It was early 1994 when I first saw an advertisement for creatine in a popular athletics magazine. At the time I was in the final year of a running scholarship in the US and eager for any possible edge.

The promise of increased energy, stamina and power certainly seemed attractive, although it wasn't the first food supplement to make such claims. Carnitine and chromium were also causing a buzz at the time.

Word got around that a lot of top international athletes were starting to take creatine on a regular basis. A number of them were even endorsing it. And as a food supplement, it was perfectly legal.

It didn't come cheap (about $50 for a month's supply) but along with a few members of the track team, I decided to try it out. It wasn't discussed with any of the coaches but the theory was simple. Increased energy supply meant better training. No different really to carbohydrate loading.

The instructions were straightforward. For seven days you went on a loading phase of about eight grammes. It was half that dose a day from then on. The creatine powder was dissolved in warm water and could be mixed with orange juice, milk, or whatever. Of course there was the temptation to spill in a few extra doses but I always followed the instructions on the label. For the next month the training remained intensive.

There were no immediate effects. Like any food supplement, it is difficult to assess whether or not there is any benefit. The placebo effect may have played some role, and there were days when training did seem to come easier than usual. Some days I felt better than ever. But there is no way of knowing for sure whether this had anything to do with the creatine.

Some of the sprinters on the team were sure that their power in the weight room had increased from the time they started taking the supplement. Most of the apparent benefits from creatine do seem to favour power sports, and as I ran longer distances I was probably in the wrong event to gain any advantage. Some takers also complained of weight gain, but I didn't notice any side-effects.

That summer I returned home to race. I had stopped taking the supplement for about a week when the form dropped very quickly. Once again there is no way of knowing if the lack of creatine had anything to do with it.

The use of creatine in sport has increased dramatically over the last couple of years. Fears that it may not be safe are generally dismissed by examination of what it actually does.

A compound of three amino acids - arginine, glycine and methionine - creatine is found in meat and fish. It plays a crucial role in the ATP cycle of energy in the muscle. And with increased creatine stored in the muscle, there is the potential for increased power.

Details of a possible link between creatine and cancer have yet to be backed up with long-term studies. Until then, creatine will remain a popular supplement, whether it works or not.