Should You Take Creatine Supplements?

Creatine is one of the most researched supplements available, and the data continues to support its use well beyond the gym. While most people associate it with muscle and strength, the benefits actually extend much further. Research shows improvements in memory, processing speed, and mental performance, particularly during periods of stress or sleep deprivation.

Who Benefits Most from Creatine

Resistance trainers. If you're engaged in resistance training for muscle growth, creatine is one of the most well-supported supplements you can add to your routine.

Athletes. Those seeking improved high-intensity exercise performance often see measurable gains. Creatine helps reduce fatigue during repeated bouts of intense activity, which matters for anyone doing sprint work, circuit training, or repeated max-effort sets.

Adults over 40. Creatine may be especially useful for combating age-related muscle loss. As natural muscle mass declines with age, creatine's ability to support training performance becomes increasingly relevant.

Vegetarians and vegans. Since creatine comes primarily from meat, vegetarians and vegans tend to have lower baseline creatine stores, which means supplementation may offer a more noticeable benefit for this group.

Women. Women can safely take creatine and often see benefits for both physical and cognitive performance.

How to Take It

If you decide to start taking creatine, there are two common protocols:

1. Steady dosing: 3 to 5 grams daily

2. Loading phase: 20 to 25 grams daily for 5 to 7 days, followed by a maintenance dose of 3 to 5 grams daily

Both approaches saturate muscle stores over time, though the loading phase gets you there faster.

What About Safety?

A massive 2025 safety analysis examined 685 studies involving over 26,000 participants. The findings were reassuring: side effects occurred at the same rate in creatine and placebo groups, with no significant differences across any of the 49 side effects evaluated.

Bottom Line on Creatine

Creatine remains valuable for specific goals unrelated to hormonal effects. Based on the current body of research, creatine does not boost testosterone levels. In fact, 10 of 13 studies show no testosterone changes at all.

The supplement works through well-understood mechanisms involving cellular energy, not hormonal manipulation. If your goal is to raise testosterone naturally, your time is better spent focusing on resistance training, sleep quality, and stress management rather than expecting creatine to move the needle on hormone production.

Ultimately, creatine remains one of the most effective supplements available for strength, muscle mass, and cognitive function, thanks to its central role in ATP production, the body's primary energy currency.

A Quick Note on Plastic Water Bottles

While we're on the topic of what you're putting into your body, it's worth mentioning plastic. If you can, switch to glass or other non-plastic drinking water containers. Emerging research, including studies published in Nature Medicine, has found plastic particles in the brain, kidneys, and arteries. Nanoplastics, due to their smaller size, appear to pose an even greater concern than microplastics. If you do need to buy water in a plastic bottle, be aware that some popular brands, like SMART Water, tend to be among the less favorable plastic options.