CREATINE ISNT JUST CREATINE...

Creatine M

onohydrate remains one of the most researched and effective ingredients ever developed in sports nutrition. With ov Not all creatine is created equal.

What Most People Don’t See: How Creatine Is Made

Creatine monohydrate isn’t mined, extracted from plants or steak, it’s synthesised through a multi-step process involving:

• Reactions

• Controlled water crystallisation

• Filtration

When manufacturers prioritise cost reduction over quality control, using lower-grade precursors, inadequate purification, poor water quality (water is needed for the monohydrate part), or aggressive (heat) processing conditions, unwanted byproducts can remain in the final product.

These shortcuts don’t just reduce quality. They introduce compounds that don’t belong in a daily supplement. These substances are…

Dicyandiamide (DCD): The Quality Control Indicator

DCD is a synthetic precursor used in creatine production and should be almost entirely removed during proper purification.

• EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) recommended limit: ≤ 50 mg/kg

• Generic creatine testing often exceeds 100 mg/kg

While DCD isn’t acutely toxic at low levels, elevated amounts signal poor manufacturing controls and suggest other purification failures may also exist. Not to mention all these impurities may have an accumulative effect that may be toxic over time.

Creatine is often taken at 5 g daily, and sometimes higher (up to 20 g/day during loading phases or cognitive protocols). At higher intakes, impurity exposure scales proportionally, making purity increasingly important over long-term use.

Pürest® Creatine achieves “Not Detected” status for DCD, meaning levels fall below validated analytical detection thresholds, eliminating this exposure.

Dihydrotriazine (DHT): The Carcinogenic Concern

DHT represents the most serious contaminant found in poorly manufactured creatine. EFSA recommends levels ≤ 3 mg/kg due to its classification as a suspected carcinogen.

Independent testing has revealed:

• Some generic creatine may reach as high as ~110 mg/kg (over 35× the recommended limit)

• Some “premium” creatines can even reach ~20 mg/kg

DHT formation occurs when synthesis reaction pathways aren’t properly controlled. This is not a filtration issue, it requires fundamental changes to the manufacturing process itself.

Pürest® Creatine achieves “Not Detected” status for DHT, indicating these hazardous pathways have been eliminated entirely through their patented technique.

Creatinine: The Thermal Degradation Marker

Creatinine is creatine’s breakdown byproduct, formed when creatine is exposed to excessive heat or incomplete synthesis.

• EFSA guideline: ≤ 100 mg/kg

High creatinine levels indicate:

• Thermal degradation during drying

• Incomplete synthesis

• Cost-cutting via accelerated high-heat processing

Lower creatinine means more actual creatine per serve.

Typical levels:

• Some generic creatine: ~100 mg/kg

• Premium creatine: ~50 mg/kg

• Pürest® Creatine: ≤ 30 mg/kg

This reflects gentle processing and superior quality control.

Heavy Metals: The Water Quality Connection

Heavy metal contamination (lead, arsenic, cadmium, mercury) primarily stems from water quality during manufacturing.

Regions with compromised water sources require extensive filtration and purification, steps many manufacturers skip to reduce costs.

The principle is simple:

Dirty water produces dirty creatine.

Pürest® Creatine tests every production lot (see attached) and specifies:

• Lead ≤ 1.0 ppm

• Full heavy metal panel testing

Clean inputs + rigorous purification = clean creatine.

Why Purity Matters in a High-Dose Supplement

Creatine isn’t micro-dosed. At 5 g per day, even a product that’s 96% pure delivers roughly 200 mg of “other material” per serving. Over weeks, months, and years, that adds up. If you are consuming 20 g per day that could be closer to 800 mg of impurities.

The extensive research demonstrating creatine’s long-term safety assumes the use of highly purified, pharmaceutical-grade creatine monohydrate, the type typically used in clinical trials.

Purity isn’t about alarmism. It’s about getting what you paid for, safely and consistently.

Pürest® Creatine Is A New Benchmark In Quality

NNB Nutrition developed Pürest® Creatine to address the shortcomings of conventional manufacturing using three (3) core principles:

1. Proprietary Synthesis Methods

Instead of relying on reaction pathways that generate DCD and DHT, Pürest® Creatine uses a proprietary process that prevents these contaminants from forming in the first place.

2. Gentle Processing

No aggressive solvents. No high temperature drying. This preserves creatine integrity and minimises creatinine formation.

3. Comprehensive Quality Control

• Every production lot tested.

• Third-party verified.

• Batch-level certificates of analysis.

Credit - Greg Haglund - Founder Of Switch Nutrition and Nutritionist -

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