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Ct9.5
Creatine Research
Likely helps
549 peer-reviewed studies
What the evidence says
Likely helps
Creatine appears to help in 16 of 20 studies with measurable effects — the evidence leans clearly favourable.
Most evidence is from high-quality meta-analyses and randomised trials published 1979–2026 with a typical study size of 60 participants.
Based on 549 studies · 55 meta-analyses · 446 RCTs · 26,218 total participants
Confidence
High confidence
What the studies found
16helped3unclear1didn't help· 529 more without graded effect data
Endurance & exercise performanceIncreases power output and repeated-sprint performance · 2-4 weeks
Likely helps72 studies
Therapeutic & clinical
Probably helps69 studies
Lean body mass & muscle growth5-15% strength gains · 2-4 weeks
Likely helps64 studies
RecoveryFaster muscle recovery · 1-2 weeks
Mostly mechanism / observational35 studies
Cognitive functionImproves working memory and cognitive performance, especially under stress · 4-8 weeks
Likely helps34 studies
Safety profile
Likely helps23 studies
By the numbers
Pulled from 51 studies with measurable effects
Likely real effects
65%
across studies
People studied
26k
typical study: 60 people
Strongest designs
501
55 pooled, 446 randomised
Showed benefit
80%
16/20 studies
How long studies ran
1–4 weeks
3
1–3 months
2
3+ months
4
Populations Studied
General population5
Older adults4
women across reproductive stages1
Healthy individuals, with greater benefits in older adults (66-76 years)1
Steady research
140 studies in the last 5 years · Latest meta-analysis: 2026
197920022026
1muscle mass and bone healthMeta-Analysisn=763 · large study2026
In plain English: Current evidence does not support robust additive effects of nutritional supplementation on muscle mass or bone health when combined with exercise in women across reproductive stages.
Chen KH et al. · International journal of medical sciences (2026)
No clear effect
← WorseNo effectBetter →
Could be chance
The combined intervention showed no significant effects on muscle mass measures: skeletal muscle mass (g=0.065, 95% CI: -0.353 to 0.482, p=0.762), appendicular lean mass (g=0.197, 95% CI: -0.177 to 0.571, p=0.302), or fat-free mass (g=0.069, 95% CI: -0.110 to 0.249, p=0.447).
Significant improvements occurred in bench press (g=0.279, 95% CI: 0.008 to 0.550, p=0.043) and handgrip strength (g=0.412, 95% CI: 0.039 to 0.786, p=0.031).
No significant effects emerged for bone mineral content (g=0.195, 95% CI: -0.281 to 0.671, p=0.421) or bone mineral density (g=0.087, 95% CI: -0.129 to 0.303, p=0.430).
In plain English: More well-powered trials in underrepresented groups, particularly women and older adults, are needed to clarify population-specific responses.
Kazeminasab F, Kerchi AB, Sharafifard F, Zarreh M, Forbes SC, Camera DM, Lanhers C, Wong A, Nordvall M, Bagheri R, Dutheil F. · Nutrients (2025)
Weighted mean differences (WMDs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using random-effects modeling.
Additionally, creatine supplementation combined with exercise training revealed no significant differences in handgrip strength [WMD = 4.26 kg, p = 0.10] and leg press strength [WMD = 3.129 kg, p = 0.11], when compared with the placebo.
Furthermore, subgroup analysis based on age revealed significant increases in bench and chest press [WMD = 1.81 kg, p = 0.002], leg press [WMD = 8.30 kg, p = 0.004], and squat strength [WMD = 6.46 kg, p = 0.001] for younger adults but not for older adults.
In plain English: In postmenopausal women, creatine, particularly ≥ 5 g·day⁻¹ with RT, yields small but meaningful gains in lean mass and strength without evidence of harm.
Naddafha S et al. · Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition (2026)
Lean mass (k = 5; n = 338) favored creatine: mean difference (MD) + 0.37 kg (95% CI + 0.05 to + 0.69; I² = 25%; τ² = 0.01; 95% PI -0.10 to + 0.84).
Leg-press 1RM (k = 3; n = 111) improved with creatine: MD + 7.5 kg (95% CI + 2.2 to + 12.8; I² = 0%).
In postmenopausal women, creatine, particularly ≥ 5 g·day⁻¹ with RT, yields small but meaningful gains in lean mass and strength without evidence of harm.