Rehab and Performance Lab: A Medbridge Podcast

Rehab and Performance Lab Episode 19: Creatine Myths, Protein Lies, and Stimulant Dangers: Fact or Fiction?

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Sep 16, 2025

Leslie Bonci is a sports dietitian with 35+ years of experience, while Roberta Anding has over 30 years in collegiate sports nutrition. They dive deep into the myths surrounding creatine and its safety in performance and rehabilitation. The duo emphasizes the importance of protein intake, recommending practical strategies for athletes. They also tackle the potential dangers of energy drinks, warning about their effects on health. With their expertise, listeners learn how to better support nutrition in clinical settings for improved recovery outcomes.

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ADVICE

Clean Up Training Before Creatine

Prioritize training effort and baseline nutrition before adding creatine; fix weight-room work ethic first.
Use creatine to amplify an already solid program, not to replace missing training or calories.

INSIGHT

Safe At Low Daily Doses

Creatine is well-studied and broadly safe at 3–5 g/day for most people.
Excessive dosing (loading) is unnecessary and can create side effects or crowd out other nutrients.

ANECDOTE

Higher Loading Linked To Strain Risk

Roberta saw muscle issues linked to high loading doses when athletes used 20 g/day and gained intramuscular fluid.
She rarely recommends more than 5–10 g and uses higher doses only selectively in rehab.

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Leslie Bonci, MPH, RDN, CSSD, LDN, FAND, and Roberta Anding, MS, RDN/LD, CDCES, FAND, join host Phil Plisky for a clinically grounded look at nutrition in rehabilitation and performance. Drawing from their extensive experience in professional sports and healthcare, they examine the safety, efficacy, and clinical relevance of creatine supplementation, protein intake strategies, and stimulant use. Phil leads a practical discussion around how rehab professionals can identify nutritional red flags, ask the right questions, and support better outcomes through collaboration. Tune in for evidence-based insights you can apply with your next patient—whether they’re post-op, underfueled, or reaching for the wrong energy solution.

Learning Objectives

Analyze the evidence around supplements and their role in nutrition and performance
Apply evidence-based, practical strategies to actionably address the use of creatine for performance and brain health
Solve patient case scenarios involving the amount and timing of protein intake for optimal performance

Timestamps

(00:00:00) Welcome
(00:00:05) Introduction to nutrition in sports rehabilitation
(00:02:00) The importance of practical nutrition
(00:05:52) Understanding creatine and performance
(00:08:44) The importance of third-party certification
(00:20:04) Safety and efficacy of creatine
(00:25:52) Creatine in rehabilitation and brain health
(00:32:20) The role of protein in athletic performance
(00:33:45) Consistent, cost-effective, and quality protein sources
(00:37:24) Determining protein needs
(00:43:00) Individualizing protein intake
(00:45:13) Understanding energy drinks
(00:47:21) Dangers of energy drinks
(00:52:54) Nutrition in rehabilitation
(00:56:45) Actionable takeaways for clinicians

Rehab and Performance Lab is brought to you by Medbridge. If you’d like to earn continuing education credit for listening to this episode and access bonus takeaway handouts, log in to your Medbridge account and navigate to the course where you’ll find accreditation details. If applicable, complete the post-course assessment and survey to be eligible for credit. The takeaway handout on Medbridge gives you the key points mentioned in this episode, along with additional resources you can implement into your practice right away.

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