Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition · 2017 · Journal Article; Review · PMID 28615996
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Strong human evidenceAmino-acid-derived energy-buffering compound
Creatine monohydrate
Creatine helps cells recycle their rapidly used energy supply. Its best-supported supplement role is repeated high-intensity exercise, usually alongside training.
Also indexed as: Creatine · Phosphocreatine system
A clear starting point
Muscles use ATP as immediately available energy. Creatine helps maintain a small, fast reserve so ATP can be regenerated during brief, intense effort. It does not replace food, sleep or training.
Systems mapping shows biological relevance, not a treatment recommendation or a patient CPI score.
No validated chemical structure is displayed in this edition.
How it works
Phosphocreatine / creatine kinase / ATP buffering
Muscles use ATP as immediately available energy. Creatine helps maintain a small, fast reserve so ATP can be regenerated during brief, intense effort. It does not replace food, sleep or training.
- Targets & processes
- Creatine kinase energy-buffering system
- Systems & tissues
- Primarily skeletal muscle; creatine metabolism also occurs in brain and other tissues.
What does the evidence show?
Consistent human exercise research supports high-intensity exercise capacity and training-related strength/lean-mass adaptations. Initial body-mass change can include water.
What this does not establish
Evidence for exercise is not evidence of dementia prevention, injury treatment or universal recovery benefits. Individual response and baseline diet vary. Position statements synthesize studies rather than constitute a new randomized trial.
Citation metadata from PubMed, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine, NIH. A citation match is not a guarantee of study quality. Abstracts are not full-text reviews.
Safety is a separate question
Water-associated weight gain and gastrointestinal discomfort can occur. Studied healthy adults generally tolerate creatine; kidney disease requires clinician assessment. A serum creatinine rise can complicate kidney-function interpretation without proving kidney injury.
Contraindications & cautions
Known kidney disease or unexplained renal impairment warrants medical evaluation rather than self-directed supplementation.
Medication & supplement interactions
Medication-interaction data are not comprehensive; concurrent kidney-affecting medicines merit clinician review. No exhaustive interaction clearance is implied.
Regulatory status · United States
United States: sold as a dietary supplement, not an FDA-approved drug for disease treatment. Ingredient research does not validate every marketed product.
This is not an exhaustive safety list. Regulatory status varies by jurisdiction and product; investigational use is not approval.
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