Creatine: Effects, Intake, and 9 Fascinating Facts

Creatine: What’s behind one of the most well-researched dietary supplements?

Creatine is often associated with bodybuilding and maximum muscle growth. However, this substance is significantly more versatile than its athletic image might suggest.

Creatine occurs naturally in the human body and is involved in short-term energy supply. The intake of creatine monohydrate in connection with short, intense exertion and strength training has been particularly well studied.

But how exactly does creatine work? Does it need to be taken before training? Is a loading phase necessary? And what does the research say about women, older people, vegans, and potential side effects?

Here you will find the most important findings from the current body of studies.

What actually is creatine?

Creatine is an endogenous substance (produced by the body) that is formed from the amino acids arginine, glycine, and methionine. A large proportion of the body's creatine is found in the skeletal muscles.

There, some creatine is stored as phosphocreatine. This system supports the body in rapidly replenishing adenosine triphosphate—ATP for short. ATP serves as an immediately usable energy carrier for the cells.

The creatine-phosphate system is therefore particularly relevant when a lot of energy is required within a short time, for example during:

• Strength training
• Sprints
• Jumps
• Rapid changes of direction
• Intensive interval sessions

Creatine does not generate direct strength itself. Simply put, it helps the body to replenish short-term available energy more quickly.

Scientifically recognized effect

The European Food Safety Authority has evaluated the relationship between creatine and physical performance.

The health claim authorized in the EU is essentially:

"Creatine increases physical performance in successive bursts of short-term, high-intensity exercise."

The positive effect is achieved with a daily intake of 3 g of creatine.

This is important: The claim does not refer generally to endurance, general fitness, or personal well-being, but specifically to repeated, short-term, and intense exertion.

9 interesting facts about creatine

1. Creatine is not a foreign substance

Creatine is produced by the human body itself. Additionally, it can be ingested through food.

Significant amounts are found primarily in meat and fish. Plant-based foods, on the other hand, contain hardly any creatine. As a result, people living a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle often have lower creatine stores on average than individuals who regularly eat animal-based foods.

This does not automatically mean that every vegan or vegetarian needs to supplement with creatine. However, studies show that baseline levels and thus, in some cases, the response to supplementation can vary between different dietary patterns.

2. Creatine monohydrate is the most well-studied form

There are numerous variants on the market, such as creatine hydrochloride, buffered creatine, creatine citrate, or creatine ethyl ester.

However, by far the most extensive scientific database exists for creatine monohydrate. To date, no other form of creatine has been able to reliably demonstrate that it is fundamentally superior to creatine monohydrate in terms of absorption, effectiveness, or safety.

An elaborate chemical name or a higher price therefore does not automatically mean that a product works better.

3. A loading phase is not absolutely necessary

A classic intake regimen often begins with a so-called loading phase: in which about 20 g of creatine are taken daily for five to seven days, divided into several portions.

This approach can increase creatine stores relatively quickly. However, it is not strictly required.

A continuous intake of approximately 3 g per day can also increase the stores. The buildup simply takes longer and can take several weeks.

For long-term use, a constant daily dose is therefore usually the more straightforward option.

4. The timing of intake is less important than consistency

Does creatine have to be taken before training? Or directly after?

Current research provides no compelling evidence that any specific time is clearly superior for everyone. The decisive factor is primarily that creatine is consumed regularly and that the body's stores remain filled in the long term.

Creatine can therefore be used according to your personal daily routine, e.g.:

• In water or juice in the morning
• In your breakfast shake
• Before or after training
• With a meal on training-free days

Creatine does not act as a short-term training booster taken only minutes before exercise. The effect is much more related to the increased creatine stores maintained over a longer period.

5. Creatine alone does not build muscle

Creatine is often referred to as a muscle-building product. However, this phrasing is an oversimplification.

The powder does not trigger an independent muscle-building process. The decisive training stimulus still comes from regular resistance or strength training.

However, creatine can help provide physical performance during short-term intense exertion. As a result, it may be possible to perform more repetitions, handle higher loads, or achieve a greater overall training performance.

A meta-analysis concluded that creatine combined with resistance training was associated with a greater increase in lean body mass than resistance training alone. On average, the additional difference was about 1.1 kg. Lean body mass, however, is not to be equated with pure muscle mass, as it also includes body water, among other things.

6. An initial weight gain can be caused by water

Some people notice a slight weight gain while taking it. This does not automatically mean that body fat has been gained.

Particularly with higher doses or a loading phase, more water can be stored in the muscle cells. This can be noticeable on the scale.

Based on current research, creatine does not generally make the body look "bloated." The water retention occurs primarily in connection with the muscles.

How pronounced the effect is varies from person to person.

7. Creatine is also interesting for women

Creatine is still predominantly marketed as a dietary supplement for men. From a physiological perspective, there is no fundamental reason for this.

Women also possess the creatine-phosphate system and can use creatine during intense physical exertion. However, women have long been significantly underrepresented in creatine research.

A recent systematic review of active women evaluates the existing results as fundamentally interesting, but points to a small and very inconsistent database. Differences in training type, dosage, cycle phase, and study design make clear conclusions difficult.

A separate systematic investigation found no significantly increased general risk of adverse effects from creatine monohydrate in women.

For marketing texts, therefore, creatine should be positioned neither as a purely male product nor with unproven, female-specific promises.

8. For people over 55, there is a separate authorized claim

In addition to the well-known performance claim, there is another authorized point:

"In adults over 55 years of age, daily intake of creatine can improve the effect of resistance training on muscle strength."

The positive effect is achieved with a daily intake of 3 g of creatine in combination with regular resistance training.

Meta-analyses also indicate that, in older adults, creatine combined with strength training can have additional effects on strength and lean body mass. However, supplementation does not replace training.

This point also makes creatine interesting for active people who are no longer in the classic young fitness target group.

9. Creatine is also being researched in connection with the brain

Creatine is not only found in muscles. The brain also requires continuous energy and has its own creatine-phosphate system.

In recent years, there has been increasing research into whether creatine can influence certain areas of mental performance.

A meta-analysis from 2024 found potential positive effects on individual cognitive areas such as memory, attention, and processing speed. However, the authors emphasized that larger and methodologically stronger studies are required.

Other scientific evaluations assess the data much more cautiously and do not yet consider the theoretically expected cognitive benefits to be sufficiently confirmed.

Interesting results have been observed, among others, in:

• vegetarians,
• older adults,
• people under high mental stress,
• and people with sleep deprivation.

Individual studies have found, for example, improvements in certain memory tasks in vegetarian test subjects or cognitive performance under sleep deprivation.

What is special about PureRaw Creatine Monohydrate

For PureRaw Creatine, we use the branded raw material Qura Creatine®.

A daily portion provides:

• 3 g of creatine
• 99.95% high-purity creatine monohydrate
• finely micronized powder with 200 mesh
• neutral taste
• approximately 73 daily portions per bag

Each batch is tested by independent, accredited third-party laboratories. It is traceable by batch via the QR code on the packaging and linked to the corresponding test data.

The testing program also includes an anti-doping analysis according to the requirements of the Cologne List.

Order PureRaw Creatine

Conclusion: Why creatine is not a short-term trend

Creatine is not a short-term trend and not a product relevant only to bodybuilders.

It is an endogenous substance whose role in short-term energy supply is well described. Research on physical performance during repeated, short, and intense exertion, as well as the combination of creatine and resistance training, is particularly robust.

At the same time, creatine is now also being researched in connection with older adults, women, plant-based nutrition, and the brain's energy supply. Some results are promising, while others are not yet definitive.

For daily use, three points are crucial:

• an appropriate dosage
• regular intake
• traceable product quality

Sources and further reading

1. Kreider RB et al. 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, 2017.
2. Antonio J et al. Common questions and misconceptions about creatine supplementation: what does the scientific evidence really show? Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 2021.
3. EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies. Creatine and physical performance during short-term, high-intensity exercise.
4. Forbes SC et al. Effect of creatine supplementation during resistance training on lean tissue mass and muscular strength in older adults: a meta-analysis. Open Access Journal of Sports Medicine, 2017.
5. Devries MC, Phillips SM. Creatine supplementation during resistance training in older adults: a meta-analysis. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 2014.
6. Delpino FM et al. Influence of age, sex, and type of exercise on the efficacy of creatine supplementation on lean body mass. Nutrition, 2022.
7. Kaviani M et al. Benefits of creatine supplementation for vegetarians compared to omnivorous athletes. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2020.
8. Xu C et al. The effects of creatine supplementation on cognitive function in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in Nutrition, 2024.
9. McMorris T et al. Creatine supplementation research fails to support the theoretical basis for an effect on cognition. Behavioural Brain Research, 2024.
10. Rae C et al. Oral creatine monohydrate supplementation improves brain performance: a double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over trial. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 2003.
11. Gualano B et al. Does long-term creatine supplementation impair kidney function in resistance-trained individuals consuming a high-protein diet? Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 2013.
12. van der Merwe J et al. Three weeks of creatine monohydrate supplementation affects dihydrotestosterone to testosterone ratio in college-aged rugby players. Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine, 2009.