Creatine - the evidence from the studies

May 10, 2021

Creatine is an amino acid located mainly in the muscles of the body, as well as in the brain. Most people get their creatine from seafood and red meat - albeit at levels well below those found in synthetically produced creatine supplements. The body's liver, pancreas, and kidneys can also produce about 1 gram of creatine per day.

Your body stores creatine as phosphocreatine mainly in your muscles, where it is used for energy. As a result, people take creatine orally to improve athletic performance and increase muscle mass.

People also use oral creatine to treat certain brain disorders, neuromuscular disorders, congestive heart failure, and other conditions. Topical creatine could be used to treat aging skin.

EVIDENCE

Research on the use of creatine for specific activities and conditions shows:

  • Endurance, muscle size and performance . Oral use of creatine could allow an athlete to do more work during repetitions or sprints, leading to greater gains in strength, muscle mass and performance. Creatine is often used by athletes involved in high-intensity intermittent activities that require rapid recovery during training and competition.
  • Injury prevention. Oral creatine can reduce the frequency of dehydration, muscle cramps and injuries to muscles, bones, ligaments, tendons and nerves.
  • Knowledge and brain health. Creatine supplementation could improve performance during cognitive tasks, especially in older adults.
  • Sarcopenia and bone health . Creatine supplementation can help counteract age-related decline in skeletal muscle and bone mineral density.
  • Aging of the skin. Early research suggests that a cream containing creatine and other ingredients applied to the face every day for six weeks could reduce the appearance of wrinkles in men. Another study suggests that a cream containing creatine and folic acid improves sun damage and reduces wrinkles.
  • Benefits for vegetarians. People who have low levels of creatine - such as vegetarians - seem to benefit the most from creatine supplements.

Mayo Clinic opinion

Creatine could benefit athletes who need short sprints of speed or increased muscle strength, such as athletes, weight lifters and those who do team sports.

Although an older case study suggested that creatine might worsen kidney dysfunction in people with kidney disorders, creatine does not appear to affect kidney function in healthy people.

Safety and side effects

When taken orally at appropriate doses, creatine is probably safe for up to five years. As with any dietary supplement, it is important to choose a product that complies with recommended manufacturing practices and subscribes to third-party testing to ensure product quality.

Creatine can cause:

Weight gain, generally as lean body mass

Creatine may be unsafe for people with pre-existing kidney problems. However, further research is needed.

interaction

Possible interactions include:

Caffeine . Combining more than 300mg of caffeine with creatine could decrease the effectiveness of creatine.

References:

  1. Kreider RB et al. International Society of Sports Nutrition position statement: Safety and efficacy of creatine supplements in physical exercise, sport and medicine. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. 2017;
  2. Creatine. IBM Micromedex. https://www.micromedexsolutions.com. Accessed November 13, 2020.
  3. Creatine. Natural medicines. https://naturalmedicines.therapeuticresearch.com. Accessed November 13, 2020.
  4. Burke DG et al. The effect of creatine and weight training on muscle creatine and performance in vegetarians. Medicine and science in sports and physical exercises. 2003;
  5. Chilibeck PD et al. Effect of creatine supplementation during resistance training on lean tissue mass and muscle strength in older adults: a meta-analysis. Open access sports medicine journal. 2017;
  6. Candow DG et al. Efficacy of creatine supplementation on muscle and bone aging: Focus on preventing falls and inflammation Journal of Clinical Medicine. 2019;
  7. McMorris T et al. Creatine supplementation and cognitive performance in the elderly. Aging, neuropsychology and knowledge. 2007:
  8. Dolan E. et al. Beyond muscle: Effects of creatine supplementation on brain creatine, cognitive processing, and traumatic brain injury. European Journal of Sports Science. 2019;
  9. Trexler ET, et al. Creatine and caffeine: Considerations for concurrent supplementation. International Journal of Sports Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism. 2015;

Text translated by Andrei Tescut


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