Of all the food supplements available, creatine is perhaps the one with the most fervent fan base. Long appreciated by athletes looking for a training boost, creatine has been recognized for its action on compression. perimenopausal mood swings, control blood sugar and maybe even help recovery after a concussion.
But what does science say? It’s important to note that creatine is a dietary supplement and is not regulated in the same way as medications, which must go through rounds of clinical trials before being approved for sale by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. And the nutritional supplement market is notoriously full of exaggerated claims and false advertising.
However, when it comes to creatine, experts say there is strong evidence to support this supplement.
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Creatine is generally considered safe and, unlike many supplements, has been studied for decades, particularly for its role in increasing strength and power in athletics, says Katherine Basbaum, a registered dietitian at the University of Virginia Health. In recent years, some studies have suggested that creatine may also support brain and muscle health as we age.
But it’s far from a “silver bullet,” warns Bonnie Jortberg, professor of family medicine at the University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine. “You’re not going to start taking creatine and suddenly feel like a new person.”
To help sort the science from the hype, Scientific American I spoke with health and nutrition experts about how creatine works and who might benefit most from it.
What effect does creatine have on your body?
Creatine is a natural compound that your body produces and uses for energy, Basbaum explains. It is composed of three amino acids: arginine, glycine and methionine. You can also get creatine from your diet, by eating foods such as seafood and meat, or by taking a supplement, such as creatine monohydrate.
Once ingested, creatine is converted into a compound called creatine phosphate (also known as phosphocreatine), which helps deliver adenosine triphosphate, or ATP, to your muscles. “Your brain and muscles need energy,” says Basbaum. Creatine helps provide a fast-acting and immediately available source of ATP. This is why creatine can help athletes: more energy ready to go means more power in the gym and potentially more muscle growth.
Is creatine approved by the FDA?
Creatine monohydrate is the most studied form of creatine. Yet the FDA does not evaluate and approve dietary supplements the same way it does medications. Instead, the agency designated creatine monohydrate as a “generally recognized as safe” (GRAS) substance.
Decades of clinical evidence support this designation. A Analysis 2025 over 650 studies found that creatine had no significant side effects compared to placebo. “The safety profile of creatines is very good,” says Richard Kreider, first author of this paper and director of the Exercise and Sports Nutrition Laboratory at Texas A&M University.
Creatine is also one of the most popular sports supplements in the world, and the number of adverse events associated with creatine in international registries is “very minimal,” Kreider says: About 0.0007 percent of adverse event reports mention creatine, according to his team’s analysis.
“Over the last 30 years, billions of servings, literally billions of servings, have been supplied as dietary supplements. This is nothing new,” he says. (Kreider led industry-sponsored creatine research and served as an advisor to dietary supplement manufacturers.)
What do we know – or don’t know – about creatine?
Overall, the strongest and most comprehensive evidence for creatine is as an “ergogenic aid” to support athletic performance, Basbaum says.
Research shows This can help you lift slightly heavier weights at the gym, for example, perform a few extra reps, or help your muscles recover more quickly afterward.
More recent evidence suggests that creatine may also help us stay healthy as we age. “What began as a supplement aimed at athletes and performance has grown over the last 20 to 25 years into a supplement that clinical trials demonstrate is effective in a number of therapeutic interventions,” says Kreider.
The most promising of these avenues is “active aging,” he says. As we age, our muscles tend to weaken. Research suggests Creatine, when combined with resistance training, can help maintain strength and muscle mass and prevent falls and injuries such as hip fractures in older populations, says Kreider.
Creatine might also be helpful during perimenopause and menopause, when women may be experiencing tougher times. develop and maintain your musclessaid Basbaum.
There is also preliminary evidence to suggest that creatine may help support brain cognition for women at this time of life, possibly by providing more ATP to brain cells, says Jortberg.
“These are limited studies, but I think they are promising. [Findings suggest] that creatine may be beneficial – ‘maybe’ is the key word here – when it comes to mental cognition,” adds Jortberg.
To improve sports performance, the International Society of Sports Nutrition recommended People take about three to five grams of creatine monohydrate per day. For faster results, some athletes might start with a “loading” period of about 0.3 grams per kilogram of creatine monohydrate for five to seven days, the organization says.
But the exact amount will vary depending on your body’s needs.
Is there anyone who should not take creatine?
Experts were divided on this question. Creatine is generally considered safe, but Jortberg says kidney problems could interfere with your body’s ability to process the supplement.
“People who may have a kidney problem or impaired kidney function should definitely not take a creatine supplement,” she says.
Kreider, on the other hand, says these fears are exaggerated. “The fact is that there is no evidence that creatine has any adverse effects on kidney function, even in patients with kidney disease,” he says.
However, experts Scientific American The person I spoke to agreed that if you want to take creatine, it’s best to consult a doctor first.
“Anytime you’re taking a dietary supplement of any kind, it goes without saying that it’s a good idea to check with your health care provider,” says Basbaum, “creatine or otherwise.”
