Creatine test: Which creatine is the best?

Creatine is considered the most popular and best-studied sports supplement. Strength athletes in particular swear by creatine. No wonder - because as a component of creatine phosphate, together with ATP, it is particularly important for the muscles as an energy reserve.

You can find out exactly how creatine works here.

Numerous scientific studies have shown that taking creatine increases physical performance during high-speed strength training as part of short-term intensive physical activity. The prerequisite for this effect is that at least 3 g of creatine is taken per day in order to sufficiently replenish the body's own stores. But which form of creatine is the best? There are many different creatine products on the market. In addition to creatine monohydrate, you can also find creatine alkaline or creatine hydrochloride (HCL), for example.

List of ingredients:

• Creatine monohydrate: the most common, but also the best form?
• Creapure® - the best creatine monohydrate
• Kre-Alkalyn: buffered creatine
• Creatine HCL
• Creatine intake: how to take creatine correctly
• Creatine test: conclusion

Creatine monohydrate: the most common, but also the best form

Creatine monohydrate is considered the most commonly used and best creatine. Many strength athletes and bodybuilders use the supplement to support their training. Creatine monohydrate is easily absorbed by the body, is stable and effective and is therefore perfect for use in dietary supplements. However, there are also differences in creatine monohydrate, for example in terms of purity, solubility or origin.

Creapure® - the best creatine monohydrate

Creapure® is considered the best creatine monohydrate. Creapure® is the brand name for a creatine monohydrate that is characterized by its particularly high purity and optimal solubility. It consists of 99.99 % creatine monohydrate. Creapure® is produced exclusively by the company AlzChem Trostberg GmbH in Bavaria. It is therefore a protected term, like Tempo® for handkerchiefs or Labello® for lip care. If you look out for the name Creapure® when buying, you can be sure that your creatine monohydrate is not only of the highest purity, but has also been produced in Germany. Creapure® is also on the Cologne List® and is therefore regularly tested for selected doping substances.

Another important factor that speaks in favor of creatine monohydrate as the best creatine: The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) explicitly refers to the intake of creatine monohydrate in its safety assessment of creatine. Creatine monohydrate is therefore not only the best, but also the safest form of creatine.

Kre-Alkalyn: buffered creatine

Kre-Alkalyn is also frequently found among creatine products. This is so-called buffered creatine, which is made from creatine monohydrate. Kre-Alkalyn is mixed with an alkaline additive (e.g. sodium carbonate) so that the pH value is higher than with normal creatine monohydrate. This should mean that less creatine is broken down into ineffective creatinine by the acidic stomach acid and less Kre-Alkalyn needs to be taken. Water retention and side effects such as bloating are said to occur less frequently. However, this theory has not been proven by studies. It would also mean that "normal" creatine monohydrate would be ineffective or less effective. Numerous studies and the experience of many athletes contradict this. Products with Kre-Alkalyn have not established themselves in the weight training sector. They are usually significantly more expensive, but do not offer much added value compared to the cheaper creatine monohydrate.

Creatine HCL

The next form in our creatine test is creatine hydrochloride (HCL for short). Here, a hydrochloride group is added to the creatine, making it more soluble and easier to absorb. Creatine HCL has only been on the market for around 10 years. There have not yet been any studies on whether it is better than creatine monohydrate. What can be said with certainty, however: The products are significantly more expensive than supplements with creatine monohydrate.

Creatine intake: How do I take creatine correctly? The most important thing when taking creatine is to take it daily. This is the only way to ensure that the creatine depots are sufficiently filled and the performance-enhancing effect is noticeable. The daily dose should contain at least 3 g of creatine monohydrate. Whether taken as capsules or powder is irrelevant. It is often recommended that creatine should be taken together with sugary drinks (e.g. juice), as this promotes absorption into the muscle cells. However, there is no scientific basis for these recommendations.

Creatine leads to water retention, so care should be taken to ensure sufficient fluid intake (2-3 liters per day).

You can find out why creatine leads to water retention and weight gain here.

Creatine test: conclusion

Creatine is almost indispensable in weight training. There are only conclusive studies on the effect and safety of creatine monohydrate. This makes creatine monohydrate the clear test winner in our creatine test.

In order to set themselves apart from the competition and secure a large share of the creatine pie, manufacturers are constantly bringing "improved" forms of creatine monohydrate onto the market. So far, however, no conclusive studies have been able to prove that any other form of creatine is more effective than creatine monohydrate.

Nutri-Plus creatine powder and capsules
Our creatine monohydrate is vegan and therefore free from lactose or cholesterol.