7 Reasons To Take Creatine & How To Find Your Ideal Dose

Creatine has been one of the most widely used sports supplements for decades, but there are still a lot of misconceptions about it. Namely, there's confusion around who should be taking it, and how much they're supposed to take. It turns out that more isn't always better with creatine, but many people—particularly women—could benefit from adding a creatine supplement into their daily routine.

Creatine is a naturally occurring compound derived from the amino acids glycine, arginine, and methionine that plays a role in energy production during high-intensity, short-duration activities such as weightlifting, sprinting, and other forms of physical exercise. Its main function is to help produce adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the body's primary energy currency. 

Creatine is considered a nonessential nutrient because it is found in small amounts in certain foods and can be made within the human body. The top creatine-containing foods4 are herring (3.0 to 4.5 grams per pound), pork (2.3 grams per pound), beef (2 grams per pound), and salmon (2 grams per pound).

Creatine is one of the most thoroughly studied and widely used dietary supplements for enhancing exercise and sports performance. Creatine supplementation may also have therapeutic and clinical applications, making it a subject of ongoing study.

While you can get creatine from foods like red meat and fish, the amount you'd have to eat to optimize your creatine stores and take advantage of creatine's benefits exceeds what most people can (and should) safely eat. 

"One pound of uncooked beef and salmon provides about 1-2 grams of creatine, which can cover about half of the body's daily need for creatine5," says Emily N. Werner, Ph.D., R.D., CSSD, a registered dietitian and exercise physiologist. "In order to achieve supplemental dosages of creatine, you would need to eat five or more pounds of raw beef or salmon per day." 

Werner adds that an argument could be made that females need creatine supplementation more than males. "Females typically have 70-80% lower creatine stores6 than males. Females [also] typically consume less dietary creatine (e.g., red meat7) than males." 

Decades of research5 have demonstrated that creatine is safe and effective for increasing power output and anaerobic endurance for explosive and high-intensity movements like sprinting, jumping, and powerlifting.

While creatine is well-known for its performance-enhancing effects, research has shown5 that creatine supplementation may also enhance post-exercise recovery, help with injury prevention and rehabilitation, and may offer concussion and spinal cord neuroprotection. 

"Creatine may help you recover strength faster after an acute injury or being immobilized for a period of time," says Spano. "Some research also suggests creatine may help decrease the damaging effects of a concussion9."

Researchers have been investigating the potential antidepressive effects9 of creatine since the 1980s. Although more research is needed, some evidence suggests that creatine may help individuals manage some types of depression and anxiety disorders. 

"Creatine may have a positive effect on brain chemistry and energetics, supporting the theory that creatine could positively affect sleep, cognition, depression, and mood disorders," explains Werner. "With depression rates in females being twice that of males10, this is one more aspect in which females may benefit more than males from creatine supplementation." 

Women who have reached menopause may find that supplementing with creatine helps support healthy bones and skeletal muscle.

"During pregnancy, the increase in metabolic demand by the placenta typically results in a decreased creatine pool. This could be associated with low birth weight and preterm births," explains Werner. "There is animal-study evidence showing creatine supplementation during pregnancy12 may be beneficial for birth outcomes. However, there are not yet human clinical trials to support this." 

That said, there may be some circumstances where higher creatine doses are recommended. For example, Werner says athletes with a larger body size may benefit from supplementing up to 10 grams daily for maintenance. 

"For those who might be looking to 'load' creatine in an attempt to reduce muscle losses in a time of injury, or for surgery, the recommendation is to consume about 0.3 gram per kilogram of body weight per day for three to seven days5, followed by the 3- to 5-gram-per-day recommendation," adds Jones.

You do not need to cycle or take weeks off from creatine supplements. Studies have shown that long-term supplementation5 of up to 30 grams daily for five years is safe and well tolerated in healthy individuals.

Taking a "loading dose" entails taking more of the supplement briefly to maximize your body's creatine stores before moving on to a lower-maintenance dose.

A typical loading dose5 is 0.3 gram per kilogram of body weight of creatine monohydrate for five to seven days, followed by 3 to 5 grams per day after that for maintenance. 

"For those interested in creatine for general wellness, potential endurance benefits, or increasing muscular strength and power as a lifestyle goal, loading is not necessary," caveats Jones. "For a powerlifting athlete who may not already take creatine and recognize its benefits with a short window of training before competition, loading is worth it." 

If you take a non-loading dose of creatine supplements (3-5 grams per day), slowly increasing your muscle creatine stores will take about three to four weeks depending on the individual. You also need to ensure you're getting adequate amounts of protein in your diet to support muscle gain during this time (and always!).

While creatine has been supplemented in doses of up to 30 grams per day for five years5 without clinically significant or serious adverse effects, Spano recommends limiting yourself to a maximum of 10 grams of creatine at one time. "Some people may notice a little bit of stomach upset if they take more than 10 grams in a single sitting," she explains. 

One of the biggest fears people, especially women, have about supplementing with creatine is the possibility of gaining weight or getting bloated. This might be a short-term side effect when loading creatine, but it doesn't appear to be an issue for those who supplement with a moderate 3-5 grams per day. 

"Individuals who weigh themselves regularly may notice a couple of extra pounds on the scale, but this is due to an increase in fluid in muscle cells," explains Jones.

Some health experts believe that a balanced diet provides adequate creatine and that supplementing with additional creatine is unnecessary because creatine is not an essential nutrient. However, there are some faults to this logic.

"While we do make very small amounts of creatine in the body, it cannot be made in quantities that show benefits in research," says Jones. "Creatine also can be obtained from meat and fish, but a 4-ounce serving of salmon and beef each provide only 0.5 gram of creatine, with up to 30% of creatine lost in the cooking process. You would need to eat an unhealthy amount of animal protein to meet the 3-5 grams per day needed to see a benefit, and you would not be able to safely load if that was important for you."

There is also a misconception that anyone with kidney dysfunction should not supplement creatine, but Werner says this myth has been dispelled by decades of research13 showing chronic creatine supplementation had no effect on kidney function. 

Another reason some health experts do not recommend taking supplemental creatine is the concept that some people are creatine "nonresponders."

Creatine has research-backed therapeutic and clinical applications for musculoskeletal and neurological health. Though the body makes a bit of it on its own, supplementing with creatine daily can help bolster athletic performance, muscle health, brain health, and mood.

Creatine has been wrongly marketed as a "man's supplement" for years. On the contrary, there is research to suggest that it might be even more beneficial for women—especially during menopause, and potentially during pregnancy (though we need more research to be sure).

When it comes to dosing, most people will want to consume 3-5 grams daily to reap the benefits of this supplement. Some extreme athletes and bodybuilders may opt to take higher doses when training for a big event. However, "loading" on creatine won't be necessary for the average person, and it could cause temporary bloating and weight gain. With creatine, more isn't always better: Be sure to stay under 10 grams of creatine a day to avoid stomach upset.

As with any food, supplement, or compound, it is possible to have a negative reaction to creatine. But very serious allergic reactions to creatine is rare, and decades of research5 supports creatine's safety, including in children and adolescents. 

That said, Jones suggests adding new foods or supplements in isolation (i.e., not trying a bunch of new things at once) so that it's easier to identify any possible side effects. "Also consider stress, travel, and for menstruating women, consider the time of the month you add something new to your eating pattern or supplement routine, too," Jones adds.