Recommended Daily Creatine Intake
For healthy adults engaged in high-intensity strength or sprint training, the evidence-based maintenance dose is 3-5 g/day of creatine monohydrate taken as a single daily dose. 1, 2
Standard Dosing Protocol
Loading Phase (Optional)
- 20 g/day divided into four equal doses (5 g each) for 5-7 days to rapidly saturate muscle creatine stores 1, 2
- This loading phase is not mandatory—lower doses of 2-5 g/day for 28 days can achieve similar muscle saturation while avoiding the 1-2 kg weight gain associated with loading 1
Maintenance Phase (Required)
- 3-5 g/day as a single daily dose for the duration of supplementation 1, 2
- This maintenance dosing sustains muscle creatine stores once saturation is achieved 1
- Daily consumption is essential because muscle creatine levels return to baseline approximately 4-6 weeks after stopping supplementation 1, 2
Optimization Strategy
Consume creatine with approximately 50 g of mixed protein and carbohydrate to enhance muscle uptake via insulin-stimulated transport 2
Safety Considerations
The British Journal of Sports Medicine guidelines establish that 3 g/day is unlikely to pose safety concerns in healthy adults (excluding pregnant and breastfeeding women) 3. Multiple competent authorities have reached this same conclusion 3.
Expected Effects
- 1-2 kg body mass increase during loading phase due to intracellular water retention 1, 2
- No negative health effects when following appropriate protocols at recommended doses 1
Dosing Boundaries
- Recreational athletes on protein-poor diets: Less than 2.5-3 g/day 4
- Athletes in high-intensity training: Maximum 5-6 g/day for less than two weeks under medical supervision 4
- Doses exceeding 6 g/day: Should be considered therapeutic intervention and prescribed only by physicians for specific deficiency states or severe stress/injury 4
Critical Caveat
Creatine monohydrate is the only form with extensive safety and efficacy data—other forms like creatine ethyl ester have not demonstrated added benefits 5. Some alternative forms (creatine orotate, creatine phosphate, magnesium creatine chelate) raise specific safety concerns 3.