Creatine and nitrates are popular dietary supplements, but little is known regarding their co-ingestion relative to performance, side effects and safety. The purpose of this study was to examine the safety and efficacy of a creatine nitrate dietary supplement. In a double-blind, crossover, randomized and placebo-controlled manner; 28 apparently healthy and recreationally active men and women ingested daily supplements for 7 days consisting of a dextrose flavored placebo; a low dose of creatine nitrate and a high dose of creatine nitrate. Participants repeated the experiment with the alternate supplements with a 7 day washout period between each. Blood pressure, heart rate, blood samples, body weight, body composition, side effects questionnaires, bench press, leg press, and cycle ergometry performance were measured during each supplement period. No differences among treatments were found for any of the hemodynamic responses. No blood measurements exceeded normal clinical limits among treatments. No significant differences were observed in body composition or reported side effects among treatments. Pairwise comparisons found a significant difference between CNH and PLA, but not CNL at day 5 pre supplementation (PLA: 0.3 [-0.8, 1.5], CNL: 0.9 [-0.3, 2.1], CNH: 2.7 [1.6, 3.9], p=0.01) and a significant decrease in PLA and CNL, but not CNH, at day 5 post supplementation (PLA: -4.2 [-5.7, -2.7], CNL: -4.2 [-5.7, -2.7], CNH: -1.8 [-3.3, -0.3], p=0.01) in bench press 1RM and in leg press 1RM (PLA: -13.9 [-23.1, -4.7], CNL: -13.2 [-22.3, -4.0], CNH: -6.0 [-15.2, 3.1], p=0.01). No other changes were noticed in any of the performance variables. Creatine nitrate supplementation appears to be safe and enhance performance at the doses and for the duration studied.
