It’s safe to take creatine with milk, unless lactose intolerant. Creatine is a supplement used to build muscle and improve athletic performance. Mixing creatine with high-glycemic liquids like juice increases its absorbability. Temperature and caffeine also affect absorption.
It is perfectly safe to take creatine with milk. There is at least no research or anecdotal evidence to the contrary, unless an individual is lactose intolerant. Concerns about taking creatine supplements with milk have more to do with its absorption and ease of use by the muscles than its safety.
Creatine monohydrate is a nutritional supplement taken by athletes to build muscle and improve athletic performance. The body normally obtains the necessary creatine from dietary sources and uses it to help fuel muscle contractions. In the body, creatine is converted to creatine phosphate, with creatinine as a waste product. The goal of supplementation is to increase absorptive capacity so that the muscles absorb the maximum amount of creatine. If too much of the supplement is consumed, the excess is eliminated from the body in the urine.
Supplemental creatine is available as a white, tasteless powder. It should be mixed with a beverage such as water, juice, or milk before consumption. Sometimes it is shaken to mix it well before drinking. It is believed that complete dissolution simply improves the palatability of creatine, not its absorption. Most athletes believe that taking creatine with a high-glycemic liquid, such as juice, increases its absorbability.
High-glycemic sugary drinks stimulate the body to produce insulin, which is a factor in the uptake of creatine by the muscles. The glycemic index ranges from 1 to 100, with high-glycemic foods at the high end of the scale. Taking creatine with milk is safe, but milk ranks lower on the glycemic scale, around 27 to 34. Because of this, less creatine may be absorbed if mixed with milk than with juice, which has a glycemic rating of 41 to 68, depending on the type of juice. This can be remedied by mixing a little sugar or honey into the milk creatine mixture, increasing its glycemic index.
Other factors that affect the absorbability of creatine are temperature and the presence of caffeine. Hotter beverages cause creatine to be absorbed faster, which is why many athletes warm their creatine concoctions before drinking. Since it may be more enjoyable for some people to drink warm milk rather than hot fruit juice, many athletes prefer to mix their creatine with milk. Also, many athletes avoid drinking caffeinated beverages with creatine to enhance absorption, because one study showed that caffeine inhibited creatine uptake by muscles. Many athletes are also concerned about the timing of creatine supplementation, as they need to take advantage of the post-exercise insulin spike to improve absorption.
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