Exploring the relationship between creatine supplementation and renal function: insights from Mendelian randomization analysis

Creatine supplementation is ubiquitously consumed by fitness enthusiasts due to its perceived advantages in enhancing athletic performance. Although there is an increasing concern within this demographic regarding its possible impact on renal function, there is still a lack of rigorous scientific investigations into this alleged association. Data were collected through an online survey on the participants’ demographics, creatine usage and concerns related to renal function. The reliability and validity of the survey were assessed using SPSS software. A total of 1129 participants responded to the survey, and chi-square tests were utilized for data analysis. To explore the potential association between creatine levels (as the exposure) and renal function (as the outcome), we utilized open-access genetic databases, and Mendelian randomization (MR) techniques were used to confirm this correlation. Chi-square analysis revealed no significant association between creatine usage and renal function among the participants. Our MR analysis further supported this finding, demonstrating no significant association between creatine levels and six indicators assessing renal function (IVW, all with <i>p</i> values exceeding 0.05). Similar <i>p</i> values were consistently observed across other MR methods, confirming the absence of a statistical correlation. This MR study offers compelling evidence indicating that creatine levels are not statistically associated with renal function, suggesting the potential to alleviate concerns within the fitness community and emphasizing the significance of evidence-based decision-making when considering nutritional supplementation.

肌酸补充剂因被认为可提升运动表现，而被健身爱好者广泛使用。尽管该群体对肌酸补充剂可能影响肾功能的担忧日益增加，但目前仍缺乏针对这一所谓关联的严谨科学研究。本研究通过在线问卷收集数据，内容涵盖受试者的人口统计学特征、肌酸使用情况以及与肾功能相关的顾虑。研究采用SPSS软件评估了该问卷的信度与效度。最终共有1129名受试者完成问卷调研，数据分析采用卡方检验。为探究肌酸水平（作为暴露因素）与肾功能（作为结局指标）之间的潜在关联，本研究使用了开源遗传数据库，并采用孟德尔随机化（Mendelian randomization, MR）技术验证这一相关性。卡方检验分析结果显示，受试者的肌酸使用情况与肾功能之间无显著关联。本研究的孟德尔随机化分析进一步验证了这一结论，结果显示肌酸水平与六项肾功能评估指标之间均无显著关联（逆方差加权法（Inverse Variance Weighted, IVW）的所有p值均大于0.05）。其余孟德尔随机化分析方法也得到了一致的p值结果，进一步证实二者之间不存在统计学相关性。本项孟德尔随机化研究提供了有力证据，表明肌酸水平与肾功能之间不存在统计学关联，这或有助于缓解健身群体的相关顾虑，同时强调了在考虑营养补充时遵循循证决策的重要性。