Creatine overview: effects, intake, dosage and frequently asked questions

Creatine is a substance produced naturally by the body, formed among other things from the amino acids glycine, L-arginine and L-methionine. The largest proportion of the body’s own creatine is found in the skeletal muscles. There, it is mainly stored in the form of phosphocreatine.

Phosphocreatine, also known as creatine phosphate, plays an important role in the rapid provision of energy. During short and intense efforts such as sprints or jumps, the muscles need a lot of adenosine triphosphate, or ATP for short, within a very short time. ATP is the most important energy carrier in our cells.

However, ATP stores in the muscles are limited. Phosphocreatine helps to quickly restore used ATP. This is exactly where creatine supplementation comes in: regular intake can increase creatine stores in the muscles.

We mainly absorb creatine through meat and fish in our diet. Plant-based foods, on the other hand, contain hardly any creatine. People who follow a vegetarian or vegan diet therefore sometimes have lower creatine levels in the blood and muscles. However, how strongly this becomes noticeable varies from person to person.

Effect on physical performance

The best-studied effect of creatine concerns physical performance. Especially during repeated, short and high-intensity efforts, an adequate creatine supply can be beneficial.

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has approved the following health claim:

Creatine increases physical performance in successive bursts of short-term, high-intensity exercise. The beneficial effect is obtained with a daily intake of 3 g of creatine.

With better-filled creatine stores, energy can be provided more quickly during such efforts. For example, you may be able to perform one more repetition or maintain your performance over a longer period of time.

However, creatine alone does not automatically lead to better training results. Just as important are regular training, a balanced diet and sufficient recovery.

Effect on brain function

Creatine also plays a role in the brain, as nerve cells continuously require energy to process information, transmit signals and maintain cognitive functions such as concentration or memory. Creatine supports the energy supply of the cells and may be especially helpful during high mental strain.

Studies indicate that creatine supplementation may have positive effects on memory performance and cognitive performance under certain conditions – for example, during sleep deprivation or high mental demands. However, in healthy adults with a balanced diet and sufficient sleep, the results are not yet clear. This area is currently still being researched.

Creatine is particularly interesting for people whose training includes short and intense efforts that require a lot of strength quickly.

These include, for example:

• strength athletes
• sprinters
• athletes from explosive strength sports
• people who regularly train at high intensity
• vegetarian or vegan athletes

Creatine is by no means only suitable for men. Creatine can also be a useful addition for women – especially with regular strength training or other intense forms of exercise. In addition, various studies are investigating whether creatine can offer additional benefits during periods of hormonal change (e.g., the menstrual cycle, (peri-)menopause). You can learn more about women and creatine in this blog post.

Four Myths About Creatine

What is a loading phase? A loading phase refers to taking a higher dose of creatine over several days (often about 20 g per day, divided into several doses) in order to replenish creatine stores as quickly as possible.

The best-studied form of creatine is creatine monohydrate. It is considered the standard among creatine supplements.

Creatine monohydrate stands out due to:

• extensive scientific data
• well-studied tolerability
• good value for money
• high bioavailability

Other forms such as creatine HCL or creatine citrate are sometimes advertised with better absorption, higher solubility or a lower dosage. So far, however, there is no evidence that these forms are more effective than creatine monohydrate when the creatine amount is comparable.

In short: creatine monohydrate is well studied and the first choice for most people.

Creapure® is not a separate form of creatine, but a protected branded raw material for creatine monohydrate. The raw material is manufactured in Germany and, according to the manufacturer Alzchem Group, tested batch by batch. The company states a purity of at least 99.9%.

This means: Creapure® is not automatically better than every other pure creatine monohydrate. However, it can be a good choice if a well-known branded raw material with manufactured in Germany is important to you.

Once again in brief: Creapure® is creatine monohydrate – but not every creatine monohydrate is automatically Creapure®.

Kre-Alkalyn® is a buffered form of creatine. The raw material is processed in such a way that a higher pH value is achieved. This is intended to make the creatine more stable and better absorbed by the body. Kre-Alkalyn® is also sometimes advertised with the claim that smaller amounts are sufficient and that it is better tolerated.

However, in a comparative study, Kre-Alkalyn® did not lead to greater changes in creatine stores or better results in physical performance than creatine monohydrate.

For most users, creatine monohydrate therefore remains the best-studied and most obvious choice.

Creatine should be taken daily – also on rest days. The exact time of intake, on the other hand, plays a minor role. Whether you take creatine in the morning, evening, before training or after training is less important than taking it every day.

After all, the aim of taking creatine is not a short-term effect immediately after consumption. The goal is rather to keep the creatine stores in the muscles permanently increased.

A so-called loading phase is not absolutely necessary for this. Creatine stores can also be filled with a smaller amount taken regularly. It simply takes a little longer.

Tip: You can also stir creatine powder into juice or your protein shake.

For daily intake, 3 to 5 g of creatine monohydrate is usually recommended. Even with a body weight of 80 kg, these amounts are sufficient. A higher amount does not automatically lead to a stronger effect.

That is why both our creatine capsules and our creatine powder are based on a daily dosage of 3 to 4.5 g. This amount is based on scientific recommendations and is sufficient to keep creatine stores filled in the long term.

Creatine is considered very well tolerated in the usual dosages. Nevertheless, some people may experience unwanted effects:

Slight weight gain due to water retention in the muscles

Body weight may increase slightly, especially at the beginning of supplementation. This weight gain is not caused by an increase in body fat, but mainly by water retention within the muscle cells.

As a result, the muscles may appear slightly fuller. How much body weight changes varies from person to person.

Possible digestive discomfort with high single doses

Very high single doses – especially during a loading phase – can occasionally lead to stomach pain, nausea or diarrhoea in sensitive individuals.

In this case, it can help to divide the daily amount into several smaller portions or to avoid a loading phase altogether.

European Commission: Commission Regulation (EU) No 432/2012 establishing a list of permitted health claims made on foods.

Kreider, R. B. et al. (2017): International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: safety and efficacy of creatine supplementation in exercise, sport, and medicine. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 14, 18. DOI: 10.1186/s12970-017-0173-z.

Jagim, A. R. et al. (2012): A buffered form of creatine does not promote greater changes in muscle creatine content, body composition, or training adaptations than creatine monohydrate. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 9, 43. DOI: 10.1186/1550-2783-9-43.

Dinan, N. E. et al. (2022): Effects of creatine monohydrate timing on resistance training adaptations and body composition after 8 weeks in male and female collegiate athletes. Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, 4, 1033842. DOI: 10.3389/fspor.2022.1033842.

Alzchem Trostberg GmbH: What is Creapure®? Manufacturer information on production, purity and quality control of the creatine monohydrate branded raw material.