discussed with scientific evidence criteria from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, International Olympic Committee, and International Society of Sports Nutrition, as well as the systematic review carried out by Mielgo-Ayuso in 2019.

Setting: Health claims in the commercial communications of a sample of CM supplements, in relation to current legislation and scientific knowledge.

Participant: A total of 554 CM products were obtained.

Results: Of the total sample, only 167 met the inclusion/exclusion criteria. Of these, 30·5 % recommended a CM dose of 5·0-5·9 g/d, while 29·9 % recommended 3·0 to 3·9 g/d. As for the health claims, 'Enhances physical performance' appeared in 73·1 % of the supplements, in most cases referring to a dosage of 3·0 to 3·9 g/d for these products. The rest of the declarations were not adequate or needed to be modified.

Conclusion: Only 25 % of the health claims complied with the criteria established by the scientific reference documents. Most of the declarations must be modified or eliminated, as they could be considered fraudulent and/or misleading for the consumer.

Keywords: Creatine; Health claims; Nutrition; Nutritional labelling; Sports performance.

Fig. 1

Flow diagram of the selection process for creatine monohydrate supplement