Is this the missing piece in your training program?
What Is Creatine?
Creatine is a naturally occurring compound made up of the amino acids arginine, glycine, and methionine. Foods that contain creatine include milk, fish, and beef to name a few (around 1-2 grams per lb). Your liver, pancreas, and kidneys can also make creatine (about 1 gram per day) (1). Creatine is stored in your muscles and brain where it is used as energy, due to creatine’s role in energy, creatine supplements are taken to help increase muscle mass and athletic performance.
What The Research Says About Creatine:
Mechanism: creatine supplementation can boost the phosphocreatine/creatine ratio in muscles, which increases the amount of ATP (ie energy) resynthesis during high-intensity exercise (2).
Studies have shown that taking a creatine supplement combined with resistance training not only increased effectiveness in training but also muscle strength and lean mass (3). This is due to the belief that creatine supplementation helps maintain high-energy phosphate stores during exercise (3).
Another way creatine is thought to improve athletic performance is through its effect on oxidative stress. Oxidative stress (the result of high levels of reactive oxygen species) reduces power and performance. Reactive oxygen species can worsen muscle fatigue by lowering calcium sensitivity and can reduce maximal calcium-activated force (3). Creatine can act like an antioxidant which helps reduce reactive oxygen species and thus oxidative stress. (Note intensity and time spent exercising as well as how long you have been taking creatine has an impact on creatine's antioxidant activity (3)).
A review study concluded that creatine supplementation helps improve muscle strength, mass, and performance in healthy young (~18-30 years) athletes (2). Creatine may help with muscle recovery, but studies are a bit inconsistent.
Myths About Creatine (4):
Creatine does not lead to water retention over long-term use.
Creatine is not an anabolic steroid.
When taken in recommended doses creatine does not lead to kidney damage in healthy people.
Creatine does not cause dehydration or muscle cramping (seems to help!)
You do not need to “load” (taking ~20g per day for a period) creatine, taking 3-5 grams per day is effective for increasing creatine stores (and doesn’t cause dirrhea!).
Creatine is not only helpful for resistance and power exercises (may be beneficial for recovery, injury prevention, and brain function!)
The current evidence does not show that creatine increases testosterone levels or causes hair loss.
Creatine monohydrate is the best type of creatine to take (most evidence-based research shows that creatine monohydrate is the best choice, it is also the form that has been studied the most)
Who Should Take Creatine?
One group that might surprise you is vegans and vegetarians! Creatine is found in animal products, due to this, people who do not eat animal-based foods do not get a lot, if any creatine in their diets.
Creatine seems to be most helpful for sports that require quick energy (ie sprinting and weight lifting), however, creatine also seems to benefit aerobic (ie running, swimming, etc) endurance exercise. It also could help with recovery from intense workouts as well as injury recovery (5).
Taking creatine isn’t just for pro athletes, supplementation has been seen to have positive benefits for everyday athletes no matter their age (5).
When and How to Take Creatine
Research is divided on the best times to take creatine, some say before working out, others say after working out and some say with meals. It seems like as long as you take it at some point in the day you should see benefits. You can mix creatine in just about anything (water, smoothie, protein powder) and it doesn’t seem to affect absorption. Some sources say do not mix with coffee but from what I can tell it doesn’t make that much of a difference. So yeah, consistency is key, whatever time and mixer works for you is the best one to go with.
TLDR
Creatine supplementation seems to help with the majority of athletic performance. It also seems to increase muscle mass and strength. When picking a creatine supplement pick creatine monohydrate that is third-party tested and backed by the NSF Creatine loading is not necessary, taking 3-5 grams per day seems to work just as well. Take creatine at any time of day with any mixer (even coffee).
NSF Brands
Klean Athlete
Designs for Sport
Thorne
Resources
“Creatine.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 13 Dec. 2023, www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements-creatine/art-20347591.
Wu, Shih-Hao, et al. “Creatine supplementation for muscle growth: A scoping review of randomized clinical trials from 2012 to 2021.” Nutrients, vol. 14, no. 6, 16 Mar. 2022, p. 1255, https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14061255.
Arazi, Hamid, et al. “Creatine supplementation, physical exercise and oxidative stress markers: A review of the mechanisms and effectiveness.” Nutrients, vol. 13, no. 3, 6 Mar. 2021, p. 869, https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13030869.
Antonio, Jose, et al. “Common questions and misconceptions about creatine supplementation: What does the scientific evidence really show?” Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, vol. 18, no. 1, 2 Jan. 2021,
Wax, Benjamin et al. “Creatine for Exercise and Sports Performance, with Recovery Considerations for Healthy Populations.” Nutrients vol. 13,6 1915. 2 Jun. 2021, doi:10.3390/nu13061915