Should You Be Taking Creatine? Here's What The Science Says

Of each nan dietary supplements retired there, creatine is possibly nan 1 pinch nan astir fervent instrumentality base. Long a favourite among athletes looking for a workout boost, creatine has been credited pinch tamping down perimenopausal temper swings, controlling humor sugar and possibly moreover helping betterment from concussions.

But what does nan subject say? It’s important to statement that creatine is simply a dietary supplement, and it is not regulated successful nan aforesaid measurement arsenic medications, which request to spell done rounds of objective tests to summation support for waste by nan U.S. Food and Drug Administration. And nan nutrition supplement marketplace is notoriously rife pinch overblown claims and mendacious advertising.

When it comes to creatine, however, experts opportunity location is immoderate coagulated grounds backing nan supplement up.

On supporting subject journalism

If you're enjoying this article, see supporting our award-winning publicity by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to guarantee nan early of impactful stories astir nan discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.

Creatine is mostly considered safe, and dissimilar galore supplements, it has been studied for decades, peculiarly for its domiciled successful boosting spot and powerfulness successful athletics, says Katherine Basbaum, a registered dietitian astatine nan University of Virginia Health. In much caller years, immoderate studies person suggested that creatine whitethorn support encephalon and musculus wellness arsenic we age, too.

But it’s acold from a “magic bullet,” cautions Bonnie Jortberg, a professor of family medicine astatine nan University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine. “You’re not going to commencement taking creatine, past each of a abrupt consciousness for illustration a caller person.”

To thief benignant nan subject from nan hype, Scientific American said pinch wellness and nutrition experts astir really creatine useful and who mightiness use nan astir from taking it.

What does creatine do to your body?

Creatine is simply a earthy compound that your assemblage produces and uses for energy, Basbaum explains. It’s made utilizing 3 amino acids—arginine, glycine and methionine. You tin besides get creatine from your diet, by eating foods specified arsenic seafood and meats, aliases by taking a supplement, specified arsenic creatine monohydrate.

Once ingested, creatine gets converted into a compound called creatine phosphate (also known arsenic phosphocreatine), which helps proviso adenosine triphosphate, aliases ATP, to your muscles. “Your encephalon and your muscles request energy,” Basbaum says. Creatine helps supply a rapid-acting and instantly disposable root of ATP. That’s why creatine tin thief athletes: much ready-to-use power intends much powerfulness successful nan gym and perchance much musculus growth.

Is creatine FDA-approved?

Creatine monohydrate is nan most-studied shape of creatine. Still, nan FDA doesn’t measure and o.k. dietary supplements successful nan aforesaid measurement arsenic for drugs. Rather, nan agency has designated creatine monohydrate arsenic a “Generally Recognized arsenic Safe” (GRAS) substance.

Decades of objective grounds backmost that nickname up. A 2025 analysis of much than 650 studies recovered creatine has nary important broadside effects compared pinch placebo. “The information floor plan connected creatines is very good,” says Richard Kreider, nan first writer connected that insubstantial and head of nan Exercise & Sport Nutrition Lab astatine Texas A&M University.

Creatine is besides among nan astir celebrated sports supplements successful nan world, and nan tally of adverse events associated pinch creatine successful world registries is “very tiny,” Kreider says—around 0.0007 percent of adverse arena reports mentioned creatine, his team’s study found.

“There person now been, complete nan past 30 years, billions of servings, virtually billions of servings, provided successful dietary supplements. This is not new,” he says. (Kreider has conducted industry-sponsored creatine research and has served arsenic an advisor for dietary supplement makers.)

What do we know—or not know—about creatine?

Overall, nan strongest and astir extended grounds for creatine is arsenic an “ergogenic aid” to support diversion performance, Basbaum says.

Research shows it whitethorn thief you assistance somewhat heavier weights astatine nan gym, for instance, aliases push retired a fewer much repetitions aliases thief your muscles retrieve faster afterward.

More caller grounds suggests creatine whitethorn thief america enactment patient arsenic we age, too. “What had started arsenic a supplement for athletes and capacity has now blossomed complete nan past 20 to 25 years into a supplement that objective tests are showing efficacy successful a number of therapeutic interventions,” Kreider says.

The astir promising of these avenues is “active aging,” he says. As we get older, our muscles thin to get weaker. Research suggests creatine, erstwhile mixed pinch guidance training, whitethorn thief support spot and musculus wide and forestall falls and injuries specified arsenic hep fractures successful older populations, Kreider says.

Creatine could besides beryllium adjuvant during perimenopause and menopause, erstwhile women whitethorn person a harder clip building and maintaining muscle, Basbaum says.

There is besides preliminary grounds to propose creatine whitethorn thief support encephalon cognition for women during this clip of life, perchance by supplying much ATP to encephalon cells, Jortberg says.

“These are constricted studies, but I deliberation they’re promising. [Findings suggest] that creatine whitethorn beryllium beneficial—‘may be’ is nan keyword there—when it comes to intelligence cognition,” Jortberg adds.

To amended diversion performance, nan International Society of Sports Nutrition recommends group return astir 3 to 5 grams of creatine monohydrate per day. For much accelerated results, immoderate athletes mightiness commencement pinch a “loading” play of astir 0.3 gram per kilogram of creatine monohydrate for 5 to 7 days, nan statement says.

But nan nonstop magnitude will alteration based connected your body’s needs.

Is location anyone who shouldn’t return creatine?

Experts were divided connected this question. Creatine is mostly considered safe, but Jortberg says that kidney problems could interfere pinch your body’s expertise to process nan supplement.

“People who mightiness person immoderate benignant of a kidney rumor aliases immoderate benignant of compromised kidney usability should perfectly not beryllium taking a creatine supplement,” she says.

Kreider, connected nan different hand, argues that those fears are overblown. “The truth is that there’s nary grounds that creatine causes immoderate adverse effect to kidney function, moreover successful patients pinch kidney disease,” he says.

Still, nan experts Scientific American said to agreed that if you’re willing successful taking creatine, it’s champion to consult a expert first.

“Anytime you return a dietary supplement of immoderate kind, it goes without saying that it’s bully to cheque pinch your wellness attraction provider,” Basbaum says, “creatine aliases otherwise.”