Creatine is everywhere right now. It's sold as powders, gummies and drinks, and over the past year Canadians searched Google for it more than for vitamin D. The hype is loud, but this is one supplement with a large body of research behind it. The short version: creatine works, and it works best when you pair it with strength training.
This post covers what the research found, how much to take, and the common worries about water weight, hair and kidneys.
Please read first. This post is general information, not medical advice. Health Canada advises asking a health care practitioner before using creatine if you are pregnant or breastfeeding or have a kidney disorder (Health Canada, 2024). Check with your doctor or pharmacist too if you have any medical condition or take medication. Creatine can raise creatinine on a blood test, so tell your doctor you take it before any blood work. If you feel unwell after starting it, stop and get medical care.
What creatine does
Your muscles use creatine to quickly remake energy during short, hard efforts like a heavy set or a sprint. Your body makes some, and you get more from meat and fish. A pound of uncooked beef or salmon has about 1 to 2 g (Kreider et al., 2017).
On a normal diet, your muscle creatine stores are only about 60 to 80% full. Supplementing can raise muscle creatine and phosphocreatine by 20 to 40% (Kreider et al., 2017). More fuel in the tank can help you do a bit more work in hard sets, and over weeks of training that extra work can add up.
What the research found
More lean mass, but mostly when you lift
A 2022 meta analysis pooled 35 randomized trials with 1,192 people (Delpino et al., 2022).
- With strength training, creatine added about 1.1 kg of lean mass compared with a placebo.
- With mixed exercise or no exercise, the extra gain was not statistically clear. Without exercise it was close to zero (0.03 kg).
- Men gained more than women. Men on creatine added about 1.5 kg of lean mass. The gain in women (about 0.3 kg) was not statistically clear.
Lean mass includes water, so not all of that is new muscle tissue. A 2023 meta analysis that looked only at direct measures of muscle size found creatine plus strength training gave a small extra increase in muscle thickness, about 0.1 to 0.16 cm, and called the overall effect very small (Burke et al., 2023). Small, but on top of what training already gives you.
A little more strength
A 2025 meta analysis of 69 randomized trials with 1,937 people found that creatine plus strength training gave small but significant extra gains in squat strength (about 5.6 kg) and bench or chest press strength (about 1.4 kg), plus jump height and sprint power on a bike (Kazeminasab et al., 2025). Results for leg press and grip strength were not statistically clear, and gains were statistically clear in men but not in women.
What creatine added in the studies
Extra gain with creatine compared with a placebo, from pooled trials. Switch views to compare.
What about women?
Pooled trials show smaller, less consistent gains in women, and women are underrepresented in the research (Kazeminasab et al., 2025). One possible reason is that women may start with more creatine stored in their muscles, leaving less room to top up (Antonio et al., 2021). That doesn't mean creatine is useless for women. It means the evidence is thinner, and the training itself matters most.
And your brain?
You may have seen creatine pitched for memory and focus. In 2024, the European Food Safety Authority reviewed the studies and concluded that a cause and effect link between creatine and better thinking has not been established (EFSA NDA Panel, 2024). It's not a reason on its own to start.
How much creatine to take
Creatine monohydrate is the form with the most research, and it's the form Health Canada's monograph covers. Health Canada lists these options (Health Canada, 2024):
- Steady daily dose: 3 to 5 g a day, for at least 4 weeks.
- Loading week first: 15 to 20 g a day for 5 to 7 days, with no more than 5 g in one serving, then 2 to 5 g a day.
You don't need to load. Loading fills your muscles in about 5 to 7 days, while 3 g a day takes about 28 days (Kreider et al., 2017). Either way you end up in the same place. Loading also brings more water weight, and single doses over 10 g may upset your stomach, which is why loading doses are split (Antonio et al., 2021).
Timing doesn't matter much. Studies show similar results whether people take creatine before or after training. Taking it every day is what counts (Antonio et al., 2025). Mix it into water, a shake or your breakfast, whatever you'll stick to.
Creatine dose planner
Pick a plan, then slide through the first five weeks to see what you would take each day.
Doses from Health Canada's creatine monohydrate monograph (2024). Time to fill muscle stores from Kreider RB, et al. J Int Soc Sports Nutr 2017;14:18. Water weight from Antonio J, et al. J Int Soc Sports Nutr 2021;18(1):13. Read the monograph. General information, not medical advice.
Water weight, hair and kidneys: the common worries
Water weight. A loading week of about 20 g a day usually adds 1 to 3 kg on the scale, mostly water (Antonio et al., 2021). Weight gain is the only side effect that shows up consistently in the research (Kreider et al., 2017). If the scale jumps in week one, that's why.
Hair loss. This worry comes from a single 2009 study in rugby players that saw a rise in a hormone called DHT. It was never repeated (Antonio et al., 2021). In 2025, a 12 week randomized trial gave men who lift either 5 g of creatine a day or a placebo (45 started, 38 finished). There was no difference in DHT, hair density or hair thickness (Lak et al., 2025). It's one trial, but it's the first to measure hair directly, and it found nothing.
Kidneys. In healthy people, more than 20 years of research shows no kidney harm at recommended doses (Antonio et al., 2021). A 2025 meta analysis found creatine causes a small rise in blood creatinine, a marker doctors use to check kidney function, without a significant change in how well the kidneys filter (Naeini et al., 2025). That is why your doctor should know you take it. If you have a kidney disorder, ask your doctor before using creatine.
Creatine questions, answered
Tap a question to see what the research says.
Creatine is the small part
Every result above came from people who were also training. Creatine adds a little on top of a good plan. It can't replace one.
- Lift regularly. Two or three strength sessions a week, with weights that challenge you, is where the gains come from.
- Eat enough protein. See how much protein you need for muscle growth.
- Sleep. See sleep's role in recovery and performance.
- Keep supplements in perspective. Our guide to supplements worth taking covers the few with good evidence.
- Progress over time. More weight isn't the only way to grow, as we cover in lifting heavier doesn't always mean more muscle.
How we can help
At Inner G, a fitness studio in Concord, our coaches run small group strength, conditioning, mobility, yoga and breathwork classes, capped at 16 people, so a coach can teach you the lifts, watch your form and progress your training. If muscle is your main goal, one on one personal training gives you a plan designed around how you train, recover and eat, with a coach adjusting it as you get stronger.
We don't sell creatine or any supplements, and we're coaches, not doctors.
- Try 7 days of unlimited classes for $30. Join by day 5 and your $30 is credited toward your membership. Book your class.
- Want a plan of your own? See personal training in Vaughan.
- Want help with food? See nutrition coaching in Vaughan.
- Prefer a slower pace? See one on one training focused on balance and strength.
Questions? Call (289) 536-8066 or email g-squad@innerg.ca.
References
Antonio J, Candow DG, Forbes SC, Gualano B, Jagim AR, Kreider RB, Rawson ES, Smith-Ryan AE, VanDusseldorp TA, Willoughby DS, Ziegenfuss TN. (2021). Common questions and misconceptions about creatine supplementation: what does the scientific evidence really show? Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 18(1):13. doi:10.1186/s12970-021-00412-w. PubMed · PMC
Antonio J, Brown AF, Candow DG, Chilibeck PD, Ellery SJ, Forbes SC, Gualano B, Jagim AR, Kerksick C, Kreider RB, Ostojic SM, Rawson ES, Roberts MD, Roschel H, Smith-Ryan AE, Stout JR, Tarnopolsky MA, VanDusseldorp TA, Willoughby DS, Ziegenfuss TN. (2025). Part II. Common questions and misconceptions about creatine supplementation: what does the scientific evidence really show? Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 22(1):2441760. doi:10.1080/15502783.2024.2441760. PubMed · PMC
Burke R, Piñero A, Coleman M, Mohan A, Sapuppo M, Augustin F, Aragon AA, Candow DG, Forbes SC, Swinton P, Schoenfeld BJ. (2023). The effects of creatine supplementation combined with resistance training on regional measures of muscle hypertrophy: a systematic review with meta-analysis. Nutrients, 15(9):2116. doi:10.3390/nu15092116. PubMed · PMC
Delpino FM, Figueiredo LM, Forbes SC, Candow DG, Santos HO. (2022). Influence of age, sex, and type of exercise on the efficacy of creatine supplementation on lean body mass: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials. Nutrition, 103-104:111791. doi:10.1016/j.nut.2022.111791. PubMed
EFSA Panel on Nutrition, Novel Foods and Food Allergens (NDA), Turck D, Bohn T, Cámara M, Castenmiller J, de Henauw S, Hirsch-Ernst KI, Jos Á, Maciuk A, Mangelsdorf I, McNulty B, Naska A, Pentieva K, Thies F, Craciun I, Fiolet T, Siani A. (2024). Creatine and improvement in cognitive function: evaluation of a health claim pursuant to article 13(5) of regulation (EC) No 1924/2006. EFSA Journal, 22(11):e9100. doi:10.2903/j.efsa.2024.9100. PubMed · PMC
Health Canada. (2024). Creatine monohydrate. Natural health product monograph, June 28, 2024. Read the monograph
Kazeminasab F, Kerchi AB, Sharafifard F, Zarreh M, Forbes SC, Camera DM, Lanhers C, Wong A, Nordvall M, Bagheri R, Dutheil F. (2025). The effects of creatine supplementation on upper- and lower-body strength and power: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Nutrients, 17(17):2748. doi:10.3390/nu17172748. PubMed · PMC
Kreider RB, Kalman DS, Antonio J, Ziegenfuss TN, Wildman R, Collins R, Candow DG, Kleiner SM, Almada AL, Lopez HL. (2017). International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: safety and efficacy of creatine supplementation in exercise, sport, and medicine. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 14:18. doi:10.1186/s12970-017-0173-z. PubMed · PMC
Lak M, Forbes SC, Ashtary-Larky D, Dadkhahfar S, Robati RM, Nezakati F, Khajevandi M, Naseri S, Gerafiani A, Haghighat N, Antonio J, Tinsley GM. (2025). Does creatine cause hair loss? A 12-week randomized controlled trial. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 22(sup1):2495229. doi:10.1080/15502783.2025.2495229. PubMed · PMC
Naeini EK, Eskandari M, Mortazavi M, Gholaminejad A, Karevan N. (2025). Effect of creatine supplementation on kidney function: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Nephrology, 26(1):622. doi:10.1186/s12882-025-04558-6. PubMed · PMC