Creatine

The creatine edge At John F. Kennedy High School in La Palma, Mitch Olson warns football players and to her athletes that anyone caught using a performance-enhancement product will be barred from playing. The rule goes for everyone -- and it includes creatine, a legal but controversial dietary supplement. Olson, the school's athletic director, knows students could use creatine without his knowledge, perhaps even with the blessing of their parents. "I'm not naive enough to …

…potential dangers merely anecdotal, creatine has become the table salt of the performance-enhancement world. Used mostly by men, creatine is available in powder, capsule, chew tablet, effervescent tablet and liquid forms -- sold under such brand names as Twinlab's Creatine Fuel and Dymatize's Crea-Fizz. Creatine sales totaled $193 million in 2003 -- or roughly 10% of the $1.9-billion sports supplement market, according to the San Diego-based Nutrition Business Journal. Among sports supplements, only protein powder is more popular.