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Zuletzt aktualisiert am 21.05.2025
Creatine – Miracle Cure or Just Hype? Creatine is becoming increasingly popular right now. Especially active people swear by the effects of this supplement. But is there really something to it? What exactly does creatine do? And is creatine useful even if you don't work out (asking for a friend)?
We’ll explore all of that together over the next few minutes!
Your “Knowledge To Go”: What Does Creatine Do?
- Creatine is produced from amino acids and serves many functions in the body – most importantly, it plays a key role in our muscles during physical activity.
- Creatine acts as an energy store or energy source and can impact your training performance, muscle strength, and muscle mass.
- Creatine supplements can help supply your muscles with an extra dose of creatine – often resulting in those famous, full-looking muscles.
What Is Creatine and Where Is It Found?
Let’s start with the basics: Creatine is a naturally occurring compound in the human body, synthesized from amino acids. It plays a major role in several processes across the body. That’s why it’s important to always have sufficient creatine available. No worries – your body’s got this! Creatine can either be obtained through food (meat, fish, and dairy) or produced by the body itself.
It can also be taken as a supplement. Supplementing creatine can be beneficial for filling up the body’s creatine stores and giving it a little extra fuel – ideal for better performance during workouts.
Curious how much creatine you should take each day and how to supplement it properly? Check out our article “Creatine: Dosage, Timing & Everything You Need to Know”
Now, let’s get to the big question: what does creatine actually do?
Overview: What Does Creatine Do in the Body?
Creatine is considered a powerhouse in the world of sports, promising better performance during workouts. But even outside of exercise, creatine plays an important role in several systems:
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Brain
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Nervous system
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Mental health
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Immune system
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Muscles (obviously)
So yes, creatine is involved in a LOT of things.
But let’s be honest – most of us want to know what creatine does in sports.
What Does Creatine Do in Sports?
So, what does creatine do to your muscles? Easy question, easy answer: It supplies muscles with energy and boosts performance during training, muscle strength, and muscle mass. It may also help prevent injuries, improve recovery, and reduce soreness.
Let’s break it down:
Creatine is stored in the muscles (especially in type II muscle fibers) as creatine phosphate. This simply means creatine is bound to a phosphate group – and that phosphate group is what gives creatine its key role in energy metabolism by helping rapidly produce energy for the muscles.
How does it work?
Your muscles need ATP to store and use energy.
Quick reminder: ATP = adenosine triphosphate
When ATP is used, it becomes ADP (adenosine diphosphate), losing one phosphate group – and it can’t provide more energy after that. And then what? Is it game over?
Nope – that’s where creatine comes in to save your day (or your workout!). Stored creatine phosphate donates its phosphate to ADP, turning it back into ATP – boom, more energy! You can power through your workout with fresh fuel.
So, creatine supports ATP production and energy supply for muscles – it’s basically an energy drink for your muscles. This allows them to perform at their best during exercise. This is especially helpful for sports that rely on type II fibers (aka fast-twitch fibers), like explosive strength training. But creatine can also support endurance training by helping with recovery.
What Creatine Can’t Do
Just because you’re taking creatine doesn’t mean your muscles will instantly double in size (unfortunately). Instead, creatine provides your muscles with more energy so you can push a little harder during workouts. That means more reps, slightly heavier weights, or shorter rest times between sets – which stimulates your muscles even more and leads to muscle growth over time. So yep, you’ll get stronger – but only if you also train effectively and consistently.
This also answers my question... I mean... my friend’s question:
Creatine without training? Not very useful. You need to exercise to see the benefits.
What else does creatine do?
What About Creatine and Hair?
Oops – wrong turn. Creatine doesn’t really do anything for your hair. You’re probably thinking of keratin, which does benefit hair health. Despite the similar names, the two have nothing to do with each other. What else helps your hair? A balanced diet with enough vitamins and minerals!
Let’s try again...
What Does Creatine Do in Women?
Several studies have shown that creatine plays an especially important role for women. That makes sense – women naturally have smaller creatine stores than men. Supplementing creatine can therefore significantly boost their creatine levels, resulting in more strength and energy.
Women can benefit from creatine at every stage of life. But it becomes especially interesting after menopause – creatine may positively impact brain function and bone health during this phase.
What Else Does Creatine Do in the Body?
Earlier, we listed several areas where creatine plays a role – let’s take a closer look. A paper by the International Society of Sports Nutrition highlights creatine’s huge potential:
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Creatine may be beneficial in treating neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s and conditions like depression.
(Note: more research is needed before we can draw firm conclusions.) -
Adequate creatine levels can boost overall well-being.
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Creatine is essential for the body to function properly.
Sounds like it’s definitely worth learning more about creatine supplements!
But before we wrap up, let’s look at the less exciting side...
Creatine Side Effects
What’s not so great about creatine? Like everything in life, creatine has its potential downsides. Taking creatine supplements can theoretically cause side effects – but these are rare and usually harmless.
Possible side effects in rare cases or with very high doses (more than the recommended amount):
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Bloating
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Mild diarrhea
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Muscle cramps
If you stick to the recommended dosage and choose a high-quality supplement, chances are you won’t experience any side effects. Creatine is considered a very safe supplement – as long as you’re healthy and your product is free from contaminants like heavy metals.
One thing that can happen: you might gain some weight. Creatine can cause water retention in muscles, which creates the popular “pump” effect – muscles look fuller and larger. Some people love it, some don’t. Whether that’s a downside or a bonus is up to you!
By the way: that pumped-up look will fade once you stop taking creatine.
Conclusion
The question “What does creatine do?” can be answered in one word: A lot! Creatine is powerful – and it’s no surprise that it’s currently getting so much attention. It not only helps build muscle by increasing your energy during training but also positively impacts many other parts of your body. What’s crucial: You need to take creatine consistently for a few weeks to feel the effects. Don’t give up after 2 days just because you haven’t hit a new PR yet.
Creatine might just be the supplement of our time. Want to try it yourself? Go for it – we’ve got an amazing creatine monohydrate in our shop!
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
When should you take creatine?
Take creatine on training and rest days to keep your stores full.
What does creatine do and why is it important?
Creatine is essential for the whole body and especially improves energy availability during workouts – allowing you to train more effectively and build muscle.
What does creatine do during training?
It supplies your muscles with energy, supports strength, and helps grow muscle mass. In short: it helps you get stronger. It may also aid in recovery and injury prevention.
How much weight do you gain from creatine?
Usually, around 1–3 kg of water weight.
What is creatine?
Creatine is a naturally occurring compound in the body that plays a key role in energy production, especially in muscles. It’s made from amino acids and can be obtained through diet or supplements.
Is creatine dangerous?
No! When taken in the recommended dosage and if you're healthy, creatine is very safe. Many studies have confirmed this.
Literature & Sources
EFSA NDA Panel (EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies) (2016). Scientific opinion on creatine in combination with resistance training and improvement in muscle strength: evaluation of a health claim pursuant to Article 13(5) of Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006. In: EFSA Journal, 14(2).
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Kreider, R. B. et al. (2017). International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: safety and efficacy of creatine supplementation in exercise, sport, and medicine. In: Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 14(1).
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Smith-Ryan, A. E., Cabre, H. E., Eckerson, J. M. & Candow, D. G. (2021). Creatine Supplementation in Women’s Health: A Lifespan perspective. In: Nutrients, 13(3).
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Swiss Sports Nutrition Society (2023). Supplementguide. A-Supplemente: Performance Supplement. https://www.ssns.ch/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/SSNS-SG-Kreatin_V2.2.pdf
About the Author
Melanie Seyfarth is a certified nutritionist (B.Sc.), a certified dietary supplement consultant, and an expert in vegetarian and vegan diets. Since 2018, she’s been exploring the science of nutrition and health. On this blog, she writes about nutrition, sports, and lifestyle and shares delicious recipes. Her articles are based on the latest research, real-life experience, and the goal of making complex information easy and enjoyable to understand.
Got questions? Send me an email – I’d love to hear from you! :)
