Kidney Diet 8 min read·Updated 4 October 2026 Clinician-reviewed

Is Creatine Bad for Your Kidneys?

A UK Consultant Nephrologist on creatine supplements — the most common reason a healthy gym-goer is wrongly told they have kidney disease.

  • Clinically Reviewed
  • NHS & NICE Aligned
  • UK Evidence-Based
  • Last Reviewed 4 October 2026

Professor Mohammed Mahdi Althaf

Consultant Nephrologist & Acute Physician

View Credentials

Professor Mohammed Mahdi Althaf

MD, MSc, PgDip (Clin Ed), FRCP, FHEA, FASN

Consultant Nephrologist & Acute Physician · GMC 7216325

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Direct answer

Creatine has a good safety record in people with normal kidneys, but it raises blood creatinine and lowers calculated eGFR. Always declare it before kidney blood tests. In established CKD, avoid it unless your nephrologist agrees.

Key recommendation: 3–5 g/day: no evidence of harm in healthy adults.

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Quick answer

✓ Best choices

  • Vegetables and lower-potassium fruit at every meal
  • Whole grains: oats, basmati rice, pasta, wholegrain bread
  • Lean protein in modest portions: fish, chicken, eggs, tofu
  • Extra virgin olive oil, herbs and spices for flavour

✓ Foods to limit

  • Added salt and salty sauces
  • Processed meats and foods with phosphate additives (E338–E452)
  • Very large portions of bananas, oranges, potatoes if potassium is rising

Key takeaway

Creatine has a good safety record in people with normal kidneys, but it raises blood creatinine and lowers calculated eGFR. Always declare it before kidney blood tests. In established CKD, avoid it unless your nephrologist agrees.

Who should be cautious

People on dialysis, post-transplant, pregnant or breastfeeding, or taking prescription medication — confirm with your renal team before changes.

Is Creatine Bad for Your Kidneys?

Why your eGFR drops on creatine

eGFR is calculated from serum creatinine, which is assumed to come only from muscle turnover. Supplementing creatine adds an external source, so creatinine rises by roughly 10–30 µmol/L and eGFR falls proportionally. Nothing has happened to the filters. If a clinician does not know you take creatine, this can be misread as new kidney disease and trigger unnecessary investigation.

Getting an accurate answer

  • Tell your GP you take creatine, and for how long.
  • Repeat the test after 2–3 weeks off the supplement.
  • Ask about a cystatin C-based eGFR, which is not affected by creatine or muscle mass.
  • Check the urine ACR — a normal ACR alongside a modestly reduced eGFR in a muscular person is reassuring.

If you already have CKD

The trials showing safety were done in people with normal kidney function. In CKD the concerns are the extra nitrogen load, the difficulty of monitoring, and product purity in unregulated supplements. Discuss it with your nephrologist rather than deciding alone — and remember that resistance training itself, without supplements, is beneficial in kidney disease.

Are Protein Shakes Bad for Your Kidneys?
Related reading: Are Protein Shakes Bad for Your Kidneys?.

Key practical tips

Designed for quick scanning — what to order, what to avoid, sensible portions, common mistakes.

  • Read labels: sodium ≤ 0.3 g per 100 g (low) is the target
  • Cook from scratch when you can — it controls the hidden salt and phosphate
  • Personalise potassium and phosphate targets with your renal dietitian

Clinical guidance

TL;DR summary

Creatine has a good safety record in people with normal kidneys, but it raises blood creatinine and lowers calculated eGFR. Always declare it before kidney blood tests. In established CKD, avoid it unless your nephrologist agrees.

Key takeaways
  • 3–5 g/day: no evidence of harm in healthy adults.
  • Raises serum creatinine, so eGFR looks lower.
  • Stop 2–3 weeks before kidney blood tests if possible.
  • Cystatin C is an alternative measure of kidney function.
  • Not studied properly in CKD — avoid without advice.
Kidney Diet & Nutrition Considerations

On a kidney-friendly diet, single foods matter less than the overall pattern. Build meals around vegetables, lower-potassium fruit, whole grains, sensible protein and olive oil, and watch the three usual suspects — salt, phosphate additives and oversized portions of very high-potassium foods. Targets are individual and should be confirmed with your renal team.

Foods to prioritise

  • Vegetables and lower-potassium fruit at every meal
  • Whole grains: oats, basmati rice, pasta, wholegrain bread
  • Lean protein in modest portions: fish, chicken, eggs, tofu
  • Extra virgin olive oil, herbs and spices for flavour

Foods to limit

  • Added salt and salty sauces
  • Processed meats and foods with phosphate additives (E338–E452)
  • Very large portions of bananas, oranges, potatoes if potassium is rising

Potassium, phosphate and protein needs vary between individuals — please confirm personal targets with your renal team or dietitian. Browse the Kidney Diet Hub for more guides in this cluster.

Frequently asked questions

Is creatine bad for your kidneys?

In people with normal kidney function, creatine monohydrate at 3–5 g a day has not been shown to cause kidney damage in trials lasting up to five years. It has not been adequately studied in established CKD.

Does creatine raise creatinine?

Yes — creatine is metabolised to creatinine, so blood creatinine rises and calculated eGFR falls. This is a measurement effect, not necessarily kidney injury, but it can cause real diagnostic confusion.

Should I stop creatine before a blood test?

Ideally stop for two to three weeks before kidney blood tests, and always tell your GP or nephrologist that you take it — otherwise you may be labelled with CKD you do not have.

Can I take creatine with CKD?

Not without specialist advice. With reduced kidney function the safety data are lacking, and it makes monitoring your eGFR much harder.

What foods are best for kidney health?

A kidney-friendly diet centres on vegetables, lower-potassium fruit (apples, pears, berries), whole grains (oats, basmati rice, pasta), sensible portions of fish, eggs or lean meat, beans and lentils in modest portions, and olive oil as the main cooking fat — broadly a Mediterranean pattern with reduced salt.

Nutritional challenges in kidney disease

Many people living with kidney disease have to limit foods because of potassium, phosphate, diabetes, dialysis, appetite changes or simply the time it takes to cook from scratch every day. That can make it harder to keep daily nutrition balanced — particularly for vitamins and minerals that food alone may not fully cover.

Kidney Vitality is a UK-formulated daily nutritional support product designed by Consultant Nephrologist Professor Mohammed Mahdi Althaf with renal nutrition in mind from the start. It keeps doses moderate, leaves out added potassium, phosphate and magnesium, and avoids megadose vitamin A — sitting alongside a kidney-friendly diet, not replacing it.

Why Kidney Vitality fits this need

Built around UK renal guidance

Aligned with NICE NG203, KDOQI 2020 and BDA renal nutrition guidance.

Designed by a UK Consultant Nephrologist

Formulated and reviewed by Professor Mohammed Mahdi Althaf (GMC 7216325).

Evidence-based by design

No added potassium or phosphate; sensible vitamin doses.

Designed by a UK Consultant Nephrologist

Ready to support your kidney health?

If you have been researching kidney health, supplements, CKD nutrition or kidney-friendly living, Kidney Vitality was developed specifically around those principles by Professor Mohammed Mahdi Althaf (GMC 7216325). Nephrologist Developed Daily Multivitamin.

  • No Added Potassium
  • No Added Phosphorus
  • No Added Iron
  • UK Manufactured
  • One capsule daily
  • UK GMP — BRCGS, NSF GMP, Halal
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ComparisonKidney VitalityTypical high-street multivitamin
Added potassiumNoneOften included
Added phosphateNoneOften included (E338–E452)
Vitamin A (retinol)No megadoseOften high-dose retinol
Kidney-focused formulationYesNo — general population
Consultant Nephrologist involvementYes (GMC 7216325)No
UK GMP manufacturedYes (BRCGS, NSF GMP)Varies

Food supplement. Not a medicine and not a treatment for kidney disease. Speak with your GP, pharmacist or renal team before starting any new supplement, especially in advanced CKD, on dialysis, post-transplant, pregnant or breastfeeding.

Recommended next

Clinical reviewer

Professor Mohammed Mahdi Althaf

Consultant Nephrologist

Acute Physician

GMC 7216325

View Full Biography

Professor Mohammed Mahdi Althaf is a UK Consultant Nephrologist and Acute Physician with a special interest in chronic kidney disease, AKI prevention and renal nutrition. He combines hospital practice with patient education and clinical guidance review.

View professional profile →
View Credentials
  • MD
  • MSc
  • PgDip (Clin Ed)
  • FRCP
  • FHEA
  • FASN

About this article

Written for UK patients and based on:

  • NICE guidance
  • NHS resources
  • British Dietetic Association guidance
  • Kidney Care UK resources
View methodology

Each article is researched against current UK clinical guidance (NICE NG203, NG118, NG136), NHS patient resources, KDIGO and KDOQI international guidelines, and the British Dietetic Association Renal Nutrition Group. Drafts are written by the Kidney Vitality editorial team and reviewed by a UK Consultant Nephrologist before publication. Content is reviewed on a rolling basis and updated when guidance changes.

Editorial standards

  • Clinically reviewed
  • NHS-aligned
  • NICE-aligned
  • Evidence-based
  • Reviewed before publication
View full editorial process

Every article is researched and written by the Kidney Vitality editorial team using current UK clinical guidance (NICE NG203, NG118, NG136), NHS patient resources, KDIGO/KDOQI international guidelines, and British Dietetic Association renal nutrition guidance. Drafts are reviewed for clinical accuracy by Professor Mohammed Mahdi Althaf, MD, MSc, PgDip (Clin Ed), FRCP, FHEA, FASN (Consultant Nephrologist & Acute Physician, GMC 7216325) before publication. Content is updated when UK guidance changes.

References (4)View Sources
  1. NICE NG203: Chronic kidney disease — assessment and management
  2. KDIGO 2024 Clinical Practice Guideline for the Evaluation and Management of CKD
  3. KDOQI Clinical Practice Guideline for Nutrition in CKD: 2020 Update
  4. British Dietetic Association — Renal Nutrition Group

Medical disclaimer

This content is educational only and does not replace personalised medical advice.

Read full disclaimer

This page is general information, not personal medical advice. If you have chronic kidney disease, are on dialysis, have had a kidney transplant, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or take prescription medication, please confirm any supplement with your GP, pharmacist or renal team before starting.

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