Creatine
What it is & what research shows
Study example availableCreatine is studied as a supplement that increases muscle creatine availability. A randomized trial measured muscle creatine accumulation alongside changes in performance and muscle morphology during resistance training. Human research includes strength and body-composition outcomes, not only cognition. A small trial in trained men favored creatine with heavy resistance training; a separate trial in older men found no additional training benefit. Results need to be interpreted within each population and protocol. [1.1][1.2]
One selected study: A double-blind crossover trial tested a single creatine dose during sleep deprivation, using cognitive tests and brain spectroscopy. Fifteen healthy adults aged 20–28, tested under creatine and placebo conditions. One oral dose of creatine monohydrate, 0.35 g/kg, versus placebo on separate nights during 21 hours of wakefulness. Creatine improved word-memory performance and processing speed on several tasks versus placebo, alongside changes in brain energy metabolites. Effects were assessed over the same night. Small, acute sleep-deprivation experiment. It does not establish the same benefit in well-rested people or justify replacing sleep with creatine. [2.1]
Sources & reading scope
- [1.1] Volek et al., creatine and resistance training (1999)Primary trial abstract · 19 trained men, 12 weeks
- [1.2] Cooke et al., creatine after exercise in older men (2014)Primary trial abstract · 20 men aged 55–70, 12 weeks
- [2.1] Single dose creatine improves cognitive performance and induces changes in cerebral high energy phosphates during sleep deprivation.Human · Supplied full text summarized
Evidence summarized on PED Evidence
6 completed summaries
6 human-study reports
4 randomized-trial candidates
0 safety-topic reports
More about Creatine: identity, safety & reference details
Also known as Creatine monohydrate
Start with the research
An outcome-specific synthesis has not been prepared for this compound. This is a coverage gap, not evidence that it has no effect.
Open studies and trial records- Uses & research
Human research includes strength and body-composition outcomes, not only cognition. A small trial in trained men favored creatine with heavy resistance training; a separate trial in older men found no additional training benefit. Results need to be interpreted within each population and protocol. [1][2]
- Known half-life
No source-verified value in this profile yet. A treatment schedule or duration of an effect is not a drug half-life.
Half-life describes how quickly the measured drug concentration falls by half. It does not set a dosing interval.- Evidence & important limits
The 1999 trial randomized 19 resistance-trained men for 12 weeks; the 2014 trial randomized 20 men aged 55–70 for 12 weeks. These selected studies do not represent a systematic review, establish a benefit for everyone, or settle long-term safety. A sleep-deprivation cognition study answers a different question from a resistance-training trial. [1][2]
Safety & evidence boundaries
The 1999 trial randomized 19 resistance-trained men for 12 weeks; the 2014 trial randomized 20 men aged 55–70 for 12 weeks. These selected studies do not represent a systematic review, establish a benefit for everyone, or settle long-term safety. A sleep-deprivation cognition study answers a different question from a resistance-training trial.
Explore safety questions by system
These are literature filters, not claims that this compound causes each effect. A keyword match is not a confirmed adverse reaction.
Identity, names & formulations
Canonical compound: Creatine · creatine
Searchable names: Creatine monohydrate
Names share a parent research page. Different esters, salts, routes and brands are not assumed to have the same half-life, indication or exposure.
Combination evidence stays attached to the studied combination. It is not automatically assigned to each ingredient.
Understand the evidence types
Read the model and design first, then the population, outcome and limitations. These categories describe evidence, not a best-compound ranking.
- Randomized human trials
- Compare assigned interventions. Randomization does not by itself establish low bias or relevance to every population.
- Controlled human studies
- Use a comparison group; allocation and confounding still matter.
- Prospective human research
- Follows participants forward. It may be observational or interventional, so this is not a separate quality grade.
- Observational human research
- Describes associations. Confounding can explain differences.
- Case reports and series
- Useful for unusual events and safety signals, not reliable rates or effect sizes.
- Animal research
- Can test biology and function in a living model. Human exposure, benefit and safety remain separate questions.
- Cell and tissue research
- Tests responses in a preparation, including human-derived cells. It is not a human participant trial.
- Mechanistic and computational evidence
- Helps explain or predict a pathway; predictions need experimental and clinical testing.
- Anecdotal reports
- Self-reported experiences can generate questions. Product identity, selection bias and other interventions may be uncontrolled.
Systematic reviews synthesize studies and depend on their quality. Preprint status and abstract versus full-paper reading are separate labels. Citation popularity measures attention, not reliability. A study summary is not a formal quality appraisal.
Sources for this profile
- 1. Volek et al., creatine and resistance training (1999) Primary trial abstract · 19 trained men, 12 weeks
- 2. Cooke et al., creatine after exercise in older men (2014) Primary trial abstract · 20 men aged 55–70, 12 weeks
Reference facts checked 2026-09-29. Source scope is listed above; this is not a formal quality appraisal. See each label for full prescribing information.
Study model describes the source. Confidence depends on methods, replication, population and outcome.
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Creatine study summaries
Human-first reading order. Intervention candidates are distinguished from background mentions in the library.
- Does creatine cause hair loss? A 12-week randomized controlled trial. · Human · 2025-04-23
- The Effect of Prior Creatine Intake for 28 Days on Accelerated Recovery from Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage: A Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial. · Human · 2024-03-20
- The effects of creatine supplementation on cognitive performance-a randomised controlled study. · Human · 2023-11-15
- A 2-yr Randomized Controlled Trial on Creatine Supplementation during Exercise for Postmenopausal Bone Health. · Human · 2023-05-05
- Single dose creatine improves cognitive performance and induces changes in cerebral high energy phosphates during sleep deprivation. · Human · 2024-02-28
- Creatine supplementation augments the increase in satellite cell and myonuclei number in human skeletal muscle induced by strength training. · Human · 2006-03-31