Nothing like the truth

Despite promises made by the editor of the Daily Wildcat to insure factual reporting, the Wildcat has fallen short again. Arlie Rahn in his "Nothing But The Truth" column (Creatine and Andro not "McGwire in a bottle", September 9, 1998), has accelerated media misinformation to a new level.

As a researcher on campus who has spent years studying creatine supplementation I was amazed at how Arlie Rahnmanaged to put so many mistruths into one article. It was as if he went to the local "pumpers-r-us" website to get his "studies."

No research evidence suggests that creatine supplementation, when used correctly, has any dangerous side effects. Creatine is not an amino acid but it is produced in the body at various sites from amino acids. Its mechanism of action has nothing to do with water retention at the cellular level or supplementing the body's amino acid pool.

No research has shown that creatine supplementation causes "short term muscle problems like cramping, sprains and pulls, not to mention dehydration." Any such claims are purely anecdotal at this time. As well, Creatine has not been banned by the NCAA or the IOC (International Olympic Committee).

The kind of reporting done in this article does nothing to warn youngsters away from creatine. If anything it promotes the supplement to those looking for the edge. Try educating your readers next time with the facts and let them make informed responsible decisions.

Trevor Cottrell

Physiological sciences

Graduate student