Creatine

monohydrate · HCl · buffered

A compound your body makes and stores in muscle to regenerate ATP during short, intense effort. The most-studied sports supplement in existence — which makes it a good showcase for why grades are per claim, not per compound.

last reviewed 2026-08-30

by draft — unverified

GRADE

CLAIM

SPECIES

EFFECT

STUDIES

muscle mass & strength with resistance training — grade A, moderate effect (human-rct)

Chilibeck et al. (2017)

species humandesign meta-analysis of 22 RCTsn 721duration 7–52 weeksdose 3–5 g/day + resistance trainingfunding not-declaredoutcome lean tissue mass, upper/lower-body strength

Older adults gained ~1.4 kg more lean mass with creatine than with resistance training alone. Consistent direction across trials.

Lanhers et al. (2017)

species humandesign meta-analysis of RCTsn 266duration 4–12 weeksdose 2–25 g/dayfunding publicoutcome upper-limb maximal strength

Strength gains replicated across independent labs and populations; the companion 2015 analysis found the same for lower-limb strength.

Branch (2003)

species humandesign meta-analysis of 100 studiesn 1847duration mixeddose mostly 20 g load then 2–5 g/dayfunding not-declaredoutcome body composition & performance effect sizes

Early quantitative summary; effect sizes largest for short, repeated high-intensity work and lean body mass.

cognition in healthy adults — grade C, unclear effect (human-rct)

Avgerinos et al. (2018)

species humandesign systematic review of 6 RCTsn 281duration 5 days – 6 weeksdose 5–20 g/dayfunding publicoutcome memory, reasoning, reaction-time test batteries

Short-term memory and intelligence/reasoning may improve; other domains inconsistent. Trials are small and short — this is why the grade is C despite the hype.

Rae et al. (2003)

species humandesign RCT, double-blind crossovern 45duration 6 weeksdose 5 g/dayfunding publicoutcome working memory & processing speed in vegetarians

Positive — but in vegetarians, who start with low creatine stores. Doesn't generalise to omnivores without more data.

depression, as an adjunct to SSRIs — grade C, small effect (human-rct)

Lyoo et al. (2012)

species humandesign RCT, double-blindn 52duration 8 weeksdose 5 g/day + escitalopramfunding publicoutcome depression rating scale (HDRS)

Faster and larger symptom improvement in women with major depression. One trial, one population — needs replication before this moves.

bone mineral density in older adults — grade E, negligible effect (human-rct)

Chilibeck et al. (2023)

species humandesign RCT, double-blind, 2-yearn 237duration 104 weeksdose 0.14 g/kg/day + exercisefunding publicoutcome DXA bone mineral density, postmenopausal women

The long, well-powered trial the field was waiting for: no effect on bone density. Earlier small positive signals didn't replicate.

Grade timeline

2026-05

bone mineral density in older adults: C → E

Two-year RCT in 237 postmenopausal women found no effect on bone density, overriding earlier small mixed trials.

Dosing & safety

TYPICAL SUPPLEMENT DOSE3–5 g/day (monohydrate)

DOSES USED IN STUDIES3–5 g/day maintenance; 20 g/day short loading phases

UPPER LIMITnone established

SAFETY NOTE Expect 1–2 kg of water-weight gain in the first weeks. People with kidney disease should talk to their doctor before supplementing.

COST SNAPSHOT

€0.05/g cheapest per gram of active · Creatine monohydrate

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