From the Guidelines
Creatine supplements have several benefits, including improving high-intensity repeated sprint performance, enhancing training capacity and chronic training adaptations, and potentially supporting brain function.
Benefits of Creatine Supplements
- Improves high-intensity repeated sprint performance, as evidenced by the UEFA expert group statement on nutrition in elite football 1
- Enhances training capacity and chronic training adaptations, such as increasing muscle strength and power and lean body mass 1
- May also support brain function, although the exact mechanisms and benefits are not fully understood 1
- Increases muscle creatine stores, leading to increased resynthesis of phosphocreatine, which is essential for high-intensity, short-duration activities 1
Important Considerations
- Potential for 1-2 kg body mass increase after creatine loading, which may be a concern for some athletes 1
- Individual response to creatine supplements may vary, and they should be trialled and monitored in training before being used in competition 1
- The evidence for creatine supplements is stronger than for other performance supplements, such as β-alanine and nitrate 1
From the Research
Benefits of Creatine Supplementation
The benefits of taking creatine monohydrate supplements include:
- Improved high-intensity exercise performance leading to greater training adaptations 2
- Enhanced post-exercise recovery, injury prevention, thermoregulation, rehabilitation, and concussion and/or spinal cord neuroprotection 2
- Potential benefits in preventing and/or reducing the severity of injury, enhancing rehabilitation from injuries, and helping athletes tolerate heavy training loads 2
- Improved muscle mass, performance, and recovery in athletes and exercising individuals 3
- Beneficial effects in older and patient populations, including improved physical and cognitive performance 3, 4
- Potential therapeutic benefits in various clinical populations, such as:
- Neurodegenerative diseases (e.g., muscular dystrophy, Parkinson's, Huntington's disease) 2, 4, 5
- Diabetes, including improved glucose metabolism and insulin sensitivity 6
- Osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia, aging, brain and heart ischemia, adolescent depression, and pregnancy 2
- Muscle wasting in conditions such as sarcopenia and cachexia 4
- Cardiovascular diseases, including improved exercise capacity 4
- Chronic fatigue syndrome, including enhanced energy metabolism 4
- Traumatic brain injury, including promoted brain energy metabolism and reduced neuronal damage 4
Safety and Tolerability
Creatine supplementation is generally considered safe and well-tolerated in healthy individuals and in a number of patient populations, with recommended dosages of 3-5 g/day or 0.1 g/kg of body mass/day 2, 3. However, it is essential to follow proper dosing to minimize potential adverse effects that may arise from chronic ingestion of excessively high doses 4.