Eight studies, encompassing a total of 185 participants, assessed the potential effects of creatine supplementation on processing speed time. Four studies, encompassing a total of 104 participants, assessed the potential effects of creatine supplementation on processing speed scores. Twenty-four studies, encompassing a total of 1,000 participants, assessed the potential effects of creatine supplementation on memory function. Eight studies, encompassing a total of 211 participants, assessed the potential effects of creatine supplementation on attention time. Four studies, encompassing a total of 128 participants, assessed the potential effects of creatine supplementation on attention scores. It dissolves into water, and your muscle fibres soak up that solution, making them bigger and stronger, as well as improving their ability to grow even bigger (study). That extra work stimulates extra muscle growth (meta-analysis). Supplementing with creatine allows you to produce more ATP, giving your muscles more fuel, thus allowing you to pump out an extra rep or two. The second tells us how much extra muscle mass we can expect. There are two big meta-analyses looking at how creatine affects muscle growth. However, if you are sensitive or want to avoid stimulants, this may not be the supplement for you. So, with that in mind, please take a moment to sit back, relax, and read on to learn about the next pre-workout to get you jacked. That said, we’ve highlighted the inclusion of both creatine and caffeine in our picks for informational purposes. Consider consulting with a nutritionist to tailor your creatine intake to your specific needs. As you embark on your fitness journey, prioritize quality and transparency in your supplement choices. They have also been able to enhance their muscle growth, achieve a trimmed body, and experience fast recovery. Contrary to popular belief, creatine does not cause dehydration or kidney problems in healthy individuals, if you have pre-existing kidney disease. While creatine is generally considered safe, “it’s important for you to be aware of potential side effects such as bloating or stomach discomfort, especially if you take too much at once. The study results also show that taurien can enhance performance and decrease muscular fatigue. Based on these limited observations, further work is warranted in the possible use of creatine in the treatment of GAD and PTSD. Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is the second most common mental health disorder in Canada, with a reported prevalence of 2.57% , while an estimated 70% of the population has experienced a traumatic event in their lifetime and 33% will experience three or more such events , which could lead to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, more larger-scale randomized control trials are warranted, and they should include measurements of brain creatine and dietary measures to better understand habitual dietary intake of creatine on the response to such an intervention. In skeletal muscle, both creatine and PCr are degraded non-enzymatically to creatinine, which is exported to the blood and excreted in the urine . Similarly, males and females ingesting creatine (0.03 g/kg/day for six weeks) experienced no significant increase in TBW . Thus, an increase in the body's creatine content could theoretically result in increased water retention. Creatine monohydrate supplementation is used in numerous sports to enhance an athlete’s performance by improving lean muscle mass. Other studies have found that creatine was increased in muscle before exercise compared to not exercising. Daily doses of creatine, with high intensity exercise, have been found to result in a greater increase in lean muscle mass. The many benefits of creatine include overall improved athletic performance, muscle gain, and increased strength, power, and speed. BioPerine is known to increase the absorption of compounds like creatine and HMB. The supplement features strength and power-enhancing ingredients to help you train harder than before. It also features clinically proven ingredients and results are noticeable within 48 hours which is pretty a very short time compared to alternative supplements. Blackwood Pre-Workout is a supplement designed to help boost and fuel your workout without jitters. Meat and fish, specifically beef, pork, salmon, and herring, contain about half a gram of creatine per three-ounce serving. Creatine is a natural supplement as it is consumed in the average human diet. However, research has also supported creatine increasing endurance for anaerobic activities lasting 10 seconds to 2 minutes, as well as increasing power outputs in phases of longer endurance events. The muscles use PCr as one way to replenish ATP availability, since the muscle cells have limited capacity to store ATP. Creatine is not a protein or an amino acid, but is formed from two amino acids (glycine and arginine) and classified as a nitrogenous organic acid. Collectively, while creatine supplementation can lead to a transient rise in creatinine due to increased muscle mass and creatine turnover, it does not impair kidney function or cause structural damage to the nephron. Additionally, creatine supplementation has been shown to provide potential protective effects in certain clinical contexts, such as improving muscle mass and energy metabolism in hemodialysis patients , although these applications require more robust clinical evidence. After supplementation and training, individuals supplementing with creatine (independent of the timing of ingestion) experienced similar increases in lean mass (assessed by DXA) and muscle strength (leg press and chest press; assessed by one-repetition maximum protocol). Results showed that pre- and post-exercise creatine supplementation resulted in similar increases in elbow flexor and knee extensor muscle thickness (assessed by ultrasound) and strength (assessed by 1-repetition maximum protocol) over time. To work out the CKD–EPI equation, the authors took data from 8,254 participants of 10 studies (development set), 3,896 subjects from 16 studies (validation set) and, 16,032 individuals from NHANES (National Health and Nutritional Survey) for prevalence.With this combo of ingredients, you’ll be energized and prepped to maximize your performance in your workout and build strength.However, due to the limited number of studies and their inherent heterogeneity, these results warrant cautious interpretation.MuscleTech is owned by Iovate Health Sciences in Ontario, Canada, which is the same company that owns popular supplement companies Six Star Pro Nutrition, StrongGirl, and Hydroxycut, among others.The authors concluded that creatine supplementation may serve as a useful dietary intervention to improve fibromyalgia patients’ muscle function.Animal models have also been employed to investigate the effects of creatine supplementation on traumatic brain injury.R.B.K. has conducted industry-sponsored research on creatine through grants awarded to the univesities he has been affiliated, received financial support for presenting invited lectures at conferences about sports nutrition and creatine, and has served as an expert witness throughout his career on cases related to exercise, dietary supplements, and safety.Of those participants who had a reason for their guess, solubility was the most common, followed by negative side effects and positive side effects. Supercharged Muscle & Strength Matrix This creatine supplement has a robust nutritional content, but it doesn't have the most creatine on the list. Additionally, there are 150 mg of caffeine in this creatine preworkout powder. Because of this, those who live a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle may have lower creatinine levels in the body. If your main goal is adding muscle mass, you'll like Bare Performance Nutrition Creatine Monohydrate. Future studies should address the effect of muscle wasting on the true SCr concentration. Due to the correlation between SCr levels and muscle mass, SCr in the steady state has been used as a surrogate of muscle mass measurements. Recently, it was suggested that a persistent elevation in urea might reflect increased production from muscle catabolism, amino acid liberation, and metabolism. While individuals with defects in creatine synthesis can be treated with exogenous creatine, no treatment exists for individuals with deficits in the creatine transporter 67–69. Creatine can also function to buffer the pH changes that occur due to the accumulation of lactate and hydrogen ions by using the hydrogen ions in the creatine kinase reaction 65,66. As phosphocreatine levels decline due to the re-phosphorylation of ADP, phosphofructokinase production is stimulated, thereby increasing the rate of glycolysis . However, some work has suggested that creatine may move across the jejunum by paracellular movement . Comparison of creatine supplementation before versus after supervised resistance training in healthy older adults. In conclusion, the current investigation examined the impact of 8 weeks of timed creatine monohydrate supplementation (pre-exercise vs. post-exercise) on resistance training adaptations in college-aged male and female athletes. In this respect, a loading phase is commonly employed with creatine monohydrate supplementation studies, with the goal of robustly increasing intramuscular phosphocreatine levels by 20–40% in a 5–7-day time period (39). From these studies, one should consider that the Candow study (14) was completed in elderly individuals, which limits its generalizability to younger, athletic populations and the primary population upon which the efficacy of creatine supplementation has been built. Beyond this observation, we also reported significant improvements in several body composition and performance variables, which provide sound evidence that the training program and supplementation provided throughout this study instigated changes in all study participants from baseline. Skeletal muscle wasting has gained interest as a primary consequence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) due to the relationship between skeletal muscle mass, mortality and major adverse cardiovascular events in this population. ROC analysis and area under the curve (AUC) were applied for performance analyses. Sarcopenia was diagnosed according to the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People revised consensus applying dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and hand grip strength (HGS), and obesity according to the International Society for Clinical Densitometry. Our study shows that the likelihood of chronic kidney disease in the elderly and in women and the risk of adverse outcomes may be inflated by equations that use patient demographics to estimate creatinine generation. The GAA is then methylated by the enzyme guanidinoacetate N-methyltransferase (GAMT) with S-adenosyl methionine (SAMe) to form creatine . To do so, we have invited a number of top creatine scholars to contribute comprehensive reviews as well as encouraged colleagues to submit meta-analyses and original research to this special issue. Moreover, increasing availability of creatine in tissue may enhance cellular metabolism and thereby lessen the severity of injury and/or disease conditions, particularly when oxygen availability is compromised. This is because creatine plays a critical role in cellular metabolism, particularly during metabolically stressed states, and limitations in the ability to transport and/or store creatine can impair metabolism. Additionally, Jones adds that creatine supplementation may also help preserve muscle during periods of inactivity as well as with aging. Recent studies have suggested a correlation between creatine supplementation and improved short term-memory, which may be beneficial for elderly or stressed individuals, according to the study, although more research is needed. For instance, the long-term effects of creatine supplementation on various populations remain under-explored. Many studies demonstrate that chronic Cr supplementation in combination with resistance training is more effective at augmenting training workouts and increasing muscular strength and lean body mass 1,2. This study concluded that creatine supplementation combined with complex training improved maximal muscular strength and reduced muscle damage during training. Studies consistently show that creatine supplementation can increase muscle strength by 5-10% and lean muscle mass by 2-4 pounds in just a few weeks. In both instances, creatine-treated neuronal cultures were significantly protected as compared to non-creatine treated neurons. Andres et al. examined the ability of creatine to protect dopaminergic neurons from a variety of insults including serum and glucose starvation, 1-methyl-4-phenyl pyridinium ion (MPP+) and 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA). In vitro test systems have also demonstrated the effectiveness of creatine in a variety of culture systems 174–176. This meta-analysis aims to provide comprehensive evidence regarding the effects of creatine supplementation on cognitive performance, identifying cognitive domains that may benefit most from this intervention. This study aims to systematically evaluate the effects of creatine supplementation on cognitive function in adults through meta-analysis, with a particular focus on memory, executive function, attention, and processing speed. Acute creatine supplementation (seven days) had no effect on fat mass in young and older adults; however, fat-free mass increased.” “Research shows creatine supplementation helps muscle performance throughout a number of activities including soccer training, weight training, plyometric training, and even canoe training,” says Duru. Factors that determine the cost of a creatine supplement include brand, creatine form, ingredients and servings. Best for creatine purity Creatine is one supplement which has been researched for years and verified for its effectiveness and safety (We can’t say the same for every supplement out there). Willoughby D, Rosene J. Effects of oral creatine and resistance training on myosin heavy chain expression. Creatine supplementation, sleep deprivation, cortisol, melatonin and behavior. Ngelhardt M, Neumann G, Berbalk A, Reuter I. Creatine supplementation in endurance sports. Several studies evaluated the effects of creatine supplementation on a variety of systemic inflammatory mediators after an acute bout of various types of exercise in humans 29,30,32,37. The results showed no effect of creatine supplementation on attenuating the skeletal muscle protein levels of TNF-α, IL-1β, or NF-κB (determined with immunoblotting) increases when compared to saline control . Since the seminal study by Harris et al. in 1992 , research investigating the multi-factorial effects of creatine supplementation has substantially increased. From a musculoskeletal perspective, there is some evidence to show that creatine supplementation reduces measures of muscle protein catabolism (primarily in males) and bone resorption when combined with resistance training. Recently, evidence suggested that post-exercise supplementation can increase muscle mass, but not strength, to a superior magnitude, when compared to pre-exercise Cr supplementation. All of the creatine supplements we tested and recommend below are made up of creatine monohydrate, and many are also micronised. Aside from protein powder, the best creatine supplements are one of the only supplements that science backs to help you improve your fitness. Creatine supplements can be an effective way to tap into more power during explosive exercise, while also building strength and size. 'This has been shown to increase muscle creatine content faster but in my experience, can lead to gastric side effects in some individuals. Electronic supplementary material Preen D, Dawson B, Goodman C, et al. Effect of creatine loading on long-term sprint exercise performance and metabolism. Mujika I, Padilla S, Ibanez J, et al. Creatine supplementation and sprint performance in soccer players. Creatine supplementation and swimming performance. Creatine supplementation enhances intermittent work performance. High-performance capillary electrophoresis-pure creatine monohydrate reduces blood lipids in men and women. 🏋️♂️ Built for IntensityUSN Createst is made for high-speed, high-intensity training. That means you’re not just building strength — you’re supporting hormone balance, recovery, and serious size. USN Createst ReviewWant serious gains and next-level performance? High-impact performanceFast-absorbing formulaGreat value with 80 servings Sheer Strength Labs Sheer Creatine It’s great for muscle gain without dairy. It has 25 grams of protein per scoop from peas. If you want protein without carbs, this is your guy. It has 25 grams of protein per scoop and no carbs at all. But it has less protein than some, and it might feel too sweet. If we apply more traditional effect sizes (Sullivan and Feinn, 2012), these strength improvements still remain small. Is creatine effective in older adults? PCr also acts as a spatial energy buffer shuttling intracellular energy between mitochondria and sites of cellular ATP utilization (Kreider et al., 2017; Gualano et al., 2016). Most creatine is stored intramuscularly as phosphocreatine (PCr) (Candow et al., 2014). Creatine is a nitrogenous organic acid abundant in metabolically active muscle, heart and brain tissue. This opinion letter was endorsed by leading creatine scholars (Table 1). Restricting the availability of creatine to children and adolescents may put them at risk for injury or compromise recovery following injury or disease management for neurocognitive disorders. While adverse event reports do not imply causality, the lack of reports worldwide supports findings from clinical trials that creatine is safe for individuals of all ages. Anthony O’Reilly, GGR performance editor and a certified nutrition coach, rates the Serious Mass Vanilla flavor a 3.5 out of 5 because the 9 grams of added sugar was too much even for his sweet tooth.A similar increase in strength and lean muscle mass was seen in the Pre-Supp and Post-Supp groups.For example, creatine phosphate has been reported to be as effective as CM at improving LBM and strength, yet this has only been reported in one study.With improved focus and increased energy, you can maximize your workouts and develop your strength and endurance.Users report noticeable gains within weeks without dangerous health risks.But there may be a few reasons why you’d prefer to limit or avoid added creatine monohydrate in your sports nutrition routine—specifically in your pre-workout supplements.Muscle Milk is another popular protein that offers around 30 grams of protein per scoop at a price point similar to Body Fortress—and even in most of the same flavors.Whether you incorporate it into your pre-workout blend or combine it with water, this creatine truly lives up to its status as a reliable and trusted choice in the supplement industry! Pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin 6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha(TNF-α), are generally dramatically increased in bacteria sepsis 33, 34. In the saline-supplemented group of mice, 40% of the population was dead at 24 hr, andall of the mice were dead by 48 hr post-challenge with K-12. L)Representative image of NETosis neutrophils in the flow cytometry analysis. Thenumbers of live and dead mice in each group were monitored every 12 hr up to 72 hr(days 0 to +3). The benefits of this creatine monohydrate include its energy-boosting potential, sped-up recovery time, and enhanced cognitive and brain function. Things to know regarding this supplement is that it only uses creatine monohydrate as the ingredients and does not contain anything else. Klean Athlete Clean Creatine features include a gluten-free, non-GMO, vegan, and vegetarian supplement that helps with muscle mass and recovery. The side effects of creatine include the potential for digestive issues, muscle cramps, weight gain, and bloating. (1)(2) If your goal is to build muscle, we recommend choosing MRM Nutrition Creatine thanks to its research-backed dosage and non-GMO, gluten-free makeup. If you want a highly-absorbable, athlete-friendly creatine solution, Kaged can deliver. This third-party testing helps ensure athletes that the supplement facts are accurate and there are no banned substances within the makeup. “Each serving is just 750 milligrams of creatine hydrochloride, so you’d need to take up to four or five servings daily to achieve research-backed daily values,” they note. Similar to the aforementioned experiment, Hoffman et al. investigated the effects of HMB on power performance (using the Wingate anaerobic power test), indices of muscle damage, and stress in 26 collegiate football players, during a 10-day training camp. Jack et al. examined the effects of daily HMB supplementation on muscular strength (bench press, squats, and power cleans) and body composition (body weight and body fat) among elite collegiate football players who trained 20 hours per week for 4 weeks. O'Connor and Crowe investigated the effects of HMB or HMB and creatine supplementation in elite, male rugby players. The training intervention significantly increased lean body mass and total strength gains, but did not increase any of the individual lifts. Muscle disuse resulting from low physical activity is an important yet underappreciated risk factor for muscle wasting. It leads to changes in body structure and function that may influence the pharmacokinetics of drugs. Intrinsic abnormalities in non-neoplastic kidney parenchyma and comorbid conditions (including diabetes mellitus and hypertension) might increase the risks of CKD and RCC. This can lead to noticeable improvements in exercises such as weightlifting, sprinting, and other high-intensity activities. It plays a pivotal role in the production of ATP, the energy currency of cells, which is especially critical during high-intensity activities. Whether you're a seasoned athlete or just stepping into the gym, understanding the benefits of this supplement can significantly enhance your fitness routine. We also summarize various interventions that target muscle metabolism for ergogenic benefit in athletic events. Here, we provide an overview of exercise metabolism and the key regulatory mechanisms ensuring that ATP resynthesis is closely matched to the ATP demand of exercise. Soy and pea proteins which are legumes, complement grain-based proteins like brown rice. While it’s easy to get enough protein from vegan sources, it is worth noting that different plants contain different amino acids. There are different types of protein used in bars from whey and egg white to plant-based sources like soy and peanut, all of which are well absorbed. It has a lot of protein per portion so great if you are trying to bulk up. Whey protein, which is from milk, is well absorbed and contains all the essential amino acids. In line with this, we found some indication of a creatine effect for the backward digit span (BDS) but not for the less demanding forwards digit span and block-tapping tasks. A review by Dolan et al. reports that a creatine effect is more likely for more cognitively demanding tasks. However, as mentioned in the discussion section on diet, this study included a large number of tasks, so we consider this finding exploratory. There was a creatine effect only for their vegetarian participants for this task. The results of the two studies by McMorris et al. are more difficult to make sense of. Research indicates that collagen supplements, when paired with exercise, may enhance aspects of strength, muscle recovery, and body composition. Aside from protein powder, creatine—the most studied and effective performance enhancing supplement in existence—is the next-best choice to help you increase strength, power, and size, according to St. Pierre. Labrada CreaLean Powder offers a straightforward 250-gram supply of pure creatine monohydrate powder to amplify workout performance, strength gains, and lean muscle growth. In 100 gram form, it provides 32 three-gram servings of lab-tested creatine monohydrate powder shown to boost gym performance, strength, and lean muscle mass accretion. “This is ideal for creatine in my opinion, because it means you can mix it into your protein shake or smoothie or even coffee and it won’t alter the taste,” she says. Nothing too special here, as what you can expect is a big ol’ sack of 80 servings of micronized creatine monohydrate powder. The justification behind micronized creatine powder is to make the supplement more water soluble. Moreover, the supplement contains 10 grams of corosolic acid, an obscure compound that even the most experienced bodybuilders are not familiar with. One of these compounds is l-carnitine, which has been suggested to help slow muscle damage and enhance recovery after workouts by promoting muscle cell repair4. Timing of Creatine Supplementation around Exercise: A Real Concern? Additionally, creatine facilitates the differentiation of muscle and neuronal cells. Creatine is pivotal in energy metabolism of muscle and brain cells, both in physiological and in pathological conditions. Therefore, identifying the optimal regimen to increase brain Cr levels is essential for maintaining brain health and treating neurodegeneration. Collectively, creatine supplementation, alone or in combination with HMB, does not appear to be a viable strategy to consistently attenuate exercise-induced muscle damage.Research shows supplementation can increase intramuscular creatine levels by 20 to 40 percent, enhancing energy system efficiency and improving performance across multiple exercise sets.“And to be honest, I often forgot to take two just out of habit.” This means Frieda didn’t get the dose of creatine she needs to support exercise performance, so this isn’t a brand for the unaware.Kaged Muscle also makes the best supplements for drug tested athletes.The lack of significant effects may be attributed to the small sample size and limited number of studies analyzed in the meta-analysis.Creatine supplements are packed with the key ingredient creatine.Transparent Labs Gainer uses a blend of organic tapioca maltodextrin as its carbohydrate source, whey concentrate as its protein, and a blend of coconut milk powder and MCTs for its fats.Muscular strength can increase substantially and can match gains in strength made through more traditional intensive resistance training.Studies show creatine loading phases (e.g. 20 grams per day for five to seven days) can help increase muscle creatine storage by 10 to 30 percent. The majority of included publications did not clearly report baseline CKD stage for the study populations. The observed heterogeneity in the published data clearly limits the generalizability of our findings regarding the importance of albuminuria, serum creatinine, and eGFR as biomarkers for adverse renal outcomes. Such standardizations will facilitate understanding of the clinical utility of albuminuria and serum creatinine as predictive biomarkers for kidney disease progression as well as related renal and CV outcomes and mortality risk among patients with T2DM, with the risk perhaps differing among select subgroups. The 8 Best Creatine Supplements Of 2026, Tested And Reviewed By A Dietitian We included searches of ClinicalTrial.gov and ICTRP in our search strategy for identification of studies and adapted the assessment of methodological quality and risks of bias to the new Cochrane methodology. (3372) 20 (glycogen storage disease$ or glycogen storage disorder$ or fatty oxidation disorder$ or polymyositis or dermatomyositis or inclusion body myositis).mp. (37379) 16 exp muscle disease/ (306916) 17 (neuromuscular disease$ or neuromuscular disorder$ or muscular disease$ or muscular disorder$ or muscle disease$).tw. (2384) 20 (glycogen storage disease$ or glycogen storage disorder$ or fatty oxidation disorder$ or inflammatory myopath$ or polymyositis or dermatomyositis or inclusion body myositis or endocrine myopath$).mp. Also note that taking creatine with caffeine may decrease its efficacy.This included both male and female participants, suggesting no differences between sex when it comes to creatine’s impact.Another advantage to the formula is that it leads to better muscle performance and power.Each serving contains 5g of creatine monohydrate, and they recommend taking 1 serving each day.If you're hitting the gym hard, you'll appreciate the over 2 grams of leucine per scoop—a crucial amino acid that's like a boost button for muscle growth and repair. Theoretically, an increase in TCr stores may provide an ergogenic effect during high intensity exercise by enhancing the rate of ATP synthesis during contraction and by improving the rate of PCr resynthesis during recovery, which may be beneficial for repeated sprint activity. Some studies found that both resting TCr and PCr content increased (McKenna et al., 1999; Smith et al., 1999; Kurosawa et al., 2003), whereas others reported significant increases in only TCr (Greenhaff et al., 1994; Becque et al., 2000) or PCr (Smith et al., 1998; Stout et al., 2000). Therefore, PCr may contribute to the maintenance of optimal pH levels within the muscle and allows continued performance with minimal fatigue (for review see Volek and Kraemer, 1996). Theoretically, this would serve to improve the ability to produce energy during explosive, high-intensity exercise bouts and/or enhance the ability to recover from intense exercise. It’s sweetened with sucralose meaning it’s lower in sugar than some other vegan protein shakes so is a good choice if you are limiting your carb intake. It also has 20g of protein per serving with a good flavour and texture. This isn’t the cheapest vegan protein on the market but it has a range of different plant-based proteins making sure you get the range of essential amino acids. Getting a range in your diet is important and looking out for this in your protein shake is an easy way to do this. When you’re ready to buy a creatine supplement, you may be overwhelmed given the breadth of assortment across the category. Although specific creatine timing doesn’t necessarily matter, research suggests that taking creatine shortly before and/or after a workout can be beneficial. Plus, it’s available in an Unflavored profile, so you can mix it with any beverage or stack it with other supplements. Each serving of Jacked Factory’s simple creatine houses 5,000 milligrams of creatine monohydrate with no additional ingredients. There isn’t any added fluff or fillers, and it’s one of the best prices we’ve found on the market for a creatine monohydrate powder. Universal Nutrition's Animal Creatine Chews offer a highly convenient and unique way to get your daily creatine dose. “This is a solid creatine with nothing bad to say about it - it does what its meant to do. These blends are designed to support strength, endurance, and recovery in one formula. Athletes involved in endurance sports may find creatine malate beneficial. 4 Statistical Analysis And last but certainly not least, Optimum Nutrition’s creatine monohydrate capsules. To maximize the effects of CreaClear™, a loading phase is recommended and then you should follow up with a smaller dose for maintenance everyday thereafter the first week of higher dosing. With this product you also get 500mg of betaine which research has shown to increase strength and power. Furthermore, because the BBB has such low permeability for creatine into the brain, it is vital that researchers and clinicians alike can determine the optimal dosage and course required to alleviate the symptoms of mood disorders via administration of creatine monohydrate. Interestingly though, Tayoshi et al. did report that healthy male individuals exhibited slightly (yet significantly) higher concentrations of creatine than female individuals within their left basal ganglia. In addition, understanding whether such effects rely upon increasing concentrations of creatine within only the prefrontal cortex, or in other brain regions or the whole brain, would help to optimize this treatment approach. Peripheral muscle fatigue is generally viewed, as a result of insufficient energy and availability of key metabolites that enable contracting muscles to meet increased energy demand. A greater understanding of this issue could have significant implications for exercise strategy and training programme design (performance and recovery). Nowadays, the creatinine detection is carried through different spectroscopic-colorimetric methods; however, the resulting values present errors due to high interferences, delayed analysis, and poor stability. The protein comes from whey, which your body uses fast to build muscle. Cr is a potent stimulator of cellular bioenergetics, which increases the availability of high-energy phosphate in energy-demanding tissues, including the brain and muscles. This is partly because, when using the primary method for examining this organic compound in vivo (1H-MRS), researchers have often referenced their neurotransmitter of choice (quantified as neurometabolite concentrations) to creatine in order to ‘correct’ for concentrations of other transmitters/metabolites (e.g., Kumar et al. ). While many studies have used neuroimaging techniques such as positron emission tomography and 1H-magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) to examine neurotransmitter systems such as serotonin , dopamine (e.g., Howes et al., ), glutamate , and GABA , the results of these studies have not significantly aided the development of novel therapies. Utilizing a randomized double-blind design, Chetlin et al. evaluated 20 patients with CMT disease who completed a 12-week, at-home, resistance training program. Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT) is a group of inherited motor and sensory neuropathies that cause muscle atrophy and weakness in the hands and feet . With about a 200% muscle uptake increase, you should begin to see noticeable changes within a few weeks. Besides the provision of more energy, this lineup of ingredients ensures that athletes do not suffer muscle strains, pains, and cramping as frequently. The supplement contains 132 milligrams of calcium–10% equivalent of the required daily intake, and it also houses 1250 milligrams of creatine hydrochloride. Finally, the author alludes to the fact that it is not unusual for a placebo effect to be experienced by subjects taking various forms of supplementation. The author concluded that CrS may be useful in sports such as rugby league that require repeat sprint efforts and that CrS may be advantageous as an aid improving both training and performance. Improvements are most likely related to an increase in energy substrate availability and resynthesis. Using a standard ball protein shaker, for each product we followed the instructions on the pack, mixing with water, and where appropriate blending with a protein powder too. Just keep in mind that they will not exclusively just contain creatine,' adds Fleming. 'If getting your dose of creatine is the priority, then powdered or capsule forms are going to be more effective; however, if you’re prioritising taste and portability, then gummies can be a great option. 'While research on creatine gummies is still in its infancy, to avoid any discrepancies, it is recommended to go for established brands that are batch tested, rather than cheaper or well-marketed options.' Thus, the MuscleTech Creatine supplement combines both these benefits and pushes your performance to a much higher level. You can take this supplement both as a pre-workout and post-workout option. Over time, leveraging the power of creatine pre or post workout can translate to tangible progress in the gym. Muscle-building effects also gradually add lean mass over months. One theory behind an effect of age is that brain creatine levels might decrease with age. However, as the evidence for the Stroop task shows, this might be only when the tasks are made too easy for participants, so that creatine has no chance to help. In sum, for the exploratory tasks, overall the evidence does not support a creatine effect. The present study and Hammett et al. are in line with this explanation. Although more research is needed on its effects specifically in vegan populations, creatine remains a safe and beneficial ergogenic aid for vegetarians and vegans.Elevated creatinine levels suggest kidney dysfunction, prompting the need for further investigation.The outcomes we assessed were whole-body lean tissue mass, determined with dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, hydrostatic weighing, or air displacement plethysmography, and chest press and leg press muscular strength, representing global measures of upper and lower body strength, respectively.First of all, I don’t think there’s any real reason to include two kinds of creatine.Included studies must provide direct and clear descriptions of baseline and post-supplementation strength test values.This indicates that future research should employ more specific and sensitive testing methods to better evaluate the impact of creatine on attention.With its ability to enhance athletic performance, this supplement enables you to reach new heights in your workouts and maximize your results. Paul Kita is a Deputy Editor at Men's Health, where he has covered food, cooking, nutrition, supplements, grooming, tech, travel, and fatherhood at the brand for more than 15 years. And remember, when starting a new supplement, it's always a good idea to consult with a healthcare professional. These seals of approval mean the supplements have passed rigorous testing and meet the highest quality standards. It helps your muscles recover and boosts energy. Creatine supplementation can really boost your fitness goals. This boost in water helps your muscles feel fuller and gives you more energy. Approximately two-thirds (67%) of the creatine in the muscles is converted into phosphocreatine, whereas the remaining one-third (33%) is free creatine 4,7. Once in circulation, about 95% of creatine is retained in the skeletal muscles. It should be noted that raising the quantity of creatine in your muscles just through nutrition might be difficult. When these results were added together, we found that taking Cr supplements demonstrated statistically significant benefits over PLA. The current MA was based on a thorough analysis of 10 separate studies. In short, consuming creatine helps your muscles produce energy faster, and that extra energy lets you do more intense exercises, helping your muscles to grow bigger and stronger. When you consume creatine (by way of supplements or real food), it turns into creatine phosphate in your muscles. I also prefer to use a pure creatine monohydrate supplement, not one that is combined with other stuff, like stimulants, aminos, vitamins, proteins, etc. Long-term adaptations when combining CM supplementation with training include increased muscle creatine and PCr content, lean body mass, strength, sprint performance, power, rate of force development, and muscle diameter 39,54-60. For example, Vandenberghe et al. showed that creatine supplementation (20 g/day for 4 days followed by 5 g/day thereafter) during 10 weeks of resistance training significantly increased intramuscular concentrations, muscle mass and strength compared to placebo in females (19-22 yrs). When used as a dietary supplement, creatine monohydrate can increase strength, power, and muscle mass, improve recovery time between workouts, and support cognitive health and neurological performance. A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. A reference point public health policy makers Reliab. A systematic review and meta-analysis. Dietary creatine intake and depression risk among U.S. adults. Furthermore, Bian et al. (2023) provided valuable insights into the potential role of creatine as a neurotransmitter, presenting strong evidence of creatine’s presence within synaptic vesicles. There are hundreds of different protein powders available on the market today, and they all boast of their unique properties and optimized blends designed to make you a better athlete. Customers frequently report feeling more energized during workouts and experiencing noticeable improvements in their athletic performance. Many users have shared positive feedback about Sports Research Creatine Monohydrate, highlighting its effectiveness in improving strength and muscle gains. Possible side effects and safety of Muscle Feast Creatine A randomized trial of vitamin A and vitamin E supplementation for retinitis pigmentosa. RCTs or quasi-RCTs of creatine treatment compared to placebo in hereditary muscle diseases or idiopathic inflammatory myopathies. However, creatine is not stable in solution due to intramolecular cyclization that converts creatine to creatinine especially at higher temperatures and lower pH 187, 198,199,200. Creatine is a great value for supplements, after essentials such as omegas and proper nutrition. After researching the product, I have concluded that creatine use is safe for most people, but not for those with a history of kidney or liver issues or any other health issues. We consider what supplements we’ve used in the past and which ones we continue to use, recounting the various brands we’ve tried.The most studied type is the creatine monohydrate type, which is considered to be the most potent in its ability to increase muscle strength and mass.Subsequently, there was an observed reduction in brain deterioration rate when patients were supplemented with creatine and that creatine kinase is a potential biomarker for HD77.ARN Vigor Advance Creatine helps your muscles hold onto more water, enhancing their ability to perform during high-intensity workouts.Schulze, A., Mayatepek, E., Bachert, P., Marescau, B., De Deyn, P. P., and Rating, D. Therapeutic trial of arginine restriction in creatine deficiency syndrome.With no artificial sweeteners, fillers, or dyes, these tasty creatine gummies deliver 5 grams of creatine monohydrate per serving, earning a perfect 5-out-of-5 formulation score.There is evidence that high-dose creatine supplementation (e.g., ≥ 20 g/day) can yield increases in creatine levels in the brain over periods of several weeks and perhaps overcome a reduction in endogenous creatine synthesis inside the CNS , but the replenishment of the brain creatine pool is still slow and limited . Our product tester gave this treat-like supplement a sparkling score of 5 out of 5 for taste, noting, “I’m 5 million times more likely to take these gummies over any powder. For a more budget-friendly creatine chew, we recommend Animal Creatine Performance Chews. Not unpleasant by any means, just not as robust of a flavor as other supplement gummies I’ve had.” The compound increases the production rate of ATP (adenosine triphosphate) in our bodies and also supplies energy to our muscles. And it doesn't matter what time of day you take creatine but it's a good idea to take it immediately after your workout. But if you get creatine monohydrate in bulk form, you won't need to worry about it in a pre workout. It is a good idea to look for a pre workout supplement that contains creatine. What to Know Before You Take Herbal Supplements Although more research is needed to determine the extent of the clinical utility, some promising results have been reported in a number of studies suggesting that creatine supplements may have therapeutic benefit in certain patient populations. Although case studies have reported problems, these large-scale, controlled studies have shown no evidence indicating that CM supplementation in healthy individuals is a detriment to kidney functioning. In fact, Poortmans et al. have shown no detrimental effects of short- (5 days), medium- (14 days), or long-term (10 months to 5 years) CM supplementation on renal function 5,73,74. Much of the concern about CM supplementation and renal function has centered around concerns over increased serum creatinine levels. Since that time, other individual case studies have been published posing that CM supplementation caused deleterious effects on renal function 71,72. Although the effect of creatine on the musculoskeletal system has been extensively studied, less attention has been paid to its potential effects on other physiological systems. Older individuals also use creatine to prevent sarcopenia and, accordingly, may have therapeutic benefits for muscle wasting diseases. Creatine is widely used by both elite and recreational athletes as an ergogenic aid to enhance anaerobic exercise performance. Nissen et al. investigated HMB supplementation on strength and body composition in trained and untrained males undergoing intense resistance training. Several studies have found that HMB supplementation enhances LBM and indices of performance during resistance training, independent of training experience. Nissen et al. examined the effects of HMB on muscle metabolism and performance during resistance-exercise in two experiments in healthy untrained males. HMB has been extensively used as an ergogenic aid; particularly among bodybuilders and strength/power athletes, who use it to promote exercise performance and skeletal muscle hypertrophy . The leucine metabolite beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate (HMB) has been extensively used as an ergogenic aid; particularly among bodybuilders and strength/power athletes, who use it to promote exercise performance and skeletal muscle hypertrophy. With this particular creatine hydrochloride product, there may be less of a chance of bloating and stomach pain. You can pick up 75 servings of 750mg each for $20, though it’s worth noting that most people will be taking two scoops (or vegetable caps, depending on which form of the product you buy) — it recommends 1 to 2 scoops per 100 pounds of bodyweight. Each serving of Kaged Muscles Creatine C-HCl delivers 750 milligrams of creatine hydrochloride. There’s also a theory that creatine HCl absorbs more easily in the stomach, therefore we need less of it to achieve the same results. The 6 Best Cardio Machine for Weight Loss ( , As Recommended by Personal Trainers This amount is shown to be safe and effective for maintaining creatine saturation within the muscles. The recommended daily dose of creatine is a minimum of five grams per day, according to the International Society of Sports Nutrition. While you can get small amounts from food, supplementing is the most effective way to saturate your muscles. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. These findings suggest that it is highly likely that creatine ethyl ester supplementation provides little to no ergogenic advantage, by serving to only increase levels of the waste product, creatinine, which is then excreted via the kidneys. In the case described, the ingestion of the body building supplement creatine ethyl ester caused serum creatinine concentration to markedly increase. Note that patient stopped taking bodybuilding supplements at approximately 2 weeks, resulting in the decrease in serum creatinine, and the subsequent increase in eGFR. The creatine in this supplement provides energy to your muscles, allowing you to perform at your best during workouts. In 2004, researchers studied effects of creatine supplements on muscle damage especially in the experienced endurance athletes taking part in 30km race. Recently, researchers have sought to study creatine for its effects after exercise for muscle regeneration and the findings have so far been very promising. This is the only creatine monohydrate product available in capsule form, which means no need to pack loads of extra supplements after a workout, worry about mixing up the stuff etc. The supplements are usually made with a specific purpose of supplying the body with creatine that it needs to power the body for ripped muscles. The role of CK in energy management is maintenance of PCr levels to provide an immediate energy supply in the first few seconds of physical activity. The primary activity of AMPK is to phosphorylate proteins especially enzymes and by this action regulate the activity of key enzymes that operate important reactions and pathways. When activated, it in turn stimulates a range of physiological and biochemical processes and pathways that increase ATP production and at the same time switch off pathways that involve ATP consumption. In patients with AD, brain CK is profoundly inactivated by oxidation, and toxic aggregates co-reside at the Cr-rich site , suggesting that creatine metabolism is closely related to neuronal loss. Memory loss and synaptic toxicity are ultimately brought on by intracellular Ca2+ imbalance and energy deficiency brought on by Aβ42 oligomers resulting from mitochondrial dysfunction. Aβ and tau proteins have a certain relationship and work together to mediate the progression of AD . Neutrophils isolatedfrom naive mice were also treated with vehicle control (PBS) or creatine (6.7 mM). Neutrophils (5.0×105/mL) weretreated with the vehicle control (PBS) or creatine (6.7 mM) in the presence of PMA(50 nM). G) Representative histogram image of phagocytosis in the flow cytometryanalysis. Neutrophils (1.0×106/mL) were treated with the vehiclecontrol (PBS) or creatine (6.7 mM) in the presence of E. E) Representative histogram image of ROS production in the flowcytometry analysis. Human pulmonary cells exposed to 0.05 mM creatine had levels of ICAM-1 and E-selectin expression on their surface similar to untreated control cells. The down regulation of TLRs by creatine may also be a mechanism by which creatine could alter PD pathogenesis, as it has been shown that α-synuclein upregulates several TLRs (TLRs-1, 2, 3, 4, and 7), as well as MyD88, a key signaling model involved in TLR activation . Leland and colleagues (2011) demonstrated that both forms of creatine down regulate expression of TLR-2, TLR-3, TLR-4, and TLR-7 in RAW 264.7 cells, a mouse macrophage cell line . The mice also developed thickened airway smooth muscles and collagen and elastic fiber deposition along with eosinophil infiltration of the airways. Under normal circumstances (that is, in the absence of creatine treatment), this particular model of airway hyper-responsiveness was characterized by a strong Th2 response in mice with high levels of IL-4, IL-5, and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) . It works by increasing your body's phosphocreatine stores, which helps to produce more ATP (adenosine triphosphate) - the primary energy source for high-intensity exercise. For vegans, it is important to note that most commercially available creatine supplements, including creatine monohydrate, are synthesized chemically and do not come from animal sources. Creatine supplementation provides more significant increases in intramuscular creatine in vegans than in omnivores, due to lower initial levels of creatine stores. This indicates that, although individual studies show varying degrees of effect, creatine supplementation does not have a significant positive impact on overall cognitive function when considered as a whole. The meta-analysis results (Figure 3) indicate that creatine supplementation does not have a significant impact on overall cognitive function. Although preliminary research has explored the potential of creatine supplementation in enhancing cognitive function (15), existing studies are often characterized by limited sample sizes and inconsistent findings, lacking a systematic synthesis. Creatine by Psycho Pharma is a straightforward, highly effective creatine monohydrate supplement designed to boost ATP production for strength and power during workouts. The remaining 1,113 articles were reviewed with 685 clinical trials on humans identified and analyzed for reported adverse events and side effects. However, all alpha levels are reported along with the percent prevalence of each side effect to the total number of studies conducted (prevalence data) or total number of participants studied in PLA and Cr groups. Statistical analysis was performed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software (International Business Machines (IBM) Corp. The Mozdeh software uses the SentiStrength algorithm to estimate the strength of positive and negative sentiment in text using a manually curated list of over 3000 terms and term stems (SentiStrength’s lexicon) and a set of extra rules . We conducted a supervised machine learning analysis called sentiment analysis to detect and classify subjective content. The extent to which blood flow increases during and after exercise is influenced by factors such as the duration, type, intensity, and volume of exercise. Logic would suggest that it is likely reflective of an increased muscle uptake although this should be mechanistically confirmed. Results showed that exercise potentiated the resultant increase in intramuscular Cr, with greater increases in the exercised versus non-exercised leg. In the seminal study from Harris et al. (1992), various doses of Cr were given to healthy participants aged 20 to 62 years, with varying levels of fitness. Phosphorylcreatine can provide an inorganic phosphate (Pi) molecule for the resynthesis of ATP via the Cr kinase reaction, in which Pi donation from PCr degradation is used by adenosine diphosphate (ADP) and, consequently, increases ATP resynthesis. Over time, this consistency can support better performance and recovery benefits. While an unpleasant flavor can make daily use less appealing, a better-tasting creatine powder—especially one that mixes smoothly—can help you maintain your routine. Some containers only come with 30 servings, and if you need to take four per day, you’ll run through it quickly. Are you strictly concerned with getting stronger or muscle-building while staying lean? This Transparent Labs creatine has a 4.7 out of 5 star rating from over 1,700 reviews. This is a great creatine option in my opinion and in that of many other lifters. Transparent Labs creatine HMB comes in 10 flavors, plus an unflavored option for the straight-shooters like me. As mentioned previously, we did not find studies assessing whether body hydration (ie, the presence of water imbalance) would alter the D3-Cr concentration in the muscle, and the potential impact of the findings. Although this review included 23 studies (23–30,34–48), only 17 compared D3-Cr-estimated muscle against other body composition techniques (23,25,26,28–30,34,36,37,39–41,43,44,46–48), with 10 of them using data from the same male population—the MrOS cohort (24,25,30,35,37–39,41,42,45). The availability of techniques to accurately detect low muscle mass or muscle losses can substantially improve health assessment of these individuals (2).