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Creatinine
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Common Questions
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1. Will exercise affect my creatinine levels?
2. How does diet affect creatinine levels?
3. What is creatine? If I take creatine, will my creatinine levels go up?
4. Do creatinine levels change with age?
5. What is a BUN/Creatinine ratio?
1. Will exercise affect my creatinine levels?
In general, moderate exercise will not affect your creatinine levels. As you continue to exercise and build muscle mass, your creatinine levels may increase slightly, but not to abnormal levels.
2. How does diet affect creatinine levels?
In general, creatinine levels will not vary with a normal diet. Creatinine levels may be 10%-30% higher in people who eat a diet that is very high in meat.
3. What is creatine? If I take creatine, will my creatinine levels go up?
Creatine is a compound that is made primarily in the liver and then transported to your muscles, where it is used as an energy source for muscle activity. Once in the muscle, some of the creatine is spontaneously converted to creatinine. The amount of both creatine and creatinine depend on muscle mass, so men usually have higher levels than women. Creatine is now available as a dietary supplement. If you take creatine, your creatinine levels may be higher than when you do not take the supplement. You should tell your doctor about all of the dietary supplements you are taking to help her evaluate your lab results.
4. Do creatinine levels change with age?
Creatinine levels relate to both muscle mass and to kidney function. As you age, your muscle mass decreases but your kidneys tend to function less effectively. The net result is not much change in creatinine levels in the blood as you get older.
5. What is a BUN/Creatinine ratio?
Occasionally, a doctor will look at the ratio between a person’s BUN and blood creatinine to help them determine what is causing these concentrations to be higher than normal. The ratio of BUN to creatinine is usually between 10:1 and 20:1. An increased ratio may be due to a condition that causes a decrease in the flow of blood to the kidneys, such as congestive heart failure or dehydration. It may also be seen with increased protein, from gastrointestinal bleeding, or increased protein in the diet. The ratio may be decreased with liver disease (due to decrease in the formation of urea) and malnutrition.
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This article was last reviewed on
June 22, 2005.
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