Tag: Supplements for teens

According to a 2016 survey, nearly 17% of 12th-grade males reported using creatine, a popular supplement for muscle building. This statistic highlights the growing interest among teenagers in using supplements for performance and physique, but it also raises critical questions about safety and effectiveness during a period of rapid development.

According to a study from the American Academy of Pediatrics, despite recommendations against use in adolescents, creatine is being used by middle and high school athletes at all grade levels. This raises a critical question: is there any age limit for taking creatine, and what does the science say about its safety for different age groups?

While no specific federal law in the United States requires an individual to be 18 to purchase pre-workout supplements, new state laws, such as New York's, are starting to restrict sales to minors. This raises important questions about safety and ethics regarding who can and should consume these powerful, unregulated products, and whether you have to be 18 to buy preworkout from certain retailers.

According to research published by the National Institutes of Health, BCAAs are found in breast milk and are critical for neonatal nutrition, yet the question of how old do you have to be to take BCAAs remains complex for older children and adolescents. While naturally present in a healthy diet, supplementing with Branched-Chain Amino Acids requires careful consideration of age, training intensity, and safety.