This short card is being folded into the full guide, which carries the dated trial and guideline sources: read the full evidence guide.
Creatine
Also known as: Creatine Monohydrate
Creatine monohydrate: a meta-analysis found added lean mass and strength with resistance training in older adults. Bone trials found no benefit.
Mechanism of Action
Raises creatine stores in muscle. Most human trial evidence is for muscle with resistance training; bone and other outcomes have fewer, mostly null trials.
Doses and timing reported in studies
Context, not a recommendation. Study links for this card are still being added, so check the original trials and talk to your doctor before you take anything, especially with medicines or health conditions.
Range used in trials
5 g/day (Preen 2003; a 2025 12-week hair RCT); 3 g/day (a 2-year bone RCT in postmenopausal women)
Timing used in trials
Not specified in the cited trials
Stacks Well With
Evidence grade
Moderate
Goals
Rubric
How evidence grades work
A grade summarises the strength of the human evidence for a compound or device category. It is not a score, it is not a rating of any brand, and it changes when new studies land.
- Strong
- Several randomised controlled trials or meta-analyses in people agree on direction, the effect is large enough to matter for the stated outcome, and safety is established over long use.
- Moderate
- Some human trials, but small, short, or mixed. Plausible benefit, with limited long-term safety data.
- Emerging
- Mostly animal or mechanism studies, or very small human studies. Interesting, not yet enough to act on.
- Weak
- Little or contradictory evidence, no benefit shown, or a safety concern outweighs the evidence.