The Creatine Craze!

May 12, 2026/inStudent Blogs

By Alice Schmid

A top-down view of a bright blue surface covered with a scattered pile of fine white powder. The word "CREATINE" is traced into the center of the powder, revealing the blue background underneath. The powder has a textured, grainy appearance with soft edges spreading toward the frame.

Featured on countless TikToks and fitness posts, creatine has become the supplement of the moment. But behind the hype, creatine is actually a simple molecule our bodies already make—one that helps our muscles and brains recycle energy more efficiently. Here, we’ll unpack what creatine really does, who might benefit from it, and how it fits into a lifestyle‑medicine approach to health.

What Is Creatine and What Does It Do?

We get creatine when our bodies make it from amino acids, from eating foods like meat and fish. About 95% of the creatine in the body is stored in skeletal muscle, where it is helpful for quickly regenerating ATP during short, intense efforts like heavy lifts or sprints. Supplementing with creatine monohydrate increases creatine stores and improves high‑intensity exercise capacity and training volume, which is why the International Society of Sports Nutrition calls it one of the most effective ergogenic aids available.

Lifestyle medicine is built on m—not supplements. Creatine does not replace the important pillars of lifestyle medicine, movement, nutrition, sleep, stress management, substance avoidance, and social connection, but it can support them by making resistance training more effective and helping with muscle maintenance, strength, and functional capacity across the lifespan. Emerging evidence suggests that creatine may also have additional benefits in brain health for aging adults.

What Creatine Doesn’t Do

Creatine is not a fat‑loss supplement and does not substitute for strength training, adequate protein intake, or sleep. It can slightly increase body weight due to greater water content in muscle, which is normal and not the same as gaining fat. Current research on cognition shows some promising results, but creatine is not a proven treatment for cognitive disorders, and findings across studies are still mixed.

Who Seems to Benefit Most?

People who appear to benefit the most from creatine include:

  • Individuals doing regular strength or power training (e.g., weightlifting, sprinting, high‑intensity sports), where creatine improves high‑intensity performance and training volume.
  • Older adults participating in resistance training, as creatine can help preserve muscle mass, strength, and daily function.
  • People with low dietary creatine intake (such as some vegetarians and vegans), who tend to have lower baseline creatine stores and may see relatively larger performance gains with supplementation.

Take-Away Points

Creatine monohydrate is one of the most studied and effective supplements for increasing high‑intensity exercise capacity and supporting gains in lean mass when combined with resistance training.

  • It may offer additional benefits for healthy aging, including supporting muscle function and possibly aspects of cognition in older adults, but more high‑quality research is needed.
  • The greatest benefits are seen in people who are already engaging in or starting regular strength training, older adults aiming to maintain function, and those with low dietary creatine intake.
  • Creatine is generally safe at recommended doses, but medical conditions and medications should always be discussed with a healthcare professional.
  • Lifestyle fundamentals should take priority, but supplements can be complementary; creatine is best used as an addition to movement, nourishing food, sleep, stress management, and social connection.

Works Cited

Wax, B., Kerksick, C. M., Jagim, A. R., Mayo, J. J., Lyons, B. C., & Kreider, R. B. (2021). Creatine for exercise and sports performance, with recovery considerations for healthy populations. Nutrients, 13(6), 1915. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13061915

Mayo Clinic Staff. (2023, December 13). Creatine. Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements-creatine/art-20347591

Rawson, E. S. (2018). The safety and efficacy of creatine monohydrate supplementation: What we have learned from the past 25 years of research. Sports Science Exchange, 186. Gatorade Sports Science Institute. https://www.gssiweb.org/sports-science-exchange/article/the-safety-and-efficacy-of-creatine-mo nohydrate-supplementation-what-we-have-learned-from-the-past-25-years-of-research

Kreider, R. B., Kalman, D. S., Antonio, J., Ziegenfuss, T. N., Wildman, R., Collins, R., … Lopez, H. L. (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, Article 18. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12970-017-0173-z

Cleveland Clinic. (2023, April 26). Creatine: What it does, benefits, supplements & safety. Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/17674-creatine

LeWine, H. E. (2024, March 20). What is creatine? Potential benefits and risks of this popular supplement. Harvard Health Publishing. https://www.health.harvard.edu/exercise-and-fitness/what-is-creatine-potential-benefits-and-risks -of-this-popular-supplement

Kreider, R. B., Gonzalez, D. E., Hines, K., Gil, A., & Bonilla, D. A. (2025). Safety of creatine supplementation: Analysis of the prevalence of reported side effects in clinical trials and adverse event reports. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 22(sup1), Article 2488937. https://doi.org/10.1080/15502783.2025.2488937