Creatine is a widely-researched supplement known for its potential benefits in sports and exercise performance.

Benefits and Uses

1. Exercise Performance: Creatine is commonly used to enhance athletic performance, particularly in high-intensity, short-duration exercises such as weightlifting and sprinting¹²³. It helps increase muscle strength, power, and overall exercise capacity⁴.
2. Muscle Mass: Supplementing with creatine can promote improvements in muscle mass. This is especially beneficial for those engaged in resistance training⁵.
3. Recovery: Creatine may aid in faster recovery between bouts of intense exercise by mitigating muscle damage and promoting the quicker recovery of force-production potential⁴.
4. Aging: Older adults may benefit from creatine supplementation, as it can improve muscle strength and combat age-related muscle loss (sarcopenia) when combined with exercise⁵.
5. Cognitive Function: Emerging research suggests that creatine may have potential benefits for cognitive function, especially in aging populations or during periods of stress, possibly by supporting brain energy levels⁶.

Usage and Safety

• Dosage: Typical supplementation involves an initial "loading phase" of around 20 grams per day for 5-7 days, followed by a maintenance dose of 3-5 grams per day⁷.
• Safety: Short-term creatine use is generally considered safe with minimal adverse effects. The long-term safety is still under investigation, though current literature suggests it is well-tolerated in various populations⁶⁸.
• Regulation: Creatine use is permitted by major sports governing bodies including the International Olympic Committee and National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)².

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Footnotes

1. Creatine: MedlinePlus Supplements ↩

2. Mayo Clinic: Creatine ↩ ↩²

3. International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: safety and efficacy of creatine supplementation in exercise, sport, and medicine ↩

4. Creatine for Exercise and Sports Performance, with Recovery Considerations for Healthy Populations ↩ ↩²

5. Creatine in Health and Disease ↩ ↩²

6. Creatine Use in Sports ↩ ↩²

7. Creatine supplementation with specific view to exercise/sports performance: an update ↩

8. Effects of creatine supplementation on cognitive function of healthy individuals: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials ↩