Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last couple of years, you’ll likely have come across content extolling the virtues of creatine. This naturally occurring compound which is abundant in our muscle cells, has risen to fame due to its supposedly powerful performance-enhancing effects. In fact, creatine is also rumoured to be beneficial the body with positive effects on even brain health. As ever, how much of this is factual vs marketing hype. In this article, we’re going to explore the science behind creatine’s benefits and how it works. We’ll also review its safety and best ways to use creatine.
What is Creatine & How Does it Work?
Creatine is an organic molecule that is mainly in the liver, kidneys and pancreas from the amino acids glycine, arginine and methionine. Whilst the body naturally makes some creatine, you can also get it through dietary sources such as red meat, poultry and fish. Around 95% of creatine is stored in muscles as phosphocreatine. The phosphocreatine helps regenerate ATP rapidly to enable muscles to maintain high levels of intensity and effort. As such, creatine serves as an essential source of energy and is the primary fuel for short bursts of energy like lifting weights or sprinting.
Although it was first identified in the 19th century, interest in creatine didn’t surge until the 1990s. This was after elite athletes began using creatine supplements for performance. Today, it’s one of the most studied supplements in sports and health. There’s evidence to support a variety of roles including improving energy production, muscle recovery and even cognitive performance.
Benefits of Creatine
These days, the appeal of creatine extends beyond boosting sports performance. To date, research supports the following key creatine benefits:
- Exercise Performance: Creatine supplementation increases phosphocreatine stores in muscle which allows quicker ATP regeneration. This results into greater strength, higher power output and enhanced muscular endurance. Studies have shown improvements in exercise performance of up to 15% especially in resistance training, sprinting, and other anaerobic efforts.
- Cognitive Function & Brain Health: There’s also evidence that creatine supports cellular energy balance in the brain. Research suggests it may enhance working memory, reduce mental fatigue and support cognitive performance under stress or sleep deprivation. There’s also emerging evidence that creatine may have possible neuroprotective effects in conditions like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease.
- Muscle Growth: Creatine promotes muscle muscle growth not only by enabling higher training volumes but also through direct effects on the cells. It increases water content inside the cells which creates an environment that supports muscle protein synthesis and recovery. Over time, users may see improvements in muscle size and lean body mass.
- Longevity: In older adults, research shows that creatine supplementation can help preserve muscle mass, strength and possibly bone density. It may also improve mitochondrial efficiency and support cellular energy production. These effects collectively boost vitality and reduce age-related physical decline. These anti-ageing effects are most noticeable when creatine is paired with resistance training.
Who is Creatine Beneficial for?
The benefits of creatine can vary from person to person as there are a number of things that affect its effectiveness. The key factors that determine whether creatine is beneficial include:
- Responders vs. Non-Responders: Approximately 20-30% of people are creatine “non-responders”. They experience little or no benefits to creatine supplements. We don’t yet know the reasons for this but it may be due to genetic factors, dietary habits, baseline muscle creatine levels or the type and intensity of exercise performed.
- Age Considerations: Younger individuals typically experience quicker more noticeable improvements compared to older adults. However, consistent supplementation can still provide substantial benefits across all age groups.
- Dietary Pattern: Vegetarians and vegans usually have lower baseline creatine stores. As such they may experience more pronounced benefits from supplementation.
- Training Status: People engaging in regular high-intensity or resistance training are more likely to see significant improvements than those with lower activity levels.
How to Use Creatine Effectively
Although the body makes some creatine, you can also get it through dietary sources like red meat, poultry and fish. However, the typical omnivorous diet only provides about 1–2 grams per day. This is significantly less than the 3–5 grams per day of creatine typically used in research studies for maintenance. It also falls well below the 20 grams per day studies use over a short loading phase to boost benefits. This is where creatine supplementation becomes useful in particular for vegetarians or people with higher physical or cognitive demands. For optimal results, these are the top tips for using creatine effectively:
- Loading Phase (optional): Consume 20g/day (split into four 5g doses) for the first 5-7 days to quickly elevate muscle creatine stores.
- Maintenance Phase: Regularly take 3-5g/day after the loading phase to sustain elevated creatine stores. Males and larger athletes may need up to 5-10g/day.
- Hydration: Maintain ample water intake to reduce potential side effects which can include digestive discomfort. Hydration also ensures effective creatine distribution within muscles.
Although creatine is widely available, please remember that quality control is vital. Look for products tested by reputable third-party laboratories to ensure purity and efficacy.
When Will I See Creatine Benefits?
Obviously everyone is different and creatine response depends on a number of factors. These include whether you follow a loading phase, your baseline creatine levels (often lower in vegetarians), your training intensity, age and even genetics. Lifestyle factors such as sleep quality, hydration and overall nutrition also play important roles. However as a general rule, the below are average guidelines for how long it may take to start seeing benefits of creatine supplements:
- Physical Performance: Initial improvements, such as strength and power, can be observed within 5-7 days, particularly if employing a loading phase. Maximum benefits are generally realised after 3-4 weeks of consistent supplementation.
- Cognitive Enhancement: Cognitive benefits may take slightly longer. They are usually noticeable within 4-6 weeks of consistent creatine supplementation.
- Longevity & Healthy Ageing: Benefits related to muscle preservation, bone density and functional capacity in older adults take longest. They tend to appear after several months of consistent use.
Safety and Limitations of Creatine
Creatine supplementation is widely regarded as safe when appropriately used. It is also widely available and relatively inexpensive. But there are a few potential side effects with the most common risks including:
- Temporary water retention which can cause minor weight gain
- Occasional digestive discomfort (this is rare and usually dose-dependent)
- A small percentage of users may see minimal benefit
Although there are plenty of promising research studies regarding the beneficial actions of creatine, more long-term studies are needed to confirm its safety profile and dispel controversies (e.g. whether it can cause hair loss). Until then caution is necessary especially in the following groups:
- People with pre-existing kidney or liver conditions should consult a healthcare professional prior to supplementation.
- It is best to avoid during pregnancy and breastfeeding as the effects on the developing embryo and babies has not been sufficiently studied in humans.
Creatine supplementation has a number of beneficial actions on the body. These range from enhanced athletic performance to cognitive improvement and potential anti-ageing effects. Although responses may vary from person to person, most healthy people can safely and effectively use creatine. As with everything, ensure that you use it correctly and consistently. Also remember, the best results come from combining creatine with resistance training.
At City Skin Clinic, we provide personalised skin, hair and beard treatments. Our doctors treat a range of conditions such as acne, hyperpigmentation, melasma, skin ageing and hair loss. We use prescription-strength ingredients like Tretinoin, Hydroquinone, Minoxidil, Finasetride and Dutasteride where appropriate. To start your personalised treatment plan, book a virtual video consultation or use our online consultation form. The journey towards great skin (and hair) starts here.
