Creatine

Not just for bodybuilders — what it does, who might benefit and what the science actually says.

Creatine: More Than a Gym Supplement?

Creatine has been used by athletes and bodybuilders for decades. But recently, it's been attracting attention for rather different reasons.

Muscle strength. Healthy ageing. Menopause. Brain health. Even mood and memory.

Apparently, creatine is no longer just for people trying to lift enormous weights.

But is it really as beneficial as we're being led to believe?

The answer is interesting. Creatine is one of the most extensively researched sports supplements, with convincing evidence for some benefits — and promising but less conclusive evidence for others.

Let's separate the science from the excitement.

1. What Is Creatine?

Creatine is a naturally occurring compound produced by the body, primarily in the liver and kidneys, from amino acids.

We also obtain small amounts from animal foods, particularly meat and fish.

Most of the creatine in our bodies is stored in our muscles, with smaller amounts found in the brain and other tissues.

Its main job is to help regenerate ATP (adenosine triphosphate) — the molecule our cells use for energy.

Think of ATP as your body's immediate energy currency.

During short bursts of intense activity, such as lifting weights, sprinting or climbing stairs quickly, muscles use ATP rapidly.

Creatine helps replenish it.

That means your muscles can maintain high-intensity efforts for a little longer or repeat them more effectively.

2. What Are the Proven Benefits?

The strongest evidence relates to exercise performance and muscle strength.

When combined with resistance training, creatine supplementation can help people:

• Improve strength and power.

• Perform slightly more repetitions or training volume.

• Increase gains in lean body mass.

• Improve performance during repeated short bursts of high-intensity exercise.

The effects aren't dramatic overnight. Creatine helps you get more out of consistent training.

And that's an important distinction.

Creatine doesn't build muscle while you sit on the sofa. It can help support the training that builds muscle.

It is generally less useful for prolonged, steady-paced endurance exercise.

3. What About Women and Menopause?

This is one reason creatine has become particularly interesting for midlife women.

As we age, maintaining muscle mass, strength and physical function becomes increasingly important.

Menopause-related hormonal changes may contribute to changes in body composition, although ageing, activity levels and nutrition also play significant roles.

Research suggests creatine supplementation, particularly alongside resistance training, may help older adults improve strength and lean mass.

Some studies involving postmenopausal women have reported benefits, although the evidence is less extensive than the broader research on creatine and exercise.

Creatine isn't a treatment for menopause itself, and claims that it corrects menopausal hormonal changes are unsupported.

But it may be a useful addition to a programme focused on maintaining muscle and strength.

The priority remains resistance training. Creatine is an optional extra, not the foundation.

4. Can Creatine Help the Brain?

The brain uses a considerable amount of energy, so researchers are interested in whether creatine supplementation might support brain function.

Some studies suggest possible benefits for aspects of memory and cognitive performance, particularly in older adults, people with lower dietary creatine intake or situations involving sleep deprivation.

However, results are inconsistent, studies are often small and the optimal dose for cognitive effects remains uncertain.

It's too early to say that creatine reliably prevents cognitive decline, improves everyday memory or protects against dementia.

Similarly, research into creatine as an additional treatment for depression is promising but preliminary.

It should not be considered a replacement for established mental health treatment.

This is an exciting area of research, but promising isn't the same as proven.

5. Does Creatine Make You Gain Weight?

Possibly — but not necessarily in the way you might imagine.

Creatine increases the amount of water stored inside muscle cells.

As a result, some people notice an increase on the scales, particularly when they first start taking it.

This is generally water weight, not body fat.

Over time, creatine combined with resistance training may also contribute to increases in muscle mass.

For someone who is trying to lose weight, that initial increase can feel discouraging.

But a higher number on the scales doesn't automatically mean you've gained fat.

This is another reason to look beyond body weight when assessing progress.

Strength, fitness, waist measurements, how clothes fit and how you feel can all provide useful information.

6. Which Type of Creatine Is Best?

There are numerous varieties on the market.

Creatine hydrochloride. Buffered creatine. Creatine ethyl ester. Creatine gummies. Creatine blends.

And, of course, many come with impressive claims and equally impressive prices.

But the form with the strongest research evidence is remarkably straightforward:

Creatine monohydrate.

It is well studied, effective, widely available and usually inexpensive.

Other forms have not consistently demonstrated superior benefits.

You don't need a premium formulation to obtain the established effects.

7. How Much Should You Take?

For most healthy adults choosing to supplement for exercise benefits, a common evidence-based approach is:

3–5 grams of creatine monohydrate per day.

Take it consistently, including on days when you don't exercise.

Some protocols begin with a loading phase of around 20 grams daily, divided into several doses, for five to seven days.

This saturates muscle creatine stores more quickly.

However, loading isn't essential.

Taking 3–5 grams daily will generally increase muscle creatine stores over several weeks, with potentially fewer digestive side effects.

The exact time of day appears much less important than consistency.

Creatine can be mixed into water, yoghurt, a smoothie or another drink.

There's no need to cycle on and off routinely.

8. Is Creatine Safe?

Creatine monohydrate has a reassuring safety record in healthy adults when taken at recommended doses.

However, some people experience digestive discomfort, particularly with large doses.

Creatine supplementation can also raise blood creatinine levels, a marker used in kidney function tests, without necessarily indicating kidney damage.

It's worth telling your healthcare professional if you take creatine and are having blood tests.

People with kidney disease or other significant medical conditions should seek individual medical advice before supplementing.

And while standard-dose creatine appears safe for most healthy adults, long-term evidence is more limited in certain groups, including pregnant or breastfeeding women.

Choose products from reputable manufacturers, ideally with independent quality testing.

9. Can You Get Enough Creatine From Food?

Creatine occurs naturally in foods such as beef, pork, salmon and other fish.

However, obtaining the amounts typically used in supplementation studies would require relatively large quantities of these foods.

Vegetarians and vegans generally have lower dietary creatine intake, although the body still produces its own creatine.

Some research suggests people with lower initial muscle creatine stores may experience a greater response to supplementation.

But creatine isn't an essential dietary nutrient in the same sense as magnesium or vitamin C. Healthy people can produce it themselves.

You don't need to take a creatine supplement simply because you don't eat meat.

10. Is Creatine Worth Taking?

That depends on your goals.

If you're regularly resistance training and want to improve strength or support muscle development, creatine monohydrate is one of the better-supported supplements to consider.

For older adults, it may be particularly useful alongside a structured resistance-training programme.

For brain health, menopause symptoms, stress or sleep, the evidence is not yet strong enough to make confident recommendations.

And if you're not strength training, starting a suitable exercise programme will generally offer much broader benefits than buying a supplement.

Creatine may help you do a little more. But it's what you consistently do that makes the biggest difference.

A Little Self-Reflection

1. Am I doing regular resistance training?

2. What am I hoping a creatine supplement would help me achieve?

3. Is that benefit supported by good research?

4. Am I concerned about gaining weight on the scales?

5. Could I distinguish water-weight changes from changes in body fat?

6. Am I getting adequate protein and overall nutrition?

7. Would improving my training consistency make a bigger difference?

8. Have I been influenced by marketing claims about brain health or menopause?

9. If I decide to supplement, am I choosing a well-researched product at an appropriate dose?

A Practical Exercise: Start With the Foundations

My goalWhat matters mostWhere creatine might fitBuild muscleProgressive resistance training and adequate proteinMay support greater training adaptationsImprove strengthConsistent, appropriately challenging exerciseCan improve strength gainsMaintain muscle in midlifeStrength training, nutrition and recoveryPotentially useful additionImprove brain healthSleep, activity, cardiovascular health and overall lifestyleResearch still developingLose body fatSustainable nutrition and activity habitsNot a fat-loss supplementImprove general wellbeingA combination of movement, nutrition, sleep and habitsNot a substitute for the basics

A Final Thought

Creatine is a good example of a supplement that deserves some of the attention it receives.

It has a substantial research base, particularly for strength and high-intensity exercise.

But that doesn't mean every claim made about it is established science.

The most exciting marketing promises often involve the areas where research is still emerging.

And while creatine can be useful, it's worth remembering that the biggest improvements in strength, muscle health and healthy ageing come from what we do consistently.

A supplement might help.

But it won't do the work for us.

Something to think about, don't you think?

The Science Behind This Sheet

• Kreider, R. B. et al. (2017). International Society of Sports Nutrition Position Stand: Safety and Efficacy of Creatine Supplementation in Exercise, Sport, and Medicine. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. Reviews creatine's established exercise benefits, dosing and safety.

• Chilibeck, P. D. et al. (2017). Effect of Creatine Supplementation During Resistance Training on Lean Tissue Mass and Muscular Strength in Older Adults: A Meta-Analysis. Open Access Journal of Sports Medicine. Reports benefits when creatine is combined with resistance training.

• Forbes, S. C. et al. (2022). Creatine Supplementation in Women's Health: A Lifespan Perspective. Nutrients. Explores potential applications across women's lives while highlighting gaps in the evidence.

• Avgerinos, K. I. et al. (2018). Effects of Creatine Supplementation on Cognitive Function of Healthy Individuals: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials. Experimental Gerontology. Reviews preliminary evidence on cognition and its limitations.

FUSION FIT
MOVE WELL • EAT WELL • LIVE WELL

This handout provides general nutrition and exercise education, not individual medical advice. If you have kidney disease, take medication affecting kidney function, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or have other significant health concerns, seek professional advice before taking creatine.