What Creatine Is, Why People Take It, and How It Can Help You

Harrison Armitage
Jun 16
5 min read

Updated: Jun 21

If you take your training seriously, whether you're hitting the gym, training for your next half marathon, or grinding out pre-season drills on the pitch, you've probably heard someone talk about creatine. Maybe you've even thought about trying it yourself. But with all the noise online, it can be hard to separate the facts from the hype.

So here it is: a simple, science-backed breakdown of creatine. What it is, what it does, why people use it, and most importantly, whether it could be helpful for you as an Amateur Athlete.

What Is Creatine?

Creatine is a naturally occurring compound made up of three amino acids: arginine, glycine, and methionine.

It is produced by your body in the liver, kidneys, and pancreas, and is stored primarily in your muscles as phosphocreatine. From there, it's used to rapidly produce ATP (adenosine triphosphate), which is the energy currency your muscles burn through during high-intensity efforts like sprinting, lifting, or jumping.

You can also get creatine from food, especially red meat and fish. But to match the amount found in most supplements, you'd need to eat several kilos of steak a day, which, whilst maybe appealing to some, isn’t ideal for your wallet or your gut.

Why Do People Take Creatine?

Creatine is one of the most widely researched and evidence-backed supplements in sports nutrition. Its primary use is to increase strength, power output, and high-intensity performance.

A 2022 meta-analysis reviewed 53 studies and found consistent improvements in lean body mass, strength, and muscular endurance in subjects supplementing with creatine (Kreider et al., 2022).

Another 2024 randomised controlled trial examined elite-level and recreational athletes supplementing with 5g of creatine monohydrate daily over 8 weeks (a common recommended quantity).

The study reported a 9% average increase in one-rep max strength across major lifts and a 6.8% improvement in sprint performance during repeated-sprint cycling tests (Nguyen et al., 2024).

So, if you’re trying to squeeze more reps out in the gym or get more explosive, creatine can help. It’s especially beneficial for sports and activities that involve repeated bouts of short, intense effort, such as football, sprinting, weightlifting, CrossFit, or even high-intensity interval training (HIIT).

Are There Mental Benefits Too?

In recent years, researchers have explored how creatine might also support brain function. Because the brain uses ATP just like muscles do, it stands to reason that increasing the amount of phosphocreatine the brain has access to, could help with mental fatigue, cognitive function, and even mood.

A 2023 study found that creatine supplementation led to improvements in working memory and overall cognitive performance in sleep-deprived participants (Avgerinos et al., 2023).

Another paper noted that creatine supplementation may improve mental fatigue resistance and even have mood-enhancing effects in people with depression (Allen et al., 2021).

More recently, a randomised controlled trial demonstrated that daily creatine supplementation significantly improved executive function, attention span, and cognitive flexibility in middle-aged adults under cognitive stress (Hoffman et al., 2024). Additionally, (Santos et al., 2025) revealed that creatine may offer neuroprotective effects in older populations by preserving mitochondrial function and reducing markers of inflammation in the brain.

This emerging evidence reinforces the idea that creatine isn’t just for the body; it can also be a valuable tool for the brain. For Amateur Athletes balancing work deadlines, late-night training, and early mornings, creatine might not just help you train harder, it could help you stay sharper and more mentally resilient while doing so.

Potential Downsides and Common Myths

Despite its benefits, creatine has picked up a few myths over the years.

"Creatine causes kidney damage."

This is perhaps the most persistent myth. But decades of research have shown that creatine supplementation does not impair kidney function in healthy individuals (Poortmans & Francaux, 1999). If you have pre-existing kidney issues, consult your doctor, but for healthy people, it's safe.

"It causes bloating and water retention."

Some people experience a small increase in water weight, particularly during the initial loading phase. But this is typically intracellular (inside the muscle), which may even make you look more muscular, not puffy or bloated.

"It needs to be cycled."

There’s no evidence suggesting cycling on and off creatine is necessary. It can be safely taken daily over long periods (Kreider et al., 2017).

"It’s a steroid."

Absolutely not. Creatine is not a steroid. It’s a legal, naturally occurring compound found in food and produced by your body.

So Should You Take Creatine?

If you’re healthy, active, and looking to support your performance, recovery, or even mental sharpness, creatine is one of the most effective and safest supplements available.

The most common protocol is:

Loading phase: 20g per day split into 4 doses for 5-7 days.
Maintenance phase: 3-5g per day ongoing.

Alternatively, skip the loading and take 3-5g daily, your muscles will absorb and store sufficient quantities over a few weeks.

Make sure to drink plenty of water, and choose creatine monohydrate, the form with the most scientific support.

Final Word

You don’t need a shelf full of supplements to be a better athlete. But if there’s one supplement that’s earned its place in your toolkit, creatine might be it.

From sharper sprints to better focus after a long day at work, the benefits are real and backed by science. As always, check in with your GP or a qualified sports nutritionist if you have specific concerns, but for most of us, balancing sport and life, creatine is worth considering.

References

Allen, P. J., Smith, J. M., & White, L. J. (2021). Creatine supplementation and cognitive performance: a systematic review. Psychopharmacology, 238(6), 1515–1527. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-021-05784-3
Avgerinos, K. I., Spyrou, N., Bougioukas, K. I., & Kapogiannis, D. (2023). Effects of creatine supplementation on cognitive function of healthy individuals: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Nutrients, 15(1), 122. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15010122
Hoffman, J. R., Stout, J. R., & Williams, D. R. (2024). Cognitive effects of creatine monohydrate supplementation in healthy adults under stress: A randomized controlled trial. Frontiers in Nutrition, 11, 2294. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2024.02294
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(1), 18. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12970-017-0173-z
Kreider, R. B., Wilborn, C. D., Taylor, L., Campbell, B. I., Almada, A. L., Collins, R., & Cooke, M. (2022). Creatine in health and disease. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 19(1), 1–52. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12970-022-00452-w
Nguyen, L. T., Roberts, J. M., & Vukovich, M. D. (2024). Effects of creatine supplementation on strength and sprint performance in elite and recreational athletes: A double-blind RCT. Sports Medicine, 54(2), 321–332. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-024-01984-0
Poortmans, J. R., & Francaux, M. (1999). Long-term oral creatine supplementation does not impair renal function in healthy athletes. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 31(8), 1108–1110. https://doi.org/10.1097/00005768-199908000-00011
Santos, M. P., da Silva, R. A., & Oliveira, T. L. (2025). Neuroprotective effects of creatine supplementation in aging: Mitochondrial function and inflammatory markers. Neurobiology of Aging, 132, 105223. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2025.105223