Creatine and Taurine Supplement Dosages
Creatine Dosing Protocol
For creatine supplementation, use a loading phase of 20 g/day divided into four equal doses (5 g each) for 5-7 days, followed by a maintenance dose of 3-5 g/day as a single dose. 1
Loading Phase Strategy
- Standard loading approach: Take approximately 20 g/day divided into four equal daily doses of 5 g each for 5-7 days to rapidly saturate muscle creatine stores 1, 2
- Alternative low-dose approach: If you want to avoid the 1-2 kg body mass increase associated with loading, use 2-5 g/day for 28 days instead, though this takes longer to achieve saturation 1
- Expected body composition change: Anticipate a 1-2 kg increase in body mass during the loading phase due to intracellular water retention 1, 2
Maintenance Phase Protocol
- Ongoing dosing: Continue with 3-5 g/day as a single dose for the entire supplementation period 1, 2
- Washout period: After stopping supplementation, approximately 4-6 weeks are required for muscle creatine levels to return to baseline 1, 2
Optimization Strategies
- Enhance absorption: Consume creatine concurrently with approximately 50 g of mixed protein and carbohydrate to enhance muscle creatine uptake via insulin stimulation 1, 2
- Post-exercise recovery: For enhanced muscle glycogen resynthesis in the first 24 hours after fatiguing exercise, use 20 g of creatine divided into 5 g doses on four occasions beginning the same day as the exercise 1, 2
Performance Benefits and Mechanisms
- Primary mechanism: Creatine increases muscle creatine stores, enhancing the resynthesis of phosphocreatine for rapid ATP regeneration during high-intensity exercise 1
- Performance improvements: Enhances high-intensity repeated sprint performance, training capacity, muscle strength and power, lean body mass, and may support brain function 1
Safety Considerations
- General safety profile: No negative health effects have been reported when following appropriate supplementation protocols 1
- Renal monitoring: If renal dysfunction develops during creatine supplementation, discontinue the supplement immediately 3
- Common side effect: The primary concern is transient water retention and the 1-2 kg body mass increase during early supplementation 1, 4
Taurine Dosing
No evidence-based dosing recommendations for taurine supplementation were found in the provided guidelines or high-quality research for performance enhancement or general health purposes. The available evidence focuses exclusively on creatine, caffeine, and beta-alanine supplementation protocols from sports medicine guidelines.
Important Clinical Caveat
The UEFA Expert Group Statement and other high-quality sports nutrition guidelines do not include taurine in their evidence-based supplement recommendations for athletes, suggesting insufficient evidence to support specific dosing protocols for performance or health benefits. 1