What’s all the hype on Creatine: Who Uses It, Why and What the Research Says

Creatine is not a new product, yet why all the resurgence of interest?

Firstly, creatine is a naturally occurring compound your body synthesises from amino acids (primarily in the liver, kidneys, and pancreas) and stores mainly in skeletal muscle as phosphocreatine a high-energy reservoir that helps rapidly regenerate Adenosine Triphosphate, the molecule cells use for energy during short bursts of intense activity.

It’s also found in meat and seafood, though supplementing makes it far easier to raise muscle creatine stores than diet alone (Australian Sports Commission, 2023).

Creatine monohydrate is the most common and well-supported form of supplemental creatine (Australian Sports Commission, 2023).

Why People Use Creatine

Let’s have a look at this one by groups using Creatine as now a great deal of science has been able to show benefits for just above everyone!

Young Adults & Athletes

Primary use: Improve performance in short-duration, high-intensity exercise (e.g., weightlifting, sprints, team sports). Creatine increases phosphocreatine stores, allowing muscles to regenerate ATP faster during repeated bouts of effort, which can translate into more reps, higher power, and greater strength gains when combined with training (Branch, 2003).

Body composition: Many athletes report increases in lean body mass over weeks of training, partly due to increased training volume and cellular hydration effects (Branch, 2003).

Middle-Aged Adults

Performance + metabolism: Benefits continue for resistance exercise and may help maintain muscle as part of ageing, especially when combined with strength training (Candow & Chilibeck, 2008).

Cognitive factors: Emerging research suggests creatine may support aspects of cognitive performance and recovery under stress, though optimal brain-targeted dosing is not fully established.

Older Adults

Functional strength & sarcopenia: Meta-analyses show that creatine supplementation with resistance training can augment gains in lean mass and strength compared with training alone in older adults, helping counter age-related muscle loss (Devries & Phillips, 2014).

Quality of life: By maintaining muscle and potentially reducing fall risk, creatine can be a tool in strategies aimed at preserving independence in ageing populations.

Other Groups

Vegetarians / low dietary creatine intake: People who consume little meat tend to have lower baseline creatine stores and may show more pronounced responses to supplementation (Kreider et al., 2017).

Clinical and neurological interests: There is growing interest in creatine for metabolic support in neurological conditions or during sleep deprivation, this is a watch this space as research is ongoing. Blog content – Pennie Creatine

What Doses Are Best for What Outcomes?

I’m often asked, what dose should I be taking, an on the one of these days, when getting my creatine from a local sup store, I overheard a conversation that concerned me a little. Well a lot!!

An elderly and first-time user was asking, what is the best way to take it and how much should I take? Expecting a let’s start at 5g and build you up, NO he went straight into 20g a day and you will be ok – yes I did say hello and do you mind me saying a couple of things, subsequently lets thank that little store interaction for this table!

Swipe table to view more info.

Goal	Typical Dose Range	Expected Effect	Notes/Comments
Muscle / Performance (standard)	3–5 g/day	Increased muscle creatine stores, improved high-intensity performance	Most evidence supports this as the effective maintenance dose (Australian Sports Commission, 2023)
Loading phase (optional)	~20 g/day (0.3 g/kg/day) for 5–7 days	Faster saturation of muscle creatine stores	Followed by 3–5 g/day to maintain stores (Australian Sports Commission, 2023)
Extended maintenance	3–10 g/day	Maintains stores, may benefit larger individuals or specific outcomes	Some evidence suggests those with high muscle mass may need the upper end (Buford et al., 2007)
Older adults (relative dosing)	0.10–0.14 g/kg/day (~7–10 g for ~70 kg)	Improved strength/lean mass with training	A relative strategy may be beneficial in ageing populations (Candow & Chilibeck, 2008)
Brain / cognitive research	Up to 20-30 g/day in acute protocols	Rapid increases in blood and brain creatine in controlled settings	Experimental; not standard clinical recommendations (Avgerinos et al., 2018) and ideally start slow and work with the GP at this early stage of introduction.

For most adults focused on performance or muscle maintenance, 5 g/day of creatine monohydrate is the consensus evidence-based maintenance dose (Australian Sports Commission, 2023).

Blood Creatinine Considerations

• Supplemental creatine naturally converts into creatinine, a waste product measured in routine blood tests.
• Laboratory kidney function estimates use serum creatinine as a proxy, so supplementation can raise creatinine levels without indicating kidney damage (Gualano et al., 2012).

Key GP Considerations:

• Elevated creatinine from supplementation reflects increased supply and turnover, not impaired filtration.
• More specific kidney markers (e.g., cystatin-C) may better assess renal function than creatinine alone.
• Creatine does not appear to cause clinically meaningful kidney damage in healthy adults at standard doses (Poortmans & Francaux, 2000).

Clinical statement:

Elevated serum creatinine from supplementation can be misinterpreted as renal impairment. Upon ceasing supplementation, creatinine levels often return to baseline as turnover normalises. This may be warranted by your GP, so please if you are taking high doses and/or have any health concerns monitor with your GP.

Tips to Improve Creatine Absorption

Carbohydrate or protein co-ingestion: Boosts muscle creatine storage via insulin-mediated uptake (Green et al., 1996). So have your supplement with a meal.

Consistency over timing: Daily ingestion, even on non-training days, improves saturation.
Hydration: Creatine draws water into muscle cells; maintaining hydration supports function and reduces GI discomfort.

Safety Notes

Generally safe: Most research indicates 3–5 g/day of creatine monohydrate is well tolerated in healthy adults (Kreider et al., 2017).
Potential GI symptoms: Dosing above standard amounts (>10 g at once) may cause bloating or GI upset.

Who should seek GP guidance: People with existing kidney disease, pregnant or breastfeeding individuals, and those on medications affecting renal function.

References

1. Australian Sports Commission. (2023). Creatine. https://www.ausport.gov.au/ais/nutrition/supplements/group_a/performance-supplements2/creatine
2. Avgerinos, K.I., Spyrou, N., Bougioukas, K.I., & Kapogiannis, D. (2018). Effects of creatine supplementation on cognitive function of healthy individuals: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Experimental Gerontology, 108, 166–173.
3. Branch, J.D. (2003). Effect of creatine supplementation on body composition and performance: a meta-analysis. International Sports Nutrition Review Journal, 2(1), 81–96.
4. Buford, T.W., Kreider, R.B., Stout, J.R., et al. (2007). International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: creatine supplementation and exercise. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 4(6).
5. Candow, D.G., & Chilibeck, P.D. (2008). Timing of creatine or protein supplementation and resistance training in the elderly. Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, 33(1), 184–190.
6. Devries, M.C., & Phillips, S.M. (2014). Creatine supplementation during resistance training in older adults—a meta-analysis. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 46(6), 1194–1203.
7. Gualano, B., Rawson, E.S., Candow, D.G., & Chilibeck, P.D. (2012). Creatine supplementation in the aging population: effects on skeletal muscle, bone and brain. Amino Acids, 43(2), 519–529.
8. Green, A.L., Hultman, E., Macdonald, I.A., Sewell, D.A., & Greenhaff, P.L. (1996). Carbohydrate ingestion augments skeletal muscle creatine accumulation during creatine supplementation in humans. American Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology and Metabolism, 271(5), E821–E826.
9. Kreider, R.B., Kalman, D.S., Antonio, J., et al. (2017). International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: safety and efficacy of creatine supplementation in exercise, sport, and medicine. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 14(18).
10. Poortmans, J.R., & Francaux, M. (2000). Long-term oral creatine supplementation does not impair renal function in healthy athletes. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 32(5), 1101–1109.