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Ct9.5
Creatine Research
Likely helps
556 peer-reviewed studies
What the evidence says
Likely helps
Creatine appears to help in 5 of 7 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 45 participants.
Based on 556 studies · 55 meta-analyses · 451 RCTs · 1,406 total participants
Confidence
High confidence
What the studies found
5helped1unclear1didn't help· 549 more without graded effect data
Endurance & exercise performanceIncreases power output and repeated-sprint performance · 2-4 weeks
Mixed evidence73 studies
Therapeutic & clinical
Too few graded studies69 studies
Lean body mass & muscle growth5-15% strength gains · 2-4 weeks
Too few graded studies67 studies
RecoveryFaster muscle recovery · 1-2 weeks
Too few graded studies36 studies
Cognitive functionImproves working memory and cognitive performance, especially under stress · 4-8 weeks
Too few graded studies34 studies
Safety profile
Too few graded studies25 studies
By the numbers
Pulled from 51 studies with measurable effects
Likely real effects
83%
across studies
People studied
1,406
typical study: 45 people
Strongest designs
506
55 pooled, 451 randomised
Showed benefit
71%
5/7 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
147 studies in the last 5 years · Latest meta-analysis: 2026
197920022026
1muscle mass and bone healthMeta-Analysis2026
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)
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: This meta-analysis indicates that creatine supplementation, especially when combined with resistance training, significantly improves strength in key compound lifts such as the bench or chest press and squat, as well as muscular power, but effects are not uniform across all measures.
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.