Unusual Creatine Product Promises a Full Daily Dose—But Actually Contains 25x Less Than Advertised
In the midst of the protein craze, creatine rose up like a phoenix from the ashes. Though creatine is highly researched and has been used as a supplement for years, more people have just begun learning about its benefits, from muscular strength to cognitive support. However, consistently chugging a drink mixed with creatine powder isn’t everyone’s favorite habit. Because of that, alternative ways of consuming it have emerged, like creatine gummies and now, creatine-infused toothpicks.
No, we're not kidding. So if you thought creatine gummies were a stretch, buckle up. Blake Sanburg, better known as The Nutrition Narc across his social media profiles, recently brought attention to this new "fitness scam" in a video.
The company claims you can get a full daily serving of five grams of creatine from sucking on a single toothpick. Meanwhile, a standard toothpick weighs about 0.2 grams. With that in mind, adding five grams of creatine to the product would make the toothpick noticeably larger. And spoiler alert: from photos and videos, they look to be the size of a normal toothpick.
"My buddy got his hands on them. He weighed them out, and what do you know? 60 toothpicks came out to about 16 to 18 grams," Sanburg said. "If we do the math, this means each toothpick is about .28 grams—not the five plus that they promised."
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/wf3mcurzoEM
That’s about 25 times less creatine than the company advertises. The weight was consistent across multiple bags of toothpicks, too.
Along with creatine, the company claims the toothpicks also contain vitamin B12, deeming it a "clean, convenient way to fuel your energy and muscle support without powders, drinks, or the need for water."
Admittedly, I haven’t tried the product myself, but it definitely made me raise an eyebrow. The product costs about $20 for a bag of 60 toothpicks, which isn’t a terrible price—aside from the fact that the math doesn’t seem to line up, per Sanburg's claim. Meanwhile, for about five dollars more, you could buy a standard tub of creatine monohydrate and know exactly what you’re getting.
Sanburg's final verdict: save your money and stick to a powder to guarantee you receive the full benefits of creatine.
Related: Andrew Huberman Breaks Down Creatine’s Impact on Mood and Motivation