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Creatine

  • Dietary supplement
  • Varies by country
  • Identity checked
  • Sources last checked 2026-09-04

This page shows what was measured, who it was measured in, and what that does not settle.

What Creatine does in the body

Taken for strength and power output in short, hard efforts

Creatine is absorbed intact and pumped into muscle cells by a dedicated transporter. Inside, an enzyme sticks a phosphate onto it, making a small rechargeable battery. During a maximal effort the battery hands its phosphate to spent energy molecules, keeping the cell going for several seconds longer than it otherwise would. Over weeks that means slightly more work per training session, and slightly more work per session compounds into bigger muscle fibres.

What happened in people

Twelve weeks of training with creatine produced greater fat-free mass, bench press, squat and fibre cross-sectional area than training with placebo in trained men

Source-linked record

Where this came from

A person wrote this into the record with the study named beside it. No reviewer has signed it off.

The recorded finding that sits closest to something a person would notice. Written into the record, not signed off, and it carries no population or interval.

The limit that matters most

Roughly three in eight people in the biopsy studies did not load meaningfully and did not get the ergogenic effect

Where it acts
Skeletal muscle cytosol, with a much smaller pool in brain and heart
Kind of result
Measured performance
Supervision
Not usually supervised: sold as a supplement or food ingredient where recorded. That is a legal category, not a safety judgement.

What the registries record it as

  • The substance registry classes this as chemical.

    FDA substance registry · MU72812GK0 · read 2026-08-29

  • The supplement label database classes it as non-nutrient/non-botanical, under the name Creatine.

    NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database · 397 · read 2026-08-29

Where each sentence above came from

No recorded sentence describes the change this makes in a way that stands on its own. The page opens with what it is taken for instead, and the recorded explanation follows below.

Shown as the opening line on this page.

A limit recorded against this substance. Not signed off as a reviewed claim.

The four opening statements run to 108 words.

Words this page uses

Four words worth knowing first

Chosen from what this page shows, with each one explained before the word it depends on.

Stand-in result

A stand-in result is a number measured because the real result takes too long.

A picture of it, and where the picture fails

It is like judging a journey by the speedometer rather than by arriving.

Where that stops being true. Speed does predict arrival. Many stand-in results do not predict the real one.

What people get wrong. A stand-in result is often reported as the result itself.

A surrogate endpoint substituted for a clinical endpoint, valid only where the substitution has been shown to hold.

Randomisation

Randomisation means chance decides who gets which treatment.

A picture of it, and where the picture fails

It is like a coin toss deciding the groups.

Where that stops being true. A coin toss is fair once. Fairness here comes from doing it for everyone.

What people get wrong. It is thought to make groups identical. It makes them similar on average, including on things nobody measured.

Allocation of participants to arms by a chance process, so that unmeasured factors are balanced in expectation.

Confidence interval

A confidence interval is the range the true answer is likely to sit in.

A picture of it, and where the picture fails

It is like a weather forecast giving a range rather than one number.

Where that stops being true. A forecast range covers tomorrow. This one covers what the study could resolve.

What people get wrong. The middle number is read as the answer. A range crossing zero means no change is still possible.

An interval estimate that would contain the true parameter in a stated proportion of repeated studies.

Formulation

A formulation is the exact made-up form a substance comes in.

A picture of it, and where the picture fails

It is like the difference between a whole bean and instant coffee.

Where that stops being true. Coffee tastes different. A formulation can change how much reaches the blood.

What people get wrong. Two products with the same name are assumed to behave the same. They often do not.

The specific composition and physical form of a product, including salt, excipients and release profile.

What happened in peopleRead from sources, not yet reviewed

What was measured, goal by goal

One row for each goal a registered study measured something for. One column for each kind of thing that could be measured.

Registered studies list 40 outcome measures that RNAWiki could read. A registered study says what someone planned to measure. It does not say what they found. 0 of the matched studies tested this substance, and 0 posted a result.

There is no single score. A strong test result and a weak life result are different facts.

Goals down the side, kinds of measurement across the top. Each cell says what kind of thing was registered, not what was found.
GoalLife outcomeWhat a body can doHow a person feelsA test resultA step in the bodyHarmsHow longWho was studied
MoodNothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a life outcome for this goal.Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a performance measure for this goal.Waiting for a reviewer5 registered symptom measure.Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a test result for this goal.Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a body-step measure for this goal.Not recordedHarms were not a registered measure for this goal.Not recordedNo finished study window is recorded.Waiting for a reviewerWho was studied is listed further down the page.
StrengthNothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a life outcome for this goal.Waiting for a reviewer3 registered performance measure of this kind.Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a symptom measure for this goal.Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a test result for this goal.Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a body-step measure for this goal.Not recordedHarms were not a registered measure for this goal.Not recordedNo finished study window is recorded.Waiting for a reviewerWho was studied is listed further down the page.
MuscleNothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a life outcome for this goal.Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a performance measure for this goal.Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a symptom measure for this goal.Only a number moved2 registered test measure.Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a body-step measure for this goal.Not recordedHarms were not a registered measure for this goal.Not recordedNo finished study window is recorded.Waiting for a reviewerWho was studied is listed further down the page.
Blood sugarNothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a life outcome for this goal.Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a performance measure for this goal.Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a symptom measure for this goal.Only a number moved1 registered test measure.Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a body-step measure for this goal.Not recordedHarms were not a registered measure for this goal.Not recordedNo finished study window is recorded.Waiting for a reviewerWho was studied is listed further down the page.
Healthy ageingNothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a life outcome for this goal.Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a performance measure for this goal.Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a symptom measure for this goal.Only a number moved1 registered test measure.Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a body-step measure for this goal.Not recordedHarms were not a registered measure for this goal.Not recordedNo finished study window is recorded.Waiting for a reviewerWho was studied is listed further down the page.
EnergyNothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a life outcome for this goal.Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a performance measure for this goal.Waiting for a reviewer1 registered symptom measure.Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a test result for this goal.Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a body-step measure for this goal.Not recordedHarms were not a registered measure for this goal.Not recordedNo finished study window is recorded.Waiting for a reviewerWho was studied is listed further down the page.
Body weightNothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a life outcome for this goal.Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a performance measure for this goal.Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a symptom measure for this goal.Only a number moved1 registered test measure.Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a body-step measure for this goal.Not recordedHarms were not a registered measure for this goal.Not recordedNo finished study window is recorded.Waiting for a reviewerWho was studied is listed further down the page.
Which registered measures put each goal on this table
Mood
hamilton depression rating scale cgi; hamilton depression rating scale; children s depression rating scale; montgomery asberg depression rating scale; madrs
Strength
strength; muscle strength; handgrip strength hand dynamometer
Muscle
lean mass; corrected arm muscle area
Blood sugar
glycated hemoglobin
Healthy ageing
global dna methylation in serum
Energy
fatigue severity scale
Body weight
body mass index

Sorted by fixed word lists, version v1. A name the rules do not recognise stays unsorted rather than moving to the nearest column.

What each mark on this table means
Nothing in the sources checked
No registered study lists a life outcome for this goal.
Waiting for a reviewer
5 registered symptom measure.
Not recorded
Harms were not a registered measure for this goal.
Only a number moved
2 registered test measure.

What happened in peopleRead from sources, not yet reviewed

What happened in people

Each card is one study: the exact question it asked, who was in it, and whether it showed what it set out to show.

Change in total creatine content of quadriceps femoris muscle after oral creatine monohydrate

The study showed what it set out to show

Who was studied
Harris 1992 muscle biopsy study (Clin Sci)
How many people
17
Study design
Mechanistic human study with muscle biopsy
Compared against
Not recorded for this study
Kind of result
A number that stands in for health
What was found
Significant increase in total muscle creatine; increases up to 50%
Repeated elsewhere
Replicated

What this does not prove. Meeting one endpoint in one population does not carry to other goals or other people.

The limits of this study, and where it came from

Main limit. Renal excretion accounted for 40 to 68% of the dose over the first three days, meaning most of a loading dose is not retained. No placebo arm.

How far it carries. This study is recorded from the curated record, not from the registry match.

Form and route. Oral powder or capsule, creatine monohydrate

Interval reported. Not recorded in this summary

Written into the record, not signed off as a reviewed claim.

Fat-free mass, one-repetition maximum strength and muscle fibre cross-sectional area after 12 weeks

The study showed what it set out to show

Who was studied
Volek 1999 (creatine plus 12 weeks periodised resistance training)
How many people
19
Study design
Randomised double-blind placebo-controlled
Compared against
A dummy treatment
Kind of result
Measured performance
What was found
P <= 0.05 for body mass, fat-free mass, bench press, squat and fibre CSA
Repeated elsewhere
Replicated

What this does not prove. Meeting one endpoint in one population does not carry to other goals or other people.

The limits of this study, and where it came from

Main limit. No negative side effects were reported by subjects. The trial was small and in already resistance-trained men, so it does not speak to untrained or older populations.

How far it carries. This study is recorded from the curated record, not from the registry match.

Form and route. Oral powder or capsule, creatine monohydrate

Interval reported. Not recorded in this summary

Written into the record, not signed off as a reviewed claim.

Global statistical test of clinical decline across five outcome measures from baseline to five years

The study did not show it

Who was studied
NCT00449865 — NET-PD LS-1, creatine in early Parkinson disease
How many people
1741
Study design
Phase 3
Compared against
Not recorded for this study
Kind of result
What a body can do day to day
What was found
P = .45 (two-sided), global statistical test t = -0.75
Repeated elsewhere
Failed to Replicate

What this does not prove. A study that did not show an effect does not show that no effect exists anywhere.

The limits of this study, and where it came from

Main limit. Terminated early for futility. Summed ranks were numerically worse in the creatine arm. No detectable difference in adverse or serious adverse events by body system.

How far it carries. This study is recorded from the curated record, not from the registry match.

Form and route. Oral powder or capsule, creatine monohydrate

Interval reported. Not recorded in this summary

Written into the record, not signed off as a reviewed claim.

Rate of change in total functional capacity over up to 48 months

The study did not show it

Who was studied
NCT00712426 — CREST-E, creatine in early manifest Huntington disease
How many people
553
Study design
Phase 3
Compared against
Not recorded for this study
Kind of result
What a body can do day to day
What was found
Decline 0.82 points/year on creatine versus 0.70 on placebo, favouring placebo (95% CL -0.11 to 0.35)
Repeated elsewhere
Failed to Replicate

What this does not prove. A study that did not show an effect does not show that no effect exists anywhere.

The limits of this study, and where it came from

Main limit. Halted for futility at the first interim analysis, short of its 650-patient target. Gastrointestinal adverse events were significantly more common on creatine.

How far it carries. This study is recorded from the curated record, not from the registry match.

Form and route. Oral powder or capsule, creatine monohydrate

Interval reported. 95% CL -0

Written into the record, not signed off as a reviewed claim.

Death, persistent assisted ventilation or tracheostomy, with a sequential stopping rule

The study did not show it

Who was studied
Groeneveld 2003 — creatine in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
How many people
175
Study design
Randomised double-blind placebo-controlled sequential trial
Compared against
A dummy treatment
Kind of result
Living longer, or avoiding a major event
What was found
Trial stopped when the null hypothesis of indifference was accepted; 12-month survival 0.70 creatine versus 0.68 placebo
Repeated elsewhere
Failed to Replicate

What this does not prove. A study that did not show an effect does not show that no effect exists anywhere.

The limits of this study, and where it came from

Main limit. Creatine had shown a promising survival increase in the transgenic mouse model of ALS. It did not transfer. No important adverse reactions were caused by creatine intake.

How far it carries. This study is recorded from the curated record, not from the registry match.

Form and route. Oral powder or capsule, creatine monohydrate

Interval reported. Not recorded in this summary

Written into the record, not signed off as a reviewed claim.

What we know
RNAWiki holds 5 written-up human studies for this substance, each with the question it asked.
How we know it
Each card names the study, the number of people and what the study set out to measure.
What this does not prove
These summaries were written by a person and have not been signed off as reviewed claims.
Why it matters
A study that failed is as informative as one that worked, and both are here.
What we still do not know
No reviewed claim exists, so no exact population, effect size or interval is published yet.

What happened in peopleRead from sources, not yet reviewed

How close this is to real life

The top step is something a person would feel or care about. The bottom is a guess from software. Filled steps are where evidence exists for this substance.

  1. Living longer, or avoiding a major event No evidence recorded. Death, a heart attack, a stroke, a hospital stay.0 registered measures of this kind. 2 written-up studies measured this and did not show a benefit.
  2. What a body can do day to day Evidence recorded. Walking, dressing, breathing, recovering.8 registered measures of this kind.
  3. Measured performance Evidence recorded. How much was lifted, how far was run, how fast.8 registered measures of this kind.
  4. Symptoms and quality of life Evidence recorded. Pain, tiredness, mood, sleep, as the person rated it.8 registered measures of this kind.
  5. A number that stands in for health Evidence recorded. Cholesterol, blood sugar, bone density. A stand-in, not the thing itself.15 registered measures of this kind.
  6. A step measured inside a person Evidence recorded. Something measured in human tissue or human cells.A human record sits on the stored organism ladder.
  7. Animals Evidence recorded. Mice, rats, dogs. Useful for ideas, not proof about people.Stored records in Mouse, Rat, Dog. A result in animals says what to test next. It does not say what happens in people.
  8. Cells in a dish Evidence recorded. Cells or chemistry on a bench, far from a whole body.Stored mechanism abstracts describe steps measured in cells or tissue.
  9. A guess from software No evidence recorded. Nobody measured it. RNAWiki never publishes one as a finding.RNAWiki stores no prediction for this record. Software can suggest a link. RNAWiki does not publish one as a finding.

Higher on these steps means closer to something a person would feel. It does not mean better done.

What it changes in the bodyRead from sources, not yet reviewed

The path through the body

From what a person takes to what changes. A solid line is a step measured in people. A dashed line is a step nobody has measured that way.

  1. Start

    Creatine

    What a person takes: Oral powder or capsule, creatine monohydrate.

    The measurement behind this step

    Sold in the United States as a dietary supplement under DSHEA, so no agency reviewed efficacy or safety before sale. Monohydrate is the form used in essentially all of the trial literature cited here; the alternative salts and esters marketed as superior have not reproduced this evidence base and in several cases were tested against monohydrate and did not beat it.

  2. Getting in

    Swallowed, absorbed intact, and in the blood within an hour

    Unlike most supplements, creatine survives the gut unchanged and appears in the bloodstream quickly and in large amounts.

    Measured in people. Written by a person from the study named beside the step. Not signed off as a reviewed claim.

    The measurement behind this step

    Harris et al. measured a mean peak plasma concentration of 795 +/- 104 micromol/L one hour after a single 5 g dose in subjects of 76 to 87 kg, with repeated 5 g doses every two hours holding plasma at roughly 1,000 micromol/L. Doses of 1 g or less produced only a modest rise, so the plasma curve is dose-dependent rather than saturated at intake.

  3. Reaching the cell

    A dedicated pump drags it into the muscle cell

    Muscle does not wait for creatine to drift in. A specific transporter pulls it across the membrane against a steep concentration difference, using the cell's sodium gradient to pay for it.

    Measured in people. Written by a person from the study named beside the step. Not signed off as a reviewed claim.

    The measurement behind this step

    SLC6A8, the sodium- and chloride-dependent creatine transporter, concentrates creatine roughly a hundredfold over plasma. Uptake is highest at the start of loading — 32% of the administered dose in the first two days in Harris et al.'s three intensively sampled subjects — and falls sharply as the muscle approaches its ceiling of about 160 mmol/kg dry matter. Insulin and contractile activity both increase transporter activity.

  4. What it acts on

    Creatine kinase charges it into a phosphate battery

    Inside the cell an enzyme attaches a high-energy phosphate to creatine, storing energy in a form that can be released far faster than the cell can make fresh fuel.

    Described, with no measurement named. No measurement is named for this step, so it is drawn as an unconfirmed link.

    The measurement behind this step

    Creatine kinase catalyses the reversible transfer of the gamma-phosphate of ATP to creatine, giving phosphocreatine and ADP. The equilibrium sits far toward phosphocreatine at rest. Harris et al. recovered about 20% or more of newly taken-up creatine as phosphocreatine, and muscle ATP content did not change — the pool that expands is the buffer, not the ATP itself.

  5. The change it makes

    During maximal effort the battery discharges into spent ATP

    When the muscle empties its immediate fuel in a few seconds, phosphocreatine hands its phosphate straight back, keeping force high for several seconds longer and refilling faster between efforts.

    Described, with no measurement named. No measurement is named for this step, so it is drawn as an unconfirmed link.

    The measurement behind this step

    The creatine kinase reaction runs in reverse near equilibrium, rephosphorylating ADP faster than glycolysis or oxidative phosphorylation can. Greenhaff et al. measured the consequence directly: in responders, phosphocreatine resynthesis during the second minute of recovery rose 35 +/- 6% after loading, while non-responders showed no change.

  6. What that does for a person

    More work per session, compounding into larger fibres over months

    The gain is not strength itself. It is being able to do a little more work in each session, which over a training block turns into more muscle.

    Measured in people. Written by a person from the study named beside the step. Not signed off as a reviewed claim.

    The measurement behind this step

    Volek et al. randomised 19 resistance-trained men to creatine or placebo over 12 weeks of periodised heavy training. Fat-free mass rose 6.3% against 3.1%, bench press 24% against 16%, squat 32% against 24%, and type I, IIA and IIAB fibre cross-sectional areas rose 35%, 36% and 35% against 11%, 15% and 6%. The authors attributed the difference to higher-quality training sessions rather than to a direct anabolic action — average bench press training volume was significantly higher in the creatine group during weeks 5 to 8.

No suggested links are held for this record, so nothing is hidden from this path.

What we know
The record describes 5 steps from taking it to an effect in a person.
How we know it
Each step names the study behind it in the technical detail beside it.
What this does not prove
A change inside the body is a reason to look. It is not a result in a person.
Why it matters
A reader can see exactly where the chain stops being measured in people.
What we still do not know
No reviewed claim binds any of these steps to a named population.

What it would be like to takeRead from sources, not yet reviewed

Felt, measured, or meaningful

Three different things that get called the same word. Registered studies measured all three, and mixing them is how a blood test becomes a health claim.

Felt

Things a person could notice without a test.

  • positive and negative syndrome scale
  • clincal global impression
  • hamilton depression rating scale cgi
  • hamilton depression rating scale
  • children s depression rating scale
  • montgomery asberg depression rating scale
  • fatigue severity scale
  • madrs

Measured

Things only a test, a scale or a device shows.

  • brachial artery flow mediated dilation
  • glycated hemoglobin
  • blood arsenic concentrations
  • lumbar spine bone mineral density
  • global dna methylation in serum
  • strength
  • muscle strength
  • serum creatinine
  • urine creatinine
  • kidney function

and 9 more.

Meaningful

Things that change how a life goes, not only a number.

  • upper extremity motor function after 3 weeks
  • upper extremity motor function after 9 months
  • total functional capacity
  • als functional rating scale revised

A registered study says what someone planned to measure. It does not say what they found. A number moving is not the same as a life going better. The two are shown apart here.

Felt, but not shown to help. A person notices a change. No study showed it leads anywhere good.

Measured, but not felt. A number moves. The person notices nothing. Both can be true.

Measured, but not shown to matter. A number moves in the good direction. Nobody showed that lives went better.

Matters, but takes years. The result that counts may take longer than anyone would keep watching.

Names that fit none of the three (9)
  • who gain weight over 1 month
  • completion of study
  • safety
  • rett syndrome motor and behavioral assessment
  • tolerability
  • hamd rating scores
  • objectively assessed whole body function
  • muscle function
  • manual wheelchair slalom test

These are harms, study-process measures, or names the rules did not recognise. They are shown rather than dropped.

What is missing or unclearRead from sources, not yet reviewed

Were people like you studied?

RNAWiki cannot tell whether a study fits you. It can show who was in it, and where the result stops carrying.

Who was studied

People similar to this profile were included.

  • Athletes and recreational lifters, and increasingly older adults and vegetarians. Also prescribed as replacement therapy in the rare GAMT and AGAT deficiency syndromes, where the body cannot synthesise creatine at all.

Who is missing from the studies

  • Which groups were under-represented in the studies has not been recorded for this substance. Pregnancy, breastfeeding, children, older adults, and people with liver or kidney conditions are commonly excluded from trials; nothing here says whether they were.

Where the result stopped carrying

  • Animal-to-human translation in ALS: a promising survival gain in the transgenic mouse did not appear in 175 patients
  • The Parkinson disease programme, terminated for futility after five years and 1,741 randomised patients
  • The Huntington disease programme, halted at interim with decline numerically faster on creatine
  • This is a scope explorer, not a diagnosis engine.
  • It shows who was studied so you can see whether people similar to you were included.

RNAWiki cannot tell whether a study fits you. It can show who was in it.

What it would be like to takeRead from sources, not yet reviewed

Why it might seem to do nothing

A real effect and a noticed effect are different things. These are the recorded reasons the two come apart.

It was studied for a different goal

The studies measured something else entirely.

On this record: Some registered studies measured things that match no goal on this page.

It was studied in different people

The people in the studies were not much like the reader.

On this record: Which groups were under-represented in the studies has not been recorded for this substance. Pregnancy, breastfeeding, children, older adults, and people with liver or kidney conditions are commonly excluded from trials; nothing here says whether they were.

A different form was studied

The studied form is not the form on the shelf.

On this record: This record is linked to 1 related forms. Evidence does not carry across all of them.

Something else had to happen too

In the studies it was paired with training, a diet or another treatment.

On this record: The gain is not strength itself. It is being able to do a little more work in each session, which over a training block turns into more muscle.

The change is too small to feel

A real change can still sit below what a person notices.

On this record: Roughly three in eight people in the biopsy studies did not load meaningfully and did not get the ergogenic effect

The evidence may simply be wrong

Small early studies often do not hold up.

On this record: RNAWiki has not yet published a reviewed conclusion for this use.

The product may not be what it says

Contents of a sold product are not always what the label states.

On this record: This is sold as a supplement, so no agency checked what is in a given tub before it was sold.

Other reasons RNAWiki checked and found nothing for (6)
There was nothing to correct
Where a level is already normal, topping it up may change nothing. Nothing in this record points to this reason.
Day-to-day swing hides it
Sleep, food, stress and time of day move most numbers more than this would. Nothing in this record points to this reason.
Not enough time yet
The studies ran longer than the person has waited. Nothing in this record points to this reason.
It was not taken as studied
Missed days change the result, and studies count them. Nothing in this record points to this reason.
Something else changed at the same time
Two changes at once cannot be told apart afterwards. Nothing in this record points to this reason.
No recorded reason
RNAWiki has nothing stored that would explain it. Nothing in this record points to this reason.

None of these is a reason to take more. Taking more is not a step this page ever suggests.

What it would be like to takeRead from sources, not yet reviewed

What taking it involves

The recorded facts about getting hold of it and using it. Nothing here is a suggestion about what you should do.

How it is supplied

Varies by country

Quoted from a source

Where this came from

Copied from a source RNAWiki stored, with the source named.

Read from the recorded approval status.

No source is stored against this line.

Form and route

Oral powder or capsule, creatine monohydrate

Source-linked record

Where this came from

A person wrote this into the record with the study named beside it. No reviewer has signed it off.

The form and route recorded on this substance.

No source is stored against this line.

Who oversees it

Not usually supervised: sold as a supplement or food ingredient where recorded. That is a legal category, not a safety judgement.

Quoted from a source

Where this came from

Copied from a source RNAWiki stored, with the source named.

The identity record classes it as a supplement ingredient; no medicines register records an approval.

No source is stored against this line.

What is in the pack

Sold in the United States as a dietary supplement under DSHEA, so no agency reviewed efficacy or safety before sale.

Source-linked record

Where this came from

A person wrote this into the record with the study named beside it. No reviewer has signed it off.

Recorded notes on how this is sold. The rest of the recorded wording: Monohydrate is the form used in essentially all of the trial literature cited here; the alternative salts and esters marketed as superior have not reproduced this evidence base and in several cases were tested against monohydrate and did not beat it.

No source is stored against this line.

Where it is registered

Regulatory records are listed in the technical disclosure at the foot of this page.

Counted from records

Where this came from

A count of rows RNAWiki holds. It describes our records, not your body.

Register entries are stored per jurisdiction and shown with their dates.

No source is stored against this line.

Why people stop

Not recorded.

Nothing recorded

Where this came from

RNAWiki holds nothing here and says so rather than guessing.

No record of why people stopped taking it is stored for this substance.

No source is stored against this line.

What it would be like to takeRead from sources, not yet reviewed

What can go wrong

Sorted by where each line came from. A regulator's label and a report somebody sent in are not the same kind of fact.

Worth asking a clinician aboutWritten into the record from the studies named on this page

Weight gain of one to two kilograms in the first week, most of it water drawn into muscle. Gastrointestinal upset, which was significantly more common on creatine than placebo in CREST-E at 40 g daily. Serum creatinine rises for assay reasons and will make an eGFR read falsely low. Direct clearance measurements in long-term users found normal renal function, and the 2017 ISSN position stand found no compelling evidence of kidney harm in healthy people. Anyone with existing renal disease is outside the population those studies covered.

Nobody counted how many people took this and were fine, so this cannot be turned into a rate.

Where this came from

Reports sent to a regulator

  • These are reports people sent to a regulator. They do not show the medicine caused the reaction.
  • Nobody counted how many people took the medicine and reported nothing.
  • The same event can be reported more than once, and many reports are incomplete.
  • News coverage, lawsuits and new warnings change how often people report.
  • A count is not a rate and not a risk.

Creatine appears in spontaneous reports to regulators. Across the 10 most-reported reaction terms, 139 reaction mentions were counted. One report can name several reactions.

The recorded terms (10)
  • coma — 24 reaction mentions
  • gastrooesophageal reflux disease — 24 reaction mentions
  • pneumonia aspiration — 24 reaction mentions
  • somnolence — 24 reaction mentions
  • jaundice — 8 reaction mentions
  • cholestasis — 7 reaction mentions
  • confusional state — 7 reaction mentions
  • hyperhidrosis — 7 reaction mentions
  • hyperthermia — 7 reaction mentions
  • liver injury — 7 reaction mentions
  • open-targets-adr · recorded 2026-06-24 · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot

Over a long time. No completed tested study window is recorded, so long-term effects are not established by the registry record.

Groups the studies covered thinly. Which groups were under-represented in the studies has not been recorded for this substance. Pregnancy, breastfeeding, children, older adults, and people with liver or kidney conditions are commonly excluded from trials; nothing here says whether they were.

What is missing or unclearRead from sources, not yet reviewed

Does the exact form matter?

Evidence belongs to the exact thing that was tested. A different salt, a different mixture or a different preparation is a different question.

The form that was studied

Oral powder or capsule, creatine monohydrate

Source-linked record

Where this came from

A person wrote this into the record with the study named beside it. No reviewer has signed it off.

The form used in the studies cited on this page.

No source is stored against this line.

What is sold

A recorded note compares this form with the others that are sold. It is kept below, word for word.

A fixed RNAWiki sentence

Where this came from

Wording RNAWiki always uses, not a finding about this substance.

The recorded note, unchanged: Monohydrate is the form used in essentially all of the trial literature cited here; the alternative salts and esters marketed as superior have not reproduced this evidence base and in several cases were tested against monohydrate and did not beat it.

No source is stored against this line.

What is recorded as being sold

  • 6 products list this as an active ingredient in the United States drug directory. None of them contains it on its own, so nothing on this page can separate it from what it is combined with.

    FDA National Drug Code directory · 44911-0542 · read 2026-08-29

  • They are sold as liquid, taken oral.

    FDA National Drug Code directory · 44911-0542 · read 2026-08-29

  • 6 published labels name it as an active ingredient. None of them describes this substance alone, so no label text on this page can be attributed to it rather than to a combination.

    US prescribing information · 38fd4f98-a42a-435b-9643-16df66453951 · read 2026-08-29

  • Those labels are classed as human otc drug.

    US prescribing information · 38fd4f98-a42a-435b-9643-16df66453951 · read 2026-08-29

  • 2858 marketed supplement labels list this ingredient, classed as non-nutrient/non-botanical.

    NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database · 183678 · read 2026-08-29

  • Those labels carry all other and structure/function claims. A claim of that kind is written by the manufacturer and is not assessed by any regulator, so its presence says nothing about whether it is true.

    NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database · 183678 · read 2026-08-29

Evidence carries across two names for one substance. It does not carry across a salt, a mirror form or a mixture.

Names and forms linked to this record

  • Stereoisomer of

    Creatine Pyruvate

    Evidence on this page does not automatically apply to this one.

What it would be like to takeRead from sources, not yet reviewed

What you could measure

Watching one thing carefully can tell you whether it moved. It cannot tell you what moved it.

This is sold without a prescription, so a person can sensibly watch one thing and see whether it moves.

  1. Pick one goal. One goal only. Two at once cannot be told apart afterwards.

  2. Pick one thing to watch. Registered studies measured things like: brachial artery flow mediated dilation; glycated hemoglobin; blood arsenic concentrations.

  3. Measure before you start. Take the same measurement several times first. One reading is not a starting point.

  4. Know the swing. Write down how much it moves on its own across a normal week.

  5. Change one thing. Change nothing else at the same time, including training and sleep.

  6. Give it the study length. No finished study window is recorded, so no length is suggested here.

  7. Track whether you took it. Missed days are the most common reason a home test shows nothing.

  8. Read the trend. Look at the line across weeks. A single reading tells you almost nothing.

What not to measure

  • Anything that swings more day to day than the change you are looking for.
  • A wearable estimate of sleep stages, which is an estimate and not a measurement.
  • Weight on one morning, which mostly records water.
  • A feeling you did not write down before starting, such as: positive and negative syndrome scale.

When to stop

  • Stop if something new and unpleasant starts, and ask a pharmacist or doctor.
  • Stop if you cannot keep everything else steady, because the result will not mean anything.
  • Stop at the end of the window you set, and read the trend then.

Tracking can show whether something changed for you. It cannot show what caused it.

RNAWiki does not work out an amount for anyone.

What is missing or unclearRead from sources, not yet reviewed

Claims that go past the evidence

Things said about this substance that sound reasonable, and the exact step that is missing between the evidence and the claim.

Goes past the evidence

That creatine is neuroprotective in humans — two Phase 3 trials in 2,294 patients were both halted for futility

Why it sounds right. It follows from something real on this page: a body step, an animal result or a related finding.

The missing step. Nobody measured this in people for this use, or the study that did measure it did not show it.

What would change this

A study in people, for this exact use, measuring this exact thing, that a reviewer signs off.

RNAWiki has not yet published a reviewed conclusion for this use.

Goes past the evidence

That it is an established cognitive enhancer, when the review base is six trials in 281 people with no change in young adults

Why it sounds right. It follows from something real on this page: a body step, an animal result or a related finding.

The missing step. Nobody measured this in people for this use, or the study that did measure it did not show it.

What would change this

A study in people, for this exact use, measuring this exact thing, that a reviewer signs off.

RNAWiki has not yet published a reviewed conclusion for this use.

Goes past the evidence

That the lean mass appearing in the first week is muscle tissue rather than intracellular water

Why it sounds right. It follows from something real on this page: a body step, an animal result or a related finding.

The missing step. Nobody measured this in people for this use, or the study that did measure it did not show it.

What would change this

A study in people, for this exact use, measuring this exact thing, that a reviewer signs off.

RNAWiki has not yet published a reviewed conclusion for this use.

Goes past the evidence

That it improves endurance events; the meta-analysis found no benefit for running or swimming

Why it sounds right. It follows from something real on this page: a body step, an animal result or a related finding.

The missing step. Nobody measured this in people for this use, or the study that did measure it did not show it.

What would change this

A study in people, for this exact use, measuring this exact thing, that a reviewer signs off.

RNAWiki has not yet published a reviewed conclusion for this use.

What is missing or unclearRead from sources, not yet reviewed

What nobody knows yet

Open questions, each with why it is open and what would close it.

How much did people take in the studies?

The sources RNAWiki checked hold nothing for this field.

Why it matters. A result belongs to an amount. Without the amount the result floats free.

What would answer it

A stored source that records it, and a reviewer to sign it off.

Last checked 2026-09-04. Searched: The sources listed in the receipts at the foot of this page.

How fast does the body clear it?

The sources RNAWiki checked hold nothing for this field.

Why it matters. Without this, nothing on this page can say how long anything lasts.

What would answer it

A stored source that records it, and a reviewer to sign it off.

Last checked 2026-09-04. Searched: The sources listed in the receipts at the foot of this page.

Missing populations

Which groups were under-represented in the studies has not been recorded.

Why it matters. Recorded by the evidence model as a gap on this record.

What would answer it

A study that measures it, and a reviewer to sign it off.

Last checked 2026-09-04. Searched: The sources listed in the receipts at the foot of this page.

Missing long-term data

No completed tested study window is recorded.

Why it matters. Recorded by the evidence model as a gap on this record.

What would answer it

A study that measures it, and a reviewer to sign it off.

Last checked 2026-09-04. Searched: The sources listed in the receipts at the foot of this page.

No reviewed conclusion

RNAWiki has not yet published a reviewed conclusion for this use.

Why it matters. Recorded by the evidence model as a gap on this record.

What would answer it

A study that measures it, and a reviewer to sign it off.

Last checked 2026-09-04. Searched: The sources listed in the receipts at the foot of this page.

Missing interaction studies

No interaction was found in the registers checked. Not finding one is not the same as showing there is none.

Why it matters. Recorded by the evidence model as a gap on this record.

What would answer it

A study that measures it, and a reviewer to sign it off.

Last checked 2026-09-04. Searched: The sources listed in the receipts at the foot of this page.

Mechanism not reviewed

No reviewed mechanism story exists for this substance.

Why it matters. Recorded by the evidence model as a gap on this record.

What would answer it

A study that measures it, and a reviewer to sign it off.

Last checked 2026-09-04. Searched: The sources listed in the receipts at the foot of this page.

What happened in peopleRead from sources, not yet reviewed

Check any of this yourself

Every line above traced back to the study it came from. This is the technical layer, and the vocabulary changes here.

Every line above can be traced to the study named beside it. Follow the link and read it.

Harris 1992: muscle total creatine rose, and rose most in those who started lowest
In plain words
Muscle biopsies before and after showed that swallowed creatine really does end up inside muscle, and that people with the least to begin with gained the most.
What was measured
Total creatine and phosphocreatine content of quadriceps femoris muscle biopsies, mmol per kg dry matter
Effect estimate
No reviewed effect estimate exists for this record.
Limits
See the technical detail.
From the source
Seventeen subjects had quadriceps femoris biopsies before and after supplementation with 5 g of creatine monohydrate four or six times daily for two or more days. Total muscle creatine content rose significantly, by as much as 50% in some subjects, and the increase was greatest in those with a low initial content — the effect was to move them toward the upper end of the normal range rather than beyond it. Uptake was concentrated in the first two days, accounting for 32% of the administered dose in three subjects; renal excretion was 40 to 68% of the dose over the first three days. Roughly 20% or more of the creatine taken up was measured as phosphocreatine, and muscle ATP content did not change.
Source
Harris RC, Soderlund K, Hultman E. Clin Sci (Lond) 1992;83:367-374
Role in the trial
Not matched to a registered study
Identity check
no open identity hold
Audit mark
verified
Review state
Written into the record, not signed off as a reviewed claim
Greenhaff 1994: faster phosphocreatine resynthesis, in five of eight subjects
In plain words
After creatine, the muscle refilled its energy battery faster between hard efforts — but only in the people whose creatine level had actually gone up.
What was measured
Phosphocreatine resynthesis rate during the second minute of recovery from intense contraction
Effect estimate
No reviewed effect estimate exists for this record.
Limits
See the technical detail.
From the source
Eight subjects underwent electrically evoked isometric contraction with biopsies at 0, 20, 60 and 120 seconds of recovery, repeated ten days later after five days of 20 g creatine daily. In five of the eight, total creatine rose by 29 +/- 3 mmol/kg dry matter (25 +/- 3%) and phosphocreatine resynthesis during recovery rose by 19 +/- 4 mmol/kg dry matter (35 +/- 6%). In the other three, total creatine rose only 8 to 9 mmol/kg (5 to 7%) and phosphocreatine resynthesis did not increase at all. The responder-non-responder split is a finding, not noise: the ergogenic effect tracks the loading of the muscle, not the swallowing of the dose.
Source
Greenhaff PL et al. Am J Physiol 1994;266:E725-E730
Role in the trial
Not matched to a registered study
Identity check
no open identity hold
Audit mark
verified
Review state
Written into the record, not signed off as a reviewed claim
Branch 2003: a 100-study meta-analysis, and effect sizes of about 0.2
In plain words
Pooling a hundred trials, creatine helps — reliably, and by a small amount, and mostly in short laboratory efforts rather than in running or swimming.
What was measured
Pooled effect size for body composition and for exercise performance by task duration and type
Effect estimate
No reviewed effect estimate exists for this record.
Limits
See the technical detail.
From the source
A meta-analysis of 96 peer-reviewed papers comprising 100 randomised, placebo-controlled, blinded studies. Effect sizes were small but significantly greater than zero: body composition 0.17 +/- 0.03 (n = 163), ATP-phosphocreatine-system tasks under 30 seconds 0.24 +/- 0.02 (n = 17), glycolytic tasks of 30 to 150 seconds 0.19 +/- 0.05 (n = 135), oxidative tasks over 150 seconds 0.20 +/- 0.07 (n = 69). The effect was larger for upper-body exercise (0.42 +/- 0.07) than lower (0.21 +/- 0.02) or total body (0.13 +/- 0.04), and larger for laboratory tasks (0.25 +/- 0.02) than field tasks such as running and swimming (0.14 +/- 0.04, P = .014). There was no difference in effect size by sex or by training status. The author concluded plainly that creatine does not appear to improve running and swimming performance.
Source
Branch JD. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab 2003;13:198-226
Role in the trial
Not matched to a registered study
Identity check
no open identity hold
Audit mark
verified
Review state
Written into the record, not signed off as a reviewed claim
NET-PD LS-1: 1,741 patients, five years, terminated for futility
In plain words
The largest test of creatine as a brain protector enrolled 1,741 people with Parkinson disease and was stopped early because it was not working.
What was measured
Global statistical test across Modified Rankin, Symbol Digit Modalities, PDQ-39, Schwab and England ADL and ambulatory capacity, baseline to five years
Effect estimate
No reviewed effect estimate exists for this record.
Limits
This entry records a failure.
From the source
A multicentre, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial at 45 sites randomised 1,741 people with early treated Parkinson disease to 10 g/day creatine monohydrate or placebo for a minimum of five years. The trial was terminated early for futility at a planned interim analysis of the 955 participants enrolled at least five years earlier. Mean summed ranks across five clinical outcome measures were 2,360 (95% CI 2,249 to 2,470) for placebo and 2,414 (95% CI 2,304 to 2,524) for creatine — numerically worse on creatine — with a global statistical test of t = -0.75 and two-sided P = .45. The authors wrote that the findings do not support the use of creatine monohydrate in Parkinson disease.
Source
Kieburtz K et al. (NINDS NET-PD Investigators). JAMA 2015;313:584-593
Role in the trial
Not matched to a registered study
Identity check
no open identity hold
Audit mark
verified
Review state
Written into the record, not signed off as a reviewed claim
CREST-E: halted for futility, with decline numerically faster on creatine
In plain words
A 553-patient Huntington disease trial of high-dose creatine was stopped early. Function declined slightly faster in the creatine group than in the placebo group.
What was measured
Rate of change in total functional capacity over up to 48 months
Effect estimate
No reviewed effect estimate exists for this record.
Limits
This entry records a failure.
From the source
A multicentre randomised double-blind trial of up to 40 g daily creatine monohydrate in stage I and II Huntington disease across 46 sites in North America, Australia and New Zealand. It aimed to enrol 650 and randomised 553 (275 creatine, 278 placebo) before being halted for futility at the first interim analysis. Estimated rate of decline in total functional capacity was 0.82 points per year on creatine against 0.70 on placebo, favouring placebo (nominal 95% confidence limits -0.11 to 0.35). Adverse events, mainly gastrointestinal, were significantly more common on creatine. The paper carries a Class II evidence rating that creatine is not beneficial for slowing functional decline in early manifest Huntington disease.
Source
Hersch SM et al. Neurology 2017;89:594-601
Role in the trial
Not matched to a registered study
Identity check
no open identity hold
Audit mark
verified
Review state
Written into the record, not signed off as a reviewed claim
The first week of "lean mass" is largely water, and 2025 found no additive effect
In plain words
A 2025 trial separated the two things creatine is credited with. The fast early gain on the body scan appeared within a week, before any training. The slow gain from three months of lifting was the same with or without it.
What was measured
That the pounds appearing on the scale in the first week of creatine are muscle tissue, and that the lean mass gained across a training block is attributable to the supplement rather than to the training
Effect estimate
No reviewed effect estimate exists for this record.
Limits
See the technical detail.
From the source
Sixty-three participants (34 female, 29 male, 31 +/- 8 years) were randomised to 5 g/day creatine monohydrate for 13 weeks or to a no-supplement control. After a seven-day wash-in with no exercise, the creatine group gained 0.51 +/- 1.26 kg of lean body mass on DXA against 0 +/- 1.20 kg in control (P = 0.03) — a gain the authors attribute to intracellular water, which DXA cannot distinguish from tissue. After the subsequent twelve weeks of supervised resistance training, both groups gained about 2 kg of lean mass (P < 0.0001 within groups) with no difference between them (P = 0.71). The authors concluded creatine had no additive effect on lean body mass changes when combined with resistance training at that maintenance amount. The trial was unblinded with no placebo, which cuts against reading it as a definitive negative.
Source
Desai I et al. Nutrients 2025;17:1081
Role in the trial
Not matched to a registered study
Identity check
no open identity hold
Audit mark
caution
Review state
Written into the record, not signed off as a reviewed claim
The kidney scare reversed: raised creatinine is the metabolite, not the injury
In plain words
Creatine was widely believed to damage kidneys because it pushes up a blood marker doctors use to check kidney function. That marker is creatine's own breakdown product, and studies of long-term users found normal kidney function.
What was measured
That a rise in serum creatinine in a creatine user indicates renal impairment, when it is the assay reading the supplement itself
Effect estimate
No reviewed effect estimate exists for this record.
Limits
See the technical detail.
From the source
Serum creatinine is the non-enzymatic breakdown product of creatine, so supplementation raises it mechanically without any change in glomerular filtration — which made every early eGFR-based safety signal uninterpretable. Poortmans and Francaux measured creatinine, urea and albumin clearances directly in athletes who had used creatine for ten months to five years against controls and found no difference in plasma content, urinary excretion rate or clearance for any of the three; glomerular filtration rate, tubular reabsorption and glomerular membrane permeability were normal in both groups. The 2017 International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand reviewed the accumulated safety literature and concluded there is no compelling evidence of harm to kidney function in healthy individuals. The practical residue is diagnostic, not toxicological: a creatine user's eGFR will read low, and that has to be known before it is acted on.
Source
Poortmans JR, Francaux M. Med Sci Sports Exerc 1999;31:1108-1110; Kreider RB et al. J Int Soc Sports Nutr 2017;14:18
Role in the trial
Not matched to a registered study
Identity check
no open identity hold
Audit mark
verified
Review state
Written into the record, not signed off as a reviewed claim
The cognition evidence is six small trials, and unchanged in the young
In plain words
The brain claim rests on a review of six trials in 281 people. Short-term memory improved; most other measures were inconsistent, and young adults showed no change at all.
What was measured
That creatine is an established cognitive enhancer or neuroprotective agent in healthy adults
Effect estimate
No reviewed effect estimate exists for this record.
Limits
See the technical detail.
From the source
A systematic review of randomised controlled trials of oral creatine and cognition in healthy people identified six studies totalling 281 individuals. There was evidence that short-term memory and intelligence or reasoning may improve; results for long-term memory, spatial memory, memory scanning, attention, executive function, response inhibition, word fluency, reaction time and mental fatigue were conflicting. Performance stayed unchanged in young individuals, and vegetarians responded better than meat-eaters on memory tasks — again a repletion pattern. The authors called for larger sample sizes and noted that creatine had not then been tested in dementia or cognitive impairment. Two hundred and eighty-one people across six trials is not a body of evidence that supports a marketing category.
Source
Avgerinos KI et al. Exp Gerontol 2018;108:166-173
Role in the trial
Not matched to a registered study
Identity check
no open identity hold
Audit mark
caution
Review state
Written into the record, not signed off as a reviewed claim

Where else this substance is registered

CAS registry number
57-00-1
PubChem compound
586
RxNorm concept
1310467

Checks this page had to pass

  • Passed

    Identity resolved

    no open identity hold

  • Passed

    No unresolved merge across substance families

    no quarantine open

  • Passed

    Every public sentence names a source

    The opening statement carries the origin: Written into the record, not signed off.

  • Not passed

    Trial roles classified for highlighted evidence

    No registered study is classified as testing this substance.

  • Passed

    No internal keys in reader text

    enforced by the copy-contract test over the rendered page

  • Passed

    Safety mode resolved

    The identity record classes it as a supplement ingredient; no medicines register records an approval.

  • Passed

    Canonical metadata present

    slug and display name present

What is missing or unclearRead from sources, not yet reviewed

How this medicine reached us

Kept near the foot of the page. A historical event moves up only when it changes something about this substance today.

What the approval register records

  • The earliest marketing start date recorded for a listed product is 19840815.

    FDA National Drug Code directory · 44911-0542 · read 2026-08-29

What is missing or unclearRead from sources, not yet reviewed

What to learn next

Ordered by what would most change how you read this page, starting with what is easiest to misunderstand.

This order is fixed in code and does not count clicks or time on the page.

What is not here

4 questions this page could not answer

These sections were prepared and left out because there was nothing to put in them. They are listed rather than hidden, so the gaps in this record are visible.

  • How long anything takes — found nothing in the sources checked.
  • What it may clash with — found nothing in the sources checked.
  • Other ways to the same goal — found nothing in the sources checked.
  • What changed on this page — found nothing in the sources checked.

The record as stored

The full record, for auditing

Everything above is built from what is below. This layer keeps the technical vocabulary, record identifiers and every stored row, so a reader who wants to check the page can.

The older medicine-wide conclusion held in this record

Written for a clinical reader, and about the medicine as a whole rather than about one indication, population and set of trials. RNAWiki does not treat it as a programme conclusion and no reviewer has signed it off in that form. It is here word for word because it is what the record holds.

One of the few supplements whose central claim survives audit — muscle creatine, phosphocreatine resynthesis and short-duration power all rise, replicated across decades — while the neuroprotection claim it is increasingly sold on failed two Phase 3 trials totalling 2,294 patients.

Recorded evidence blocks (13)

What did Creatine's largest trial (1741 people) and its longest (13 years) measure?

1741 people in Creatine's largest registered study, 13 years in its longest registered window, measuring Change in the prevalence of Sarcopenia. ClinicalTrials.gov · 2026-09-01

88 na, 16 phase2, 13 phase3, 12 phase4, 3 early phase1, 3 phase1, 1 na or unstated; NCT00081250; 2017-07. Last human test completed 2026, NCT06675708.

Interpretation These counts include studies where Creatine was a comparison treatment, a background treatment or an exposure in an observational study, and the longest window may be a planned end date. Trial roles have not yet been classified for this record.

Show the evidence
  • na
    88
  • phase2
    16
  • phase3
    13
  • phase4
    12
  • early phase1
    3
  • phase1
    3
2 more recorded rows
  • na or unstated
    1
  • Last recorded human test NCT06675708
    2026-06-30

recorded 2026-09-01 · last checked 2026-09-04

From mouse to human: where has Creatine shown lifespan?

mouse: lifespan, rat: lifespan, dog: lifespan and human: healthspan (134): the rungs where Creatine has a recorded finding. Europe PMC and ClinicalTrials.gov · organism ladder · 2026-09-01

Interpretation Change in the prevalence of Sarcopenia — the recorded outcome words.

Yeast C. elegans Drosophila Mouse lifespanRat lifespanDog lifespanNon-human primate Human healthspan
Show the evidence
  • mouse
    lifespan
  • rat
    lifespan
  • dog
    lifespan
  • human NCT06925880
    healthspan; Change in the prevalence of Sarcopenia; 134

recorded 2026-09-01 · last checked 2026-09-04

10 of Creatine's trials stopped: futility/efficacy, accrual/recruitment, funding/business, other?

futility/efficacy (2), accrual/recruitment (1), funding/business (3) and other (4): Creatine's stop wording, clustered. ClinicalTrials.gov · 2026-09-01

"Futility"; 10 of 134 registered studies

Show the evidence

Trial

  • NCT00449865
    terminated; "Futility"
  • NCT00712426
    terminated; "Results of an interim analysis showed that it was unlikely that creatine was effective in slowing loss of function in early symptomatic Huntington's Disease."
  • NCT01175616
    withdrawn; "Study withdrawn from ClinicalTrials.gov."
  • NCT02189915
    terminated; "Received funding for the next phase of the study"
  • NCT02463305
    withdrawn; "inability to enroll"
  • NCT02661334
    terminated; "Failure to recruit"
4 further recorded trials
  • NCT03202095
    withdrawn; "No referral from diabetes clinic."
  • NCT03433651
    withdrawn; "Unable to locate grant funding."
  • NCT05856916
    suspended; "Project is on indefinite hold due to a lack of funding"
  • NCT06832423
    withdrawn; "Unable to obtain dietary intervention due to manufacturer withdrawing product from market."

recorded 2026-09-01 · last checked 2026-09-04

More Creatine was worse in human: at what point?

Hormetic in human: "However, the degree to which creatine-dependent and -independent systems of phosphate shuttling progressively worsen or potentially adapt in a hormetic manner throughout disease progression remains unknown." Europe PMC · dose-response search · 2024-08-20

4 recorded sentences naming Creatine; hormetic, hormesis, U-shaped

Show the evidence
  • hormetic PMID 39178732
    "However, the degree to which creatine-dependent and -independent systems of phosphate shuttling progressively worsen or potentially adapt in a hormetic manner throughout disease progression remains unknown."
  • hormesis PMID 39178732
    "In summary, creatine-dependent mitochondrial bioenergetics are attenuated in older D2.mdx mice in relation to mtCK thiol oxidation that seem to be countered by increased creatine-independent phosphate shuttling as a unique form of mitohormesis."
  • hormetic PMID 39178732
    "These results demonstrate a specific relationship between redox stress and mitochondrial hormetic reprogramming during dystrophin deficiency with proof-of-principle evidence that creatine-dependent bioenergetics could be modified with mitochondrial-targeting small peptide therapeutics."
  • U-shaped PMID 35620514
    "A creatine kinase before the start of PD between 111 and 179 IU/L was associated with a lower risk of death than a higher or lower creatine kinase, resulting in a U-shaped association curve."

recorded 2024-08-20 · last checked 2026-09-04

Could one person measure Creatine's effect on upper extremity motor function after 3 weeks?

Upper extremity motor function after 3 weeks: measured in Creatine's trials.

upper extremity motor function after 3 weeks is the recorded endpoint.

Show the evidence

biomarkers

  • upper extremity motor function after 3 weeks; 2026-09-01
  • upper extremity motor function after 9 months; 2026-09-01
  • who gain weight over 1 month; 2026-09-01
  • positive and negative syndrome scale; 2026-09-01
  • clincal global impression; 2026-09-01
  • hamilton depression rating scale cgi; 2026-09-01
14 more recorded rows
  • biomarkers
    brachial artery flow mediated dilation; 2026-09-01
  • biomarkers
    completion of study; 2026-09-01
  • biomarkers
    safety; 2026-09-01
  • biomarkers
    total functional capacity; 2026-09-01
  • biomarkers
    hamilton depression rating scale; 2026-09-01
  • biomarkers
    children s depression rating scale; 2026-09-01
  • biomarkers
    glycated hemoglobin; 2026-09-01
  • biomarkers
    blood arsenic concentrations; 2026-09-01
  • biomarkers
    lumbar spine bone mineral density; 2026-09-01
  • biomarkers
    global dna methylation in serum; 2026-09-01
  • biomarkers
    rett syndrome motor and behavioral assessment; 2026-09-01
  • biomarkers
    montgomery asberg depression rating scale; 2026-09-01
  • biomarkers
    strength; 2026-09-01
  • biomarkers
    muscle strength; 2026-09-01
  • human trials at or under30
    57
  • Not recorded for this substance
    a recorded half-life
  • smallest human trial
    0; NCT01175616; PHASE4; the smallest recorded human enrolment at or below 30; the registry states no direction of its result; WITHDRAWN

Which of als functional rating scale revised, blood arsenic concentrations and body mass index did Creatine's trials measure?

als functional rating scale revised, blood arsenic concentrations and body mass index lead 40 outcome terms across Creatine's trials. ClinicalTrials.gov · 2026-09-01

Interpretation positive and negative syndrome scale, clincal global impression, hamilton depression rating scale cgi, brachial artery flow mediated dilation, completion of study and safety follow.

Show the evidence
  • upper extremity motor function after 3 weeks
    1
  • upper extremity motor function after 9 months
    1
  • who gain weight over 1 month
    1
  • positive and negative syndrome scale
    1
  • clincal global impression
    1
  • hamilton depression rating scale cgi
    1
14 more recorded rows
  • brachial artery flow mediated dilation
    1
  • completion of study
    1
  • safety
    1
  • total functional capacity
    1
  • hamilton depression rating scale
    1
  • children s depression rating scale
    1
  • glycated hemoglobin
    1
  • blood arsenic concentrations
    1
  • lumbar spine bone mineral density
    1
  • global dna methylation in serum
    1
  • rett syndrome motor and behavioral assessment
    1
  • montgomery asberg depression rating scale
    1
  • strength
    1
  • muscle strength
    1

recorded 2026-09-01 · last checked 2026-09-04

Which of Creatine's 28 ongoing trials reports first?

28 registered trials of Creatine are open; earliest completion 2017-05. ClinicalTrials.gov · 2026-09-01

Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI) score; Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD) Scores; latest 2030-09

Show the evidence

Trial

  • NCT02374112
    "Creatine Supplementation in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome"; n 60; "Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI) score"; 2025-12
  • NCT02568878
    "Creatine for Depressed Male and Female Methamphetamine Users"; n 29; "Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD) Scores"; 2017-05
  • NCT05895747
    "5-HTP and Creatine for Depression R33 Phase"; n 106; "17-Item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale"; 2027-09-30
  • NCT06112990
    "Creatine Supplementation and Resistance Training to Preserve Muscle Mass and Attenuate Cancer Progression"; n 200; "Change in total lean mass (kg) as measured by whole-body dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scan from baseline to end-of-study (end of week 52) in the Cr+RT arm compared with the PLA+RT arm"; 2028-11-30
  • NCT06208813
    "Creatine Supplementation in Concussion Recovery"; n 20; "Days to asymptomatic"; 2027-05-31
  • NCT06260007
    "Efficacy and Safety Study of Products Based on Tribulus Terrestris, L. in Men With Oligospermia"; n 204; "Evaluate the effectiveness of each product in men with changes in their spermogram compared to placebo."; 2026-08-17
14 further recorded trials
  • NCT06395506
    "THRIVE Well Cancer FDTN/Exercise_Creatine Supplementation"; n 60; "Change in strength in breast cancer survivors"; 2028-05-31
  • NCT06495567
    "Proof of Concept Creatine Supplementation for Homocystinuria Study"; n 9; "Carbon 13 Oxidation"; 2026-12-01
  • NCT06576466
    "Effect of Supplementation With Creatine on the Recovery of Ischemic Stroke"; n 92; "Physical performance"; 2027-07-01
  • NCT06604793
    "Creatine Supplementation in Young Healthy Adults"; n 42; "Whole-body lean mass (kg)"; 2025-01-31
  • NCT06925880
    "Effect of Micronized Creatine Monohydrate on Muscle Mass, Strength and Performance in Older Adults Submitted to Total Knee Arthroplasty"; n 262; "Change in muscle mass"; 2027-10-31
  • NCT06937190
    "Pre-Sleep Creatine Enhances Anaerobic Power in Recreationally Active Females"; n 24; "Average Power Output (Watts) - 30-Second Wingate Test"; 2025-07-10
  • NCT06948149
    "Creatine and Resistance Training in Older Adults With Mild Cognitive Impairment"; n 140; "Corsi Span - Corsi Block Tapping Task"; 2027-12
  • NCT06992414
    "Exploring the Therapeutic Effects of Creatine Supplementation for Long COVID-19"; n 24; "Oxygen consumption at ventilatory threshold"; 2026-10-31
  • NCT07029243
    "Prehab and Creatine/Whey Supplementation in Frailty Among Patients With Cirrhosis"; n 100; "Frailty"; 2026-12
  • NCT07233707
    "Load and Hold: Impact of 7-Day Creatine Monohydrate Loading on Breath-Hold Cycling Performance"; n 26; "Total Work"; 2026-08-26
  • NCT07275996
    "Neuromuscular and Multi-Omics Synergy of Combined Creatine × HMB Supplementation Plus Exercise to Improve Muscle Function in Sarcopenic Frailty"; n 50; "Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB)"; 2027-05-30
  • NCT07310043
    "Creatine and Perioperative Brain Health"; n 120; "Preoperative cognitive function assessed with the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA)"; 2028-08-30
  • NCT07372144
    "Creatine and Cognitive Health in Patients With Early-stage Breast Cancer During and After Chemotherapy Treatment"; n 227; "Change in patient-reported cognitive function"; 2028-06-01
  • NCT07451496
    "PRecision gerOMedicinE: Tailored Healthy agEing With Lifestyle, sUpplements and drugS (PROMETHEUS)"; n 20; "Change from baseline in cardiorespiratory fitness (VO₂peak)"; 2026-06-30

recorded 2026-09-01 · last checked 2026-09-04

Which running trial of Creatine could settle vo2max?

NCT07451496 measures Change from baseline in cardiorespiratory fitness (VO₂peak), reading out 2026-06-30.

4 open trials; n 20; "PRecision gerOMedicinE: Tailored Healthy agEing With Lifestyle, sUpplements and drugS (PROMETHEUS)"

Show the evidence

Trial

  • NCT07451496
    "PRecision gerOMedicinE: Tailored Healthy agEing With Lifestyle, sUpplements and drugS (PROMETHEUS)"; n 20; "Change from baseline in cardiorespiratory fitness (VO₂peak)"; 2026-06-30
  • NCT07029243
    "Prehab and Creatine/Whey Supplementation in Frailty Among Patients With Cirrhosis"; n 100; "Frailty"; 2026-12
  • NCT07275996
    "Neuromuscular and Multi-Omics Synergy of Combined Creatine × HMB Supplementation Plus Exercise to Improve Muscle Function in Sarcopenic Frailty"; n 50; "Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB)"; 2027-05-30
  • NCT06576466
    "Effect of Supplementation With Creatine on the Recovery of Ischemic Stroke"; n 92; "Physical performance"; 2027-07-01

Which 53 trials of Creatine posted no result?

Posted no result
53 of 53 completed trials
Registrations
NCT00063193, NCT00551434, NCT00140192, NCT00070993, NCT00026988 and NCT00016653, and 47 more
Completion dates
oldest 2005-07; newest 2024-07-03
Show the evidence

Trial

  • NCT00063193
    2005-07
  • NCT00551434
    2005-12
  • NCT00140192
    2006-03
  • NCT00070993
    2006-05
  • NCT00026988
    2006-06
  • NCT00016653
    2006-12
14 further recorded trials
  • NCT00797407
    2006-12
  • NCT00355576
    2007-05
  • NCT01147575
    2009-01
  • NCT01367717
    2009-06
  • NCT00992043
    2010-01
  • NCT01407445
    2011-05
  • NCT01050556
    2011-06
  • NCT01213719
    2011-07
  • NCT01057680
    2012-02
  • NCT00729755
    2012-05
  • NCT00592995
    2012-09
  • NCT01411150
    2012-09
  • NCT01817673
    2013-02
  • NCT01411163
    2013-05

At the median, Creatine's trials enrolled 40 people — anything larger?

Median enrolment
40
Largest enrolment
1741
Registered trials counted
132

What do 139 spontaneous reports say about Creatine — and not say?

These are reports people sent to a regulator. They do not show the medicine caused the reaction. Nobody counted how many people took the medicine and reported nothing. The same event can be reported more than once, and many reports are incomplete. News coverage, lawsuits and new warnings change how often people report. A count is not a rate and not a risk.

Creatine appears in spontaneous reports to regulators. Across the 10 most-reported reaction terms, 139 reaction mentions were counted: coma 24; gastrooesophageal reflux disease 24; pneumonia aspiration 24; somnolence 24. open-targets-adr · CHEMBL283800 · 2026-06-24

Show the evidence
  • coma
    24
  • gastrooesophageal reflux disease
    24
  • pneumonia aspiration
    24
  • somnolence
    24
  • jaundice
    8
  • cholestasis
    7
4 more recorded rows
  • confusional state
    7
  • hyperhidrosis
    7
  • hyperthermia
    7
  • liver injury
    7

recorded 2026-06-24 · last checked 2026-09-04

Was Creatine studied with exercise?

exercise is named in Creatine's label sentences: "In this exploratory pilot trial conducted without structured exercise, GAA supplementation was associated with numerically greater improvements in muscle strength and several muscle-related indices compared with creatine; however, these findings are preliminary and hypothesis-generating and require…" openfda-label+europepmc · 2026-01-01

1 recorded statement; exercise

Show the evidence
  • exercise
    In this exploratory pilot trial conducted without structured exercise, GAA supplementation was associated with numerically greater improvements in muscle strength and several muscle-related indices compared with creatine; however, these findings are preliminary and hypothesis-generating and require confirmation in adequately powered trials targeting sarcopenia.

recorded 2026-01-01 · last checked 2026-09-04

What is recorded about Creatine and AMPK?

"Mechanistically, disruption of creatine metabolism leads to decreased ATP levels, which not only disturbs actin-related protein 2 (ARP2) distribution and inhibits ARP2-mediated assembly of F-actin but also activates AMPK." — where Creatine and AMPK appear together. Europe PMC · pathway abstract search · 2026-07-06

AMPK, mTOR; PMID 42155769, 41077254, 42450333

Show the evidence

AMPK

  • PMID 42155769
    "Mechanistically, disruption of creatine metabolism leads to decreased ATP levels, which not only disturbs actin-related protein 2 (ARP2) distribution and inhibits ARP2-mediated assembly of F-actin but also activates AMPK."
  • PMID 42155769
    "Exogenous supplementation with creatine, YAP agonists, or AMPK inhibitors can partially reverse the aforementioned abnormalities."

mTOR

  • PMID 41077254
    "Additionally, creatine enhanced activation of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR/p70S6K pathway and prevented the ouabain-induced activation of GSK-3β, a kinase involved in mood regulation."
  • PMID 41077254
    "Notably, rapamycin, an mTOR inhibitor, reversed the behavioral effects of creatine, suggesting a mechanistic role for this pathway."
  • "Western blot for relative quantification of protein levels, it was found in this study that creatine could elevate the protein levels of BDNF (Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor) as well as phosphorylated activation of the AKT (Protein Kinase B) /mTOR (Mechanistic Target of Rapamycin Kinase) and the ERK (Extracellular Signal-Regulated Kinase)/p90RSK (90 KDa Ribosomal Protein S6 Kinase) in the…"
  • AMPK PMID 42450333
    "It also involves failure of the creatine kinase/phosphocreatine (CK/PCr) and adenylate kinase/AMP-activated protein kinase (AK-AMPK) systems, which normally support local ATP buffering, high-energy phosphate transfer, and intracellular energy homeostasis."

recorded 2026-07-06 · last checked 2026-09-04

Where it is registered
Identifiers, relations and other names

The exact record

ChEMBL id
CHEMBL283800
PubChem CID
586
CAS number
57-00-1
RxCUI
2907
InChIKey
CVSVTCORWBXHQV-UHFFFAOYSA-N

Relations

Also called
Creatine monohydrate
Also called
Cosmocair c 100, Kreatinum, Neotine, cr, Magnesium Creatine, Tribulus Terrestris
Development code
NSC-8752
Component
Creatine monohydrate
Sources (9)

Sources

3 more sources

ClinicalTrials.gov — US Government work · Europe PMC — metadata only, under the recorded legal gate · Open Targets 26.06 — CC0 · derived from this page's own recorded fields; no external licence · mixed register set; per-register licences in docs/specs/corpus-20k-sources.md · openFDA / DailyMed — US Government work

How these records are assembled · Which registers were checked

Index-quality checks
  • identity passed: no open identity hold
  • required summary fields resolved: 5 required field(s) not terminal: Why people use it, Best-supported result, Most important common problem, Biggest unanswered question, Human evidence
  • public claims reviewed: 0 reviewed claim(s); drafts are never rendered
  • source coverage passed: 9 source rows
  • no critical contamination: no quarantine open
  • canonical metadata passed: slug and display name present
  • no raw internal fields: enforced by the copy-contract test over the rendered page

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