Can Creatine Help Non-Athletes? A Physical Therapist Weighs In

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Creatine may help boost athletes’ ability to perform high-intensity activities like resistance training, sprinting, and jumping.

But can it help others?

Muscle mass declines with age, and the purported benefits of creatine supplements may extend beyond athletes to other people who don’t have a contraindication, said Brian DeVeaux, DPT, of Northwell STARS Rehabilitation and Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York.

While a 2004 randomized trial found that patients did not benefit from creatine 12 weeks after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction, DeVeaux believes the supplement can help improve recovery after injury, especially for people who have been in a brace for some time and haven’t been mobile.

“I think it can help enhance strength gains,” DeVeaux told MedPage Today, noting that patients need more than creatine supplements to support the rehabilitation process.

Creatine might have other benefits. The overall body of literature about creatine and brain health is inconsistent and has significant knowledge gaps, but in a study of 20 Alzheimer’s patients who received creatine monohydrate supplements, brain creatine increased by 11% from baseline over 8 weeks — an outcome that should be interpreted with caution, the researchers said.

Creatine is produced naturally in the body. It helps improve metabolism by regenerating adenosine triphosphate (ATP) from adenosine diphosphate (ADP).

Creatine supplements are not recommended for adolescents due to limited data. Except for people with significant kidney disease, creatine appears to be safe for most adults if it’s accurately labeled, Pieter Cohen, MD, of Cambridge Health Alliance and Harvard Medical School in Boston, said in an interview last year with MedPage Today.

“The problem is that’s not assured, because all creatine is being sold as dietary supplements,” Cohen pointed out.

“Supplements don’t get vetted like pharmaceutical or even over-the-counter medications do,” he said. “Study after study has demonstrated that what’s in a supplement product is not necessarily what’s on the label.” A good way to prevent that would be to buy a supplement that’s verified by a high-quality third-party certification program like the U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP) dietary supplement verification program, he added.

Large clinical trials are not required to promote the benefits of supplements, Cohen noted. “Unlike pharmaceutical drugs, a supplement could be promoted as having health benefits, even when none are proven in humans,” he said.

Individuals need to be aware of what kind of creatine they are buying and how much they are taking, DeVeaux emphasized. The product should be creatine monohydrate, he added. A daily dose of 3 to 5 grams is considered standard.

Creatine users may have gastrointestinal problems like bloating or stomach discomfort, DeVeaux noted. Not staying well-hydrated while taking the supplement can lead to dehydration and cramping.

People who want to use creatine need to start with a good nutrition plan from food and not rely on supplements, DeVeaux observed. Creatine can help “build strength and power,” he stated. But it’s critical to have a solid strength and conditioning program and guidance “on top of that” for creatine to be effective, he said.