Creatine: who should take it, how much, and how

What is creatine?

Creatine is something your body already has, and more than 95% of it is stored in your muscles. It's also found in meat and fish — about 1 g per 100 g (3.5 oz) of beef or salmon.

When your muscles work, they burn ATP (the energy currency your cells use). Creatine acts like a backup battery that quickly recharges spent ATP. That's why your strength lasts a little longer when you lift something heavy, sprint briefly or repeat the same movement many times.

Your body clears about 2 g of creatine every day. If you eat little meat, your muscle stores may be only about half full.

Creatine benefits: where it may help

• Strength and performance: many studies show the weight you can lift and the reps you can do during strength training rose by about 5–15%. It has some of the strongest evidence of any workout supplement.
• Muscle mass: it draws water into muscle cells, creating a good environment for building muscle. Combined with exercise, some results show gains of more than 1 kg (2.2 lb) of muscle.
• Muscle loss with age: taken with protein, it may help slow the muscle loss that comes with aging. It's increasingly recommended for older adults too.
• Physical fatigue: may help when your muscles feel weak from physical work or overwork.
• Memory and focus: studies in older adults, vegetarians and people short on sleep found improvements in memory and processing speed. Results in younger adults in their 20s–40s have been inconsistent, though.

Who should take it / who should skip it

Who may benefit

• □ You do strength training regularly
• □ You do physical work and your muscles often feel worn out
• □ You're worried about losing muscle as you age
• □ You eat little meat or fish, or you're vegetarian
• □ You're going through menopause, feel low on energy, and find it hard to get enough protein

Who should not take it

• People with kidney problems: kidney disease, a kidney transplant, or abnormal kidney numbers on a test
• People who are pregnant or breastfeeding: there isn't enough research showing it's safe
• Children up to middle-school age: they don't need it
• People with high liver enzymes: no data show a problem, but be careful just in case

How to take creatine: 5 g a day is enough

Bottom line: 5 g a day, every day, any time.

1. Timing doesn't matter. Before or after workouts, with or without food — what counts is taking it every day.
2. Taking it with a meal or drink that contains carbs increased absorption in some data.
3. If it upsets your stomach, take it after a meal, split it into two 2.5 g doses, or lower the amount.
4. If you stop, your levels drop again. After about 4 weeks off, your stores are back to roughly 30–40% emptier.

Types of creatine: monohydrate is all you need

Almost all creatine research has used monohydrate. Other forms that claim better absorption mostly just cost more without much benefit.

The format makes a big price difference too.

Creapure, a German raw material, is high in purity with less contamination worry, but it's expensive. Creatine is easy to make, so many say whether you can trust the manufacturer matters more than the country of origin.

How to choose a creatine product

Check just four things on the label.

1. It says Creatine Monohydrate
2. One serving is 3–5 g
3. The company has a long track record making sports nutrition (quality varies with this ingredient, so the maker matters)
4. Price — if it's the same monohydrate, there's little reason to pay more

Creatine side effects: kidneys, hair loss and weight gain — true or not?

There are a lot of myths about creatine. Let's go through them one by one.

The common real side effect is stomach upset, like cramps or diarrhea. Taking it after a meal or splitting the dose fixes it for most people.

Combinations

Works well with: Protein powder

Frequently asked questions

Related concerns