Creatine is a widely researched supplement known primarily for its benefits in enhancing exercise performance and training adaptations.

Benefits of Creatine Supplementation

1. Increase in Muscle Phosphocreatine (PCr) Stores:

   • Short-term supplementation increases muscle creatine and phosphocreatine stores by 10-40%¹²³.

2. Enhanced Strength and Power:

   • Improves maximal power and strength by 5-15%, which enhances performance in short-duration, high-intensity exercises¹²⁴.

3. Improved Exercise Performance:

   • Enhances work performed during repeated sprint performance by 5-15%, and single-effort sprint performance by 1-5%¹².

4. Increased Muscle Mass and Training Adaptations:

   • When combined with resistance training, creatine promotes greater gains in strength, fat-free mass, and muscle morphology⁴⁵⁶.

5. Faster Recovery:

   • Reduces muscle damage and speeds up recovery time between bouts of intense exercise⁶⁷.

6. Potential Cognitive Benefits:

   • Research suggests creatine supplementation may have effects beyond muscle, potentially influencing brain creatine, cognitive processing, and mitigating effects of traumatic brain injury⁸⁹.

7. Sarcopenia and Muscular Atrophy:

   • Creatine may help combat muscle loss (sarcopenia) in the elderly⁹¹⁰.

Safety and Efficacy

• Well-Studied Ergogenic Aid:
  • Creatine monohydrate is one of the most studied and supported ergogenic aids, shown to have minimal to no side effects in various populations, including athletes, recreational performers, and the elderly⁷¹¹.
• Accepted as Safe:
  • Despite concerns regarding long-term safety and varied population responses, short-term usage is widely regarded as safe⁵¹¹.

Footnotes

1. Richard B. Kreider, "Effects of creatine supplementation on performance and training adaptations," PubMed ↩ ↩² ↩³

2. Benjamin Wax, "Creatine for Exercise and Sports Performance, with Recovery Considerations for Healthy Populations," NCBI ↩ ↩² ↩³

3. Robert Cooper, "Creatine supplementation with specific view to exercise/sports performance: an update," NCBI ↩

4. Richard B. Kreider, "Creatine in Health and Disease," NCBI ↩ ↩²

5. Richard B. Kreider, "International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: safety and efficacy of creatine supplementation in exercise, sport, and medicine," NCBI ↩ ↩²

6. Shih-Hao Wu, "Creatine Supplementation for Muscle Growth," NCBI ↩ ↩²

7. Scott C. Forbes, "Creatine supplementation and endurance performance," NCBI ↩ ↩²

8. E. Dolan et al., "Beyond muscle: The effects of creatine supplementation on brain creatine, cognitive processing, and traumatic brain injury," PubMed ↩

9. E. Dolan et al., "Muscular Atrophy and Sarcopenia in the Elderly: Is There a Role for Creatine Supplementation?" NCBI ↩ ↩²

10. A. Stares et al., "The Additive Effects of Creatine Supplementation and Exercise Training in an Aging Population," PubMed ↩

11. T.W. Buford et al., "Creatine supplementation and exercise," PMC ↩ ↩²