If you go to the gym, scroll through fitness forums or social media, you’ll likely hear about creatine. This is one of the most researched and overhyped supplements on the market. Weightlifters swear that it helps them build strength and muscle size. But what does the science say? Is creatine safe? Do some people benefit more from it than others? What about the claim that it improves memory?
What is creatine and how does it work?
Creatine is a compound that your body makes from several amino acids (building blocks of proteins). Foods such as meat, poultry, and fish contain about 1/2 gram per 4 ounces. clothing material. This means that people who eat such foods are likely to have higher levels of creatine stored in their muscles than those who don’t. but takingCreatine supplements (typical dosage is 3 to 5 grams per day) are the most effective way to increase creatine reserves in your muscles.
Creatine’s primary role in muscle boils down to energy. When muscles need energy, they rely on a molecule called ATP (adenosine triphosphate). ATP is the body’s main source of energy, but muscles only store enough ATP to last for a few seconds. This is perfect for short, intense activities like sprinting or lifting weights. And this is where creatine comes in, combining with phosphates in muscle cells to form phosphocreatine. Creatine acts like a backup battery for your cells, quickly donating phosphate to regenerate ATP, allowing your muscles to continue contracting for several seconds. So taking creatine may help you do a few more reps of bicep curls or push yourself faster in a sprint. And over time, it may help you build more strength and lean body mass.
“Creatine also attracts water to the muscles,” says Brad Schoenfeld, professor of exercise science at Lehman College in New York City. “And cellular hydration has been theorized to promote muscle development by increasing protein synthesis and reducing protein breakdown.”
Can Creatine Build Bigger or Stronger Muscles?
Creatine helps you work harder. you You can build bigger muscles. It won’t work unless you combine it with a consistent strength training regimen. (It also has no effect on aerobic activities such as long-distance running, swimming, or cycling.)
Don’t expect to look like a bodybuilder. As one analyze Among roughly 30 studies combining creatine supplementation and resistance training, study volunteers gained about 2 pounds more lean body mass than those who did resistance training and took a placebo. (Some of the authors of that analysis received funding from companies that sell creatine.)
If you’re looking to gain muscle, 2 pounds is a noticeable gain. “But lean mass is not necessarily muscle mass,” says Schoenfeld. Creatine can cause water retention, and additional water is counted as “lean body mass.”
So Schoenfeld and his colleagues (some of whom were funded by creatine companies) grouped together 10 studies, each lasting an average of about five months. research Direct imaging After volunteers took creatine (or placebo) supplements and performed resistance training, the participants’ muscle size was measured using techniques such as ultrasound or computed tomography (CT scan). The effect on muscle size was minimal. On average, taking creatine during resistance training roughly increased upper and lower body muscle thickness. 500th of an inch Compare this to resistance training alone.
Because some experiments included in Schoenfeld’s analysis measured muscle size and others measured lean body mass, the results are not comparable. However, Schoenfeld believes that estimates of creatine’s effect on muscle growth may be slightly inflated.
Muscle mass and size aside, creatine may help some people get slightly stronger, but the effects are generally very small. to analyze (One co-author reported a connection to the creatine industry.) Including a total of 69 studies, creatine takers were able to bench about 3 pounds more and squat about 12 pounds more than placebo takers.
It is also unclear who benefits most from taking creatine. Schoenfeld’s analysis found that creatine had no benefit for muscle size in older adults, while other studies found this not to be the case. “There may not be enough studies using direct imaging in older adults to make good conclusions,” he says. “Maybe five years from now we will have 10 more studies to get a clearer picture.”
Most studies also show that creatine has less effect on increasing muscle size and strength in women.
“Diet can make a difference,” says Schoenfeld. “Creatine is found in meat, so vegans and vegetarians tend to react to it. better “You need to take supplements because you have less creatine in your body to begin with.”
Can creatine improve cognitive performance?
The brain is one of the most energy-consuming organs in the body. And because creatine helps regenerate ATP (the cell’s energy “currency”), some researchers have investigated whether creatine can improve memory and cognitive performance.
In 2024, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA, equivalent to the EU’s FDA) Reviewed 23 studies to determine whether creatine can improve memory or cognitive abilities. In several trials, people who took 20 grams of creatine per day for about a week improved their working memory (small amounts of information that can be held in the mind long enough to use it). However, studies using lower doses (2 to 14 grams of creatine per day) or lasting longer showed no effects on working memory. And creatine had no effect on outcomes such as alertness, alertness, processing speed, or executive function (the ability to plan, remember instructions, and manage multiple tasks). EFSA concluded that “no causal relationship has been established between creatine intake and improvements in cognitive function.”
Is creatine safe?
Creatine is considered safe for most people. “I haven’t seen any good evidence of side effects in healthy people that we should be aware of,” says Schoenfeld.
As one analyze Among data collected from nearly 26,000 volunteers who participated in 685 creatine studies, the authors reported no differences between creatine takers and placebo takers in 35 side effects, such as muscle cramps, headaches, or GI problems such as nausea or diarrhea. (The analysis was funded in part by the Creatine Company.)
Creatine is broken down into a compound called creatinine and eliminated from the body through the kidneys. Although the analysis found no signs of kidney problems in those taking creatine, most of the volunteers in the 685 studies were young, healthy adults with no known kidney problems, and the studies lasted an average of just two months.
Moreover, Schoenfeld points out, “We haven’t studied creatine in 10 years.” people for safety
How should I take creatine?
Interested in trying creatine? First, look for brands that have third-party certification, such as those outlined by the Department of Defense. Operational Complementary Safety. This way you can be confident that the label matches what’s on the bottle. Some companies also ensure that there are no unsafe levels of contaminants and that their supplements do not contain substances banned by major athletic organizations.
There are many different chemical forms of creatine (such as creatine monohydrate, creatine hydrochloride, creatine nitrate, or creatine combined with other ingredients), but your best bet is to stick to creatine monohydrate. It is the best studied and most studies do not show better results with other forms.
Creatine usually comes in powder form to mix with water or other liquids, but it is also available as chewable tablets or capsules.
Just be careful with gummies. According to SuppCo, a supplement rating app company. test According to the Creatine Gummies results from last June, “Every creatine gummy we tested was a bestseller on Amazon.com, and four out of six failed our tests badly by containing almost no creatine at all.”
There are two main strategies for taking creatine supplements.
- Use a “loading phase” of 20 to 25 grams per day (taken in 4 to 5 divided doses per day) for about a week. Then follow the maintenance phase of 3 to 5 grams per day.
- Take a low dose of 3 to 5 grams daily without a loading phase.
Neither approach is better than the other. “It’s only important for convenience,” says Schoenfeld. “The loading phase is recommended if you want to make your creatine stores fuller and faster.” Without the loading phase, he notes, it could take about a month to accomplish what could be accomplished in about a week. “But the loading phase is kind of a pain,” adds Schoenfeld. “There may be more incidents of rectal distress.”
If you use creatine powder, mix it with water or another liquid. Creatine breaks down in water, but contrary to what some people claim, you don’t have to drink it right after mixing it. Creatine lowering Although it is faster at higher temperatures and in more acidic solutions (you might not want to mix it with orange juice, for example). stable When mixed with a neutral pH liquid such as water or milk, it lasts for about 8 hours. (This is why you rarely find bottled beverages that contain creatine.)
conclusion
“If your goal is to maximize muscle growth, you could try creatine,” says Schoenfeld. “But the gains will be minimal. It will be up to the individual whether they are meaningful.”
Creatine is far from a magic bullet and it doesn’t work for everyone. “Think of it this way,” Schoenfeld suggests. “Creatine is the cherry on top of the sundae that provides training, nutrition, recovery and sleep. It doesn’t add much.”
