Creatine is a natural supplement frequently used to enhance athletic performance. But creatine is more than that—it can also improve brain function and accelerate muscle growth. Let’s see what science says.
Supplemented creatine promotes greater strength gains compared to placebo. Increases in bench press strength of up to 45% were observed, and performance improvements in weightlifting on the bench press ranged between 16% and 43%. This concludes that creatine supplementation during resistance training is more effective at increasing muscle strength and lifting performance than resistance training alone. [1]
Other studies have shown that creatine supplementation can improve lower and upper limb strength, regardless of the training protocol. [2][3]
Studies analyzed creatine supplementation in short-distance runners and found significant improvements in speed in various types of sprints, while no effect was observed in the placebo group. This improvement in sprint performance suggests a greater energy availability for exercise execution. Another study involving athletes also demonstrated creatine’s ability to significantly enhance physical performance in high-intensity exercises. [4][5][6]
Several studies investigated the effects of creatine use on lean mass. The results revealed a significant increase in both lean mass and muscle strength, with these effects observed in both young individuals and older adults. [6][7]
In a randomized and controlled study involving 45 young adults, it was shown that taking 5g of creatine daily significantly improved memory and intelligence (using the Raven's Matrices), two areas that require mental processing power. This leads to the conclusion that creatine may indeed play a fundamental role in brain energy. [8]
