U.S.

No Magic In McGwire's Edge

By CBSNews.com staff CBSNews.com staff

September 4, 1998 / 6:15 PM EDT / CBS

Red-hot baseball star Mark McGwire concedes his power swing is fueled in part by a controversial muscle-building supplement called Creatine, reports CBS News Correspondent Bill Whitaker.

His nearest competitor in the race to become history's home-run king, Sammy Sosa, uses it too.

So is it any wonder young athletes like Kevin Mack, star defensive end at Rio Mesa High School in Oxnard, California, are now are pumping up with the stuff?

Mack says he has more power, more stamina and is getting calls from powerhouse college scouts, thanks to Creatine.

"I went up 50 pounds since last year," he says. "It s just what you got to do these days."

Creatine is no magic potion, it s a natural body compound. Users swear the supplements give them that winning edge.

"You get increases in strength," says supplement maker Dr. Scott Connelly. "Creatine is an example of a nutritional supplement with definitive benefits and a very, very, very favorable safety profile." Connelly says short-term studies show creatine has the benefits of steroids without the risks.

However, no one has done any long-term studies or knows the long tern effect of creatine, especially on still developing teenage bodies.

Kevin Mack suffered severe leg cramps until he reduced the dosage. Some coaches ban it citing cramps, dehydration and fears of internal damage.

"There's a history of lots of things in medicine that we've looked back and said 'God, we should never have done that,'" says Dr. Gary Wilder.

However, it might take more than the fear of the unknown to scare young athletes off Creatine. When heroes like McGwire and Sosa taking the supplements, it's hard to argue with success.