Research
Creatine Research
Plain-language summaries of the published creatine research. Every summary links to its primary sources, and we never present popularity as evidence.
Creatine and Cognition
Research overview of creatine and cognition. Meta-analyses of randomized trials report small improvements in memory, strongest in older adults, but evidence for broader cognitive function remains limited and mixed.
Published June 22, 2026Read the research →Creatine and Hair Loss
The claim that creatine causes hair loss traces to one small trial reporting a rise in DHT, but it never measured hair; the only RCT to assess hair follicle health directly found no effect. The evidence is limited and not conclusive.
Published June 22, 2026Read the research →Creatine and Kidney Function
Evidence review of creatine and kidney function: pooled human studies in healthy adults show no demonstrated harm to renal markers such as serum creatinine and urea, with important limits for people who have pre-existing kidney disease.
Published June 22, 2026Read the research →Creatine and Muscle Growth
Meta-analyses of randomized trials report that creatine supplementation combined with resistance training produces a modest additional increase in lean body mass (around 1 kg on average) versus training alone, at doses near 7 g/day or 0.3 g/kg/day; creatine without exercise showed no significant lean-mass effect.
Published June 22, 2026Read the research →Creatine and Water Retention
Evidence-based overview of creatine and water retention, drawing on an expert review of the creatine literature and a meta-analysis of randomized trials reporting modest gains in lean body mass with creatine plus resistance training.
Published June 22, 2026Read the research →Creatine for Older Adults
Evidence review of creatine for older adults: meta-analyses report that creatine plus resistance training increases lean tissue mass and strength more than training alone, while noting limited trials and study-to-study variability.
Published June 22, 2026Read the research →Creatine for Women
An evidence-based look at creatine for women: what reviews and trials report on lean mass, strength, and dosing across the female lifespan, and why female-specific evidence remains smaller than the research base in men.
Published June 22, 2026Read the research →Do You Need to Load Creatine?
Evidence-based overview of whether a creatine loading phase is necessary. A controlled study found both about 20 g/day for 6 days and a steady 3 g/day raised muscle creatine roughly 20%, with loading reaching saturation faster.
Published June 22, 2026Read the research →Creatine Monohydrate vs Other Forms
An evidence overview of how creatine monohydrate compares with newer creatine forms such as hydrochloride, buffered creatine, and ethyl ester. Reviews report little to no evidence that alternative forms are more effective or safer than monohydrate.
Published June 22, 2026Read the research →Creatine and High-Intensity Exercise
Creatine helps regenerate ATP through the phosphocreatine system and, in healthy people, has been studied for improvements in high-intensity exercise performance.
Published June 19, 2026Read the research →