Creatine Supplementation Shows No Additional Muscle Growth

A new study led by the University of New South Wales (UNSW) challenges the effectiveness of creatine as a supplement for building muscle during resistance training. The clinical trial, published in Nutrients, involved 54 participants who underwent a 12-week resistance training program. The results showed no significant difference in muscle gain between those who took creatine and those who did not.

Study design and findings

The randomized controlled trial involved participants taking five grams of creatine daily, the recommended maintenance dose. Both the creatine and placebo groups gained an average of two kilograms of lean body mass during the program, which included three supervised resistance training sessions per week.

“We have shown that taking five grams of creatine per day does not make any difference to the amount of lean muscle mass people put on while resistance training,” said Dr. Mandy Hagstrom, senior author of the study from UNSW’s School of Health Sciences.

“The benefits of creatine may have been overestimated in the past, due to methodological problems with previous studies,” she added. 

Creatine, a naturally occurring compound, helps supply energy to muscles. It is produced by the liver, pancreas and kidneys and is found in protein-rich foods. Previous studies have indicated that creatine supplementation can enhance athletic performance and muscle growth, but Hagstrom pointed out that earlier trials did not separate the effects of creatine from those of exercise.

Creatine’s early impact and water retention

In this trial, participants in the creatine group started taking the supplement one week before the exercise program began. The researchers observed that during the first week, those taking creatine gained more lean body mass, particularly women, with an average increase of 0.5 kilograms more than the control group. However, the extra gains were short-lived, and the muscle mass eventually aligned with that of the control group.

“The people taking the creatine supplement saw changes before they even started exercising, which leads us to believe that it wasn’t actual real muscle growth, but potentially fluid retention. Then once they started exercising, they saw no additional benefit from creatine which suggests that five grams per day is not enough if you’re taking it for the purposes of building muscle,” said Hagstrom. 

Comparing with previous studies

Previous trials that did not incorporate a wash-in phase found that participants on creatine gained, on average, one kilogram more muscle than those not taking the supplement. In the current study, researchers expected that the creatine group would gain approximately 3 kgs of muscle over the 12-week period, but the results showed no such increase.

The participants, aged 18 to 50, were relatively healthy individuals who were not meeting the recommended 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week.

All participants followed the same training program and had their body composition measured at several stages using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, a technique that assesses bone mineral density and body fat percentage.

Insights into creatine supplementation

The researchers did not include a loading phase (taking 20 to 25 grams of creatine daily for up to 1 week), which is often used to saturate the body with creatine. This phase can cause gastrointestinal discomfort but is not necessary to reach the maximum creatine storage capacity. Instead, the trial focused on the effects of a more moderate dose of five grams daily.

The findings suggest that higher doses of creatine may be needed to achieve the muscle-building benefits that many athletes and gym-goers expect. The team recommends further research to test higher doses, with 10 grams per day being a potential starting point for future studies.

The need for further research

The study's authors suggest that future research should explore longer study durations, the effects of the menstrual cycle on fluid retention and the absorption rates of creatine.

“It would be really interesting to see if creatine has more of a long-term benefit. When you start weight training, you have those beginner gains in strength and those start tapering off around the 12-week mark and become slower, so it’s possible the support from creatine might come at a later stage.”
Dr. Imtiaz Desai.

Desai also noted that this study could help people manage their expectations about the effectiveness of creatine and caution against the marketing claims of some supplement companies.

“For your average person taking creatine to boost their gains in the gym, this will hopefully change their perception about what it can help them achieve. For professional athletes, particularly those who must be at a particular weight for their sport, the findings may inform how and when they take the supplement,” he added. 

Reference: Desai I, Pandit A, Smith-Ryan AE, et al. The effect of creatine supplementation on lean body mass with and without resistance training. Nutrients. 2025;17(6):1081. doi: 10.3390/nu17061081

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