Creatine: Research · Nutrient Desk

Can it add to strength training?

In a 2021 meta-analysis, 16 randomized trials with 509 participants contributed to the lean-tissue analysis in older adults. Creatine plus resistance training produced an average 1.32 kg greater gain than training plus placebo, with a statistical uncertainty range, the 95% confidence interval, of 0.93–1.72 kg. Chest-press and leg-press strength also improved across the relevant trials. 1

The comparison matters: participants trained in both groups. The result measures the extra contribution of creatine within that program, not what a supplement alone would achieve. Several review authors disclosed creatine-industry advisory, funding or other relationships. 1

Strength TrainingSupported

Creatine can increase gains from resistance training, including in older adults. The evidence supports an addition to training, with variation between people and protocols. 1

Will it help on a long run?

A 2023 meta-analysis of 13 studies found no improvement in endurance performance in trained participants. The pooled effect was small and statistically compatible with no benefit. 2

A separate narrative review asks a narrower question: could extra phosphocreatine help repeated surges or a finishing sprint within an endurance event? It describes some favorable results but mixed time-trial findings. This sport-specific possibility should not be presented as improved steady endurance. 3

Endurance and staminaNot supported

The pooled trials did not show better overall endurance performance in trained people; surges and finishing sprints remain a more specific research question. 2 3

Does it prevent sore muscles?

Two 2021 reviews tell a more cautious story than recovery advertising. One pooled nine studies and found lower creatine kinase, a blood marker released after muscle damage, but substantial variation between trials. Another review of 13 studies and 278 participants found no improvement in strength recovery, soreness, range of motion or inflammation at the tested follow-up times. 4 5

Muscle RecoveryMixed

Some blood-marker findings favor creatine, but they have not translated consistently into less soreness or faster functional recovery. 4 5

Why are researchers studying memory?

The brain also uses creatine in its energy metabolism, and supplementation can raise brain creatine stores. That supplies a biological reason to test memory, rather than assuming a muscle supplement must improve thinking. 6

A review included ten randomized trials in healthy people, eight of them in the pooled analysis. It found a small overall memory benefit, with a standardized effect of 0.29, but substantial variation between studies. The signal was stronger in adults aged 66–76; the younger subgroup, aged 11–31, did not improve. Different memory tests and risk-of-bias concerns limit the precision of the conclusion. 6

Mental EnergyToo little evidence

Memory-test results keep the brain-energy hypothesis worth investigating. They do not establish a treatment for everyday mental exhaustion. 6

Brain FogToo little evidence

The reviewed trials measured memory in healthy participants, not a clearly defined brain-fog condition. 6