Creatine for Strength, Ageing and Brain Health: What the Evidence Really Says

Creatine has been a staple in bodybuilding circles for decades - the classic “gym bro” supplement for bigger lifts, faster sprints and more muscle. But recently it has broken out of the gym and into mainstream health culture. Endurance athletes, recreational exercisers, older adults and especially midlife women are being encouraged to use creatine to support strength, healthy ageing and even brain performance.

Some of these claims are well supported. Others, especially around cognition, are still unfolding. This guide explains what creatine actually does, how it works and whether it’s worth adding to your routine.

What Is Creatine?

Creatine is a natural compound made in the liver and kidneys from amino acids, and you also get small amounts from food. Meat and seafood provide around a gram a day, but population-level data shows that nearly 70% of adults consume less than that, especially those who eat little or no meat. Creatine supplements contain a far higher amount than food can provide. For example, a standard 5 g serving is equivalent to the creatine in 1.1 kg of steak.

Creatine monohydrate is the form used in the vast majority of research. It’s affordable, stable and consistently effective, which is why it’s the recommended version for both athletes and everyday exercisers.

How Creatine Works in the Body

Creatine’s main job is to support the rapid regeneration of ATP, the fuel system your muscles rely on for short, powerful bursts of energy. When you sprint, jump, lift or perform repeated high-intensity efforts, your muscles draw on stored phosphocreatine to sustain those movements. Supplementation raises these stores by about 20%, allowing you to train harder, recover more quickly between sets and maintain quality across multiple efforts.

These effects are particularly noticeable for people who begin with lower creatine stores, such as vegetarians, vegans, older adults and many women. Those with more fast-twitch muscle fibres (the kind used for sprinting or lifting) also tend to respond strongly.

How to Take Creatine

There are two evidence-backed approaches. A loading phase of around 20 g a day for five to seven days saturates your muscles quickly, after which a daily dose of 3–5 g maintains those levels. Alternatively, you can skip loading and simply take 3–5 g a day from the start; saturation takes a little longer but is often easier on the stomach. Both methods work, so it simply depends on how fast you want results.

Responders and Non-Responders

Not everyone responds to creatine in the same way. Around a quarter of people show only small increases in muscle creatine after supplementing. This can happen if someone already eats a lot of meat, has fewer fast-twitch fibres or naturally stores more creatine. Genetics may also influence how well creatine is transported into muscle. Importantly, a smaller response doesn’t mean creatine “doesn’t work”, just that the effect may be less pronounced.

Creatine for Endurance Athletes

Although creatine is best known for strength and power, it isn’t useless for endurance sports. It does not reliably boost long, steady-state performance such as marathons or long-distance cycling. But endurance events often involve climbs, surges, accelerations, changes of pace or finishing sprints, all of which rely on short bursts of high-intensity energy. In these situations, creatine may help maintain power or improve recovery between intense efforts. Many endurance athletes also find creatine useful during high-intensity interval training blocks.

Creatine and the Brain

Creatine isn’t only stored in muscle - the brain uses it too. Your brain makes its own creatine, and for most people that production is enough for day-to-day function. Supplementation can increase brain creatine modestly, though much less dramatically than in muscle, and the response varies widely between individuals.

Research suggests that creatine may offer a small cognitive benefit under demanding conditions. Studies have reported improvements in memory, reasoning and processing speed, particularly when people are sleep-deprived, mentally fatigued or performing challenging cognitive tasks. People who start with lower stores, such as vegetarians or older adults, may be more likely to notice these effects.

There is also early interest in whether creatine might help protect the brain after injury, such as concussion. Findings so far are intriguing but preliminary, and much more rigorous research is needed before firm conclusions can be drawn.

A practical note of caution

Creatine is increasingly marketed to midlife and menopausal women as a brain-health supplement. While the research so far is promising, the evidence in these groups is still limited and mixed. It is not currently accurate to claim that creatine can prevent cognitive decline or is essential for menopausal brain function. Another challenge is dosing: raising brain creatine seems to require higher or longer supplementation than increasing muscle creatine, and optimal strategies for cognitive outcomes remain unclear.

In short: creatine may support cognition in certain situations, but it should not be treated as a guaranteed brain booster.

Is Creatine Safe?

A large review of over 685 human studies found creatine to be very safe at recommended doses. Side effects were no more common than with placebo. Many people notice a small increase in body weight (usually 1–2 kg) as water is drawn into muscle cells; this is part of creatine’s mechanism, not fat gain.

Anyone with existing kidney disease should seek medical advice before using creatine.

Should You Take It?

If you do any form of resistance training, sprinting or repeated high-intensity bursts, creatine is one of the few supplements with consistently strong evidence behind it. But it’s not a substitute for the fundamentals. Strength training, good nutrition, sleep and movement will always have the biggest impact. Creatine simply enhances the progress you’re already making.

Aim for two or three strength sessions each week, using bodyweight exercises, resistance bands or weights. If the final reps feel challenging, you’re already doing the key work for your muscles, bones and brain, and creatine may give you a small but meaningful boost on top.