![\"Creatine](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Creatine-1200x807.jpg\"\/)
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Is creatine as beneficial as influencers claim it is? (Photo by Djavan Rodriguez on Shutterstock)<\/p>\n
In A Nutshell<\/p>\n
What it is:\u00a0Creatine is a natural compound stored mostly in muscles, with small amounts in the brain.<\/p>\n
Athletic performance:\u00a0Strong evidence it boosts short bursts of strength, speed, and power by helping muscles quickly recycle energy. Works for elite athletes\u00a0and\u00a0casual gym-goers.<\/p>\n
Muscle & aging:\u00a0In older adults, creatine plus resistance training builds more muscle and strength. Evidence for bone health is mixed.<\/p>\n
Brain health:\u00a0Studies show possible benefits for memory, focus, and processing speed, especially in women, older adults, and people with certain conditions.<\/p>\n
Risks:\u00a0Generally safe, with mild side effects (stomach upset, cramps, temporary water weight). Not well studied in pregnancy, liver\/kidney disease.<\/p>\n
Best bet:\u00a0Use creatine monohydrate. Track results for 4\u20138 weeks\u2014if you don\u2019t notice changes, save your money.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019ve walked down the wellness aisle at your local supermarket recently, or scrolled the latest wellness trends on social media, you\u2019ve likely heard about creatine.<\/p>\n
Creatine is a compound our body naturally makes<\/a> to deliver energy to our muscles during exercise. Most (95%) is\u00a0stored in muscle<\/a>, with small amounts stored in the brain.<\/p>\n We\u00a0use<\/a>\u00a0about 1\u20133 grams of creatine a day. Our body makes around half of this and we get the rest from protein-rich foods<\/a>, such as meat and fish.<\/p>\n Creatine supplements<\/a> come as powders, tablets and other forms, with doses ranging from 3\u20135g a day, to up to 20g. It\u2019s difficult to get these levels from diet alone: you would need to eat about\u00a01kg of meat to get 5g of creatine<\/a>.<\/p>\n But can consuming greater levels of creatine help you build muscle, improve athletic performance or boost brain health, as social media influencers<\/a> claim?<\/p>\n Athletic Performance<\/p>\n Creatine increases the rate at which the body resynthesizes a molecule called adenosine triphosphate, or ATP, which provides us with energy. When we use ATP for energy, it\u2019s broken down to another molecule, adenosine diphosphate, or ADP.<\/p>\n To be used as ATP again, ADP needs phosphate. This is where creatine helps. Creatine enters cells and adds the phosphate which was lost. The newly formed creatine phosphate then helps to very quickly re-synthesize ADP back to ATP.<\/p>\n Other energy systems we have to create ATP are comparatively slower.<\/p>\n Because of this quick action, creatine helps with short bursts of activities such as jumping and lifting weights<\/a>.<\/p>\n This has an indirect effect on muscle-building<\/a> and sports performance by allowing increased training that leads to improved strength, speed and power.<\/p>\n The\u00a0evidence shows<\/a>\u00a0creatine is an effective nutritional supplement for athletes who want to improve physical performance and function in response to their training.<\/p>\n And you don\u2019t have to be an elite athlete<\/a>: gym-goers and weekend warriors can get similar benefits.<\/p>\n What About Muscle And Bone Health In Older Adults?<\/p>\n Most of the research on creatine outside of athletes has been in\u00a0older adults<\/a>. This is due to its ability to indirectly help with muscle gain and reduce\u00a0sarcopenia<\/a>\u00a0(age-related muscle wasting).<\/p>\n There is good evidence that creatine supplements (5\u201320g per day) can improve muscle mass<\/a> and strength when combined with resistance training<\/a> in older people. A\u00a0review of the research<\/a>, which included 22 studies in people aged 57\u201370, found it improved muscle mass by 1.4kg and resulted in a small increase in strength.<\/p>\n Another\u00a0review of 12 studies<\/a>\u00a0considered older adults taking 3\u201320 grams of creatine supplements a day. It found that combining creatine with resistance training 2\u20133 times per week resulted in more muscle and strength gains compared to resistance training alone.<\/p>\n When it comes to\u00a0bone health and improving bone density<\/a>, the evidence is not clear. Some studies show benefits, while others don\u2019t. An overall analysis of five studies found there was no effect.<\/p>\n However, there is some evidence that creatine improves older people\u2019s\u00a0ability to go from sitting to standing<\/a>, which is a good predictor of falls.<\/p>\n What About Cognition?<\/p>\n Another review looked at the impact on cognitive function<\/a> across\u00a016 studies<\/a>. Participants were aged 20 to 77 years and were either healthy or had conditions such as fibromyalgia, mild cognitive impairment associated with Parkinson\u2019s disease<\/a>, and schizophrenia<\/a>.<\/p>\n The reviewers found creatine supplementation (5\u201320g a day) had positive effects on memory, attention time and information processing speed. The benefits were greater in people with disease, those aged between 18 and 60, and among women.<\/p>\n Another\u00a0review<\/a>\u00a0of eight studies also showed creatine improved memory in healthy people, with greater improvements in older adults aged 66 to 76. The effect was similar between those who took high (20g) and low doses (3g).<\/p>\n An earlier\u00a0review<\/a>\u00a0showed similar improvements with memory<\/a> and reasoning among healthy people who consumed 5-20g of creatine for between five days and six weeks.<\/p>\n Creatine carries brain-boosting benefits for older adults. (Image by Shutterstock AI Generator)<\/p>\n What About For Other Adults?<\/p>\n A\u00a02021 review<\/a>\u00a0of creatine across the lifespan indicates creatine maybe useful for pre- and post-menopausal women to improve strength and brain function, and reduce mental fatigue.<\/p>\n For adults aged over 60<\/a>, supplementation may provide some benefits for cognitive and muscle mass, particularly if you\u2019re physically active. But there isn\u2019t an evidence base to support its general use across the younger population, beyond athletic performance.<\/p>\n What Are The Risks?<\/p>\n Creatine is generally considered to be safe. Some users report side effects, mostly related to gastrointestinal problems such as nausea and stomach upset. Some people also experience headaches and muscle cramps when they change the amount or frequency.<\/p>\n Creatine may lead to temporary water gain, seen with a small increase in weight. But this\u00a0subsides<\/a>\u00a0after a few days of supplementation.<\/p>\n The evidence is not clear yet for creatine supplementation\u00a0for certain people<\/a>, including those who are pregnant, breastfeeding, have kidney disease or liver disease, or who have\u00a0psychiatric disorders<\/a>.<\/p>\n As with any supplement, and in particular if you have underlying health conditions, talk to your doctor if you\u2019re considering taking creatine.<\/p>\n What Should You Look Out For?<\/p>\n Creatine<\/a> as a supplement is\u00a0synthetically made<\/a>\u00a0from sarcosine and cyanamide (no, it\u2019s not related to cyanide). There are different forms of creatine supplements, but the research uses a type called creatine monohydrate.<\/p>\n There is no difference between brands that manufacture creatine monohydrate and you don\u2019t need to buy it with added ingredients. If you do want to try creatine, monitor your use over 4\u20138 weeks to see if you notice an improvement. And if you don\u2019t, you might want to save your money.<\/p>\n Evangeline Mantzioris<\/a>, Program Director of Nutrition and Food Sciences, Accredited Practicing Dietitian, University of South Australia<\/a>. She is affiliated with Alliance for Research in Nutrition, Exercise and Activity (ARENA) at the University of South Australia. She has received funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council, and has been appointed to the National Health and Medical Research Council Dietary Guideline Expert Committee.<\/p>\n This article is republished from The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"Man](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Supplement-powder-drink-1200x800.jpg\"\/)
Taking creatine can help give athletes an extra edge while working out. (Photo by Ground Picture on Shutterstock)<\/p>\n![\"Older](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Creatine-older-man-1200x675.jpg\"\/)
<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/1756117688_677_count.gif\"\/)
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