Creatine monohydrate is one of the few supplements that routinely survives a sceptical read. It can improve high-intensity performance, help maintain muscle during training, and appears safe for healthy adults at ordinary doses. It is also being studied for cognition and for older adults losing muscle — with promising early findings and the usual risk of overclaim.
Women were under-represented in the early sports studies. That is changing, and with it the assumption that creatine is a lads’ powder. Vegetarians, whose diets contain less creatine from meat, may see a larger effect. A typical dose is 3–5g a day of the monohydrate, not a mystery blend with a trademark.
It is not a fat-burner. It can draw water into muscle, which some people mistake for sudden bulk. People with kidney disease should speak to a clinician, not a group chat.
“The evidence in the gym is solid. The evidence in the clinic is emerging. Those are different sentences,” said Dr Patel.
If you buy it, buy the boring stuff. The gold is in the data, not in the tub’s flavour architecture.