Creatine Debunked: No Extra Muscle Gained - Were we Duped?

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0:00 - Introduction
0:32 - The Study that Debunks Creatine
3:29 - Is all previous research flawed?
6:47 - Important considerations...
8:14 - Main Points

References
[Study 435] Desai I, Pandit A, Smith-Ryan AE, et al. The effect of creatine supplementation on lean body mass with and without resistance training. Nutrients. 2025;17(6):1081. doi:10.3390/nu17061081

Funding/Conflicts: Internal Funding [University of New South Wales Scientia scholarship] // Potential direct Conflicts of Interest [The corresponding author received a creatine supplement sponsorship from True Protein]

[A] Volek JS, Duncan ND, Mazzetti SA, et al. Performance and muscle fiber adaptations to creatine supplementation and heavy resistance training. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 1999;31(8):1147-1156. doi:10.1097/00005768-199908000-00011

[B] Willoughby DS, Rosene J. Effects of oral creatine and resistance training on myosin heavy chain expression. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2001;33(10):1674-1681. doi:10.1097/00005768-200110000-00010

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#creatinebenefits #creatine

[Physionic]

Just a fun aside: For those that put unending emphasis on 'who funded it?!' - one of the main researchers of this study has a sponsorship with a creatine producing company, and yet they still published a study against creatine...

Point being, it's not always as simple as devolving to funding and assuming bad intentions (this isn't the first example, either - far from it).

[pacmanfanable]

More creatine for me and anyone else who has been using it! This study is the best way to keep the cost down and the supply up 😂

[davechapple]

I've been taking creatine on and off for decades. I've always known it doesn't "grow" muscle. However, I've always only gained muscle size when on it. The reason is that whenever on creatine, I worked out harder and longer because I had more energy. The study you talked about has them doing the exact same program. I dunno... But nobody ever told me creatine grew muscle mass. It was the effect on energy availability to go harder which is my layman experience. 🤷

[Snerdles]

The study matched the workout volume and intensity between participants... The entire point of creatine is that it gives you the ability to do an extra rep or two, or add a little bit of weight and still get the same reps thanks to more available immediate energy due to faster ATP cycles.

They took away the advantage to show it had no advantage? Make that make sense.

[OTatime]

I walk six miles a week for my job. I take creatine monohydrate daily — not for lean body mass or muscle performance — but for cognitive benefits, as my sleep patterns can occasionally be disrupted.

[omarmitre]

man, I really like your sense of humor!

[howarddavies]

Stopping by to commend Nick on the insiders programme and it's separation from the main channel. I don't feel like I'm missing out by not subscribing to the insiders; that is to say I don't feel like I'm getting screwed into signing up. I also think the adverts have been integrated really well into all the videos. The script of "if you'd like more detail, you can find it here with other benefits" isn't intrusive and it gets the point across.

I hope its working well and generating the revenue to support the main channel.

Thanks for the quality content 👍🏻

[hardrocklobsterroll]

Creatine is for my brain not my muscles tbh

[pg]

I've been taking creatine for resistance training for few months now. I also have a 2 year old who's been a terrible sleeper all his life. I can honestly say that I feel much better the next day after short, broken sleep compared to the same bad nights before creatine.
This might be a great supplement for parents of little children.

[cthornton]

I'm perimenopausal. Creatine is amazing for my brain.

[TheDeamonLo]

One of the authors of the study (Dr. Candow) gave an interview with Rhonda Patrick and addresses some of the issues of the study. He is certainly a huge fan of creatine and some of the reporting around it is a bit sensational. I think you did a good job illuminating the actual area of research the study was trying to address.

[DCGreenZone]

While research on creatine and Alzheimer's prevention is ongoing and preliminary, some studies suggest creatine may offer potential benefits for brain health, particularly in the early stages of the disease or for those at risk. However, more human trials are needed to confirm these findings and determine the optimal dosage and timing for supplementation.

[FamilyManMoving]

I have gone through multiple stages of exercise "attentiveness" in my more than 50 year life - periods (years sometimes) of discipline followed by months or a year of little hard exercise. Most of us have been there.

Creatine does have an initial "watering up" (my term) effect that I can feel, and see. I know at this stage my muscle mass has not further developed, and I am little bigger but also a bit softer. From there, the muscle does "build-in" (my term, again) and over weeks the effects of water either diminish, or absorb into the muscle itself. I get hard and visibly lean.

I am blessed with a body that reacts quickly and decisively when I lift weights. So at the end of two months, there are no hidden layers (except maybe my lower abs for another month). My point is, water bloating would be visible by virtue of hiding muscular and vascular definition.

My own anecdotal thoughts: creatine absolutely results in water retention, but over time creatine also helps me exercise harder and recover faster. The initial water either diminishes, or absorbs (active muscles need more water so I don't view this as a downside). I build more muscle on creatine, and feel better doing it. I don't think it adds pounds of muscle; but rather that it helps me feel better in the process.

Creatine also helps me focus a bit more. I always thought that a placebo effect, until studies showed older people responding to critical thinking tests better when taking the supplement.

So I'm back in a workout stage after some injuries took me out for about a year (dumb kid sport moves that older people should just give up). I started the creatine, protein and iron four days ago. I think this time it's going to take a bit longer - age and injury, blah blah.

Good luck to you all. Stay healthy and sane.

[haircafekevin]

Damn, what a great scientific breakdown. I like creatine as it lets me handle more volume in the gym but I have trouble taking it consistently because it is NASTY as Hell. It's not so much the flavour as it is pretty much flavourless but the texture makes me gag, even when I mix it with a pleasant tasting beverage like orange juice.

[uaziz]

"left my suit of armor with my horse." - love it! Thanks for explaining this. I prefer my better hydrated muscle mass (and less cramping) on creatine in my 50s anyway. A couple of years feeling better 😉

[DmitrySokolovMD]

Yet another superb video! Love everything about it, genuinely.
One little question about the figure at 4:31 (more about testing myself): when I am interpreting DEXA with clients, it is FFM (fat-free mass) that includes bone (i.e. LBM + bone), whereas LBM is muscle, connective tissue, organs, but except bone.
Also, study at 5:26 is evaluating FFM, which *does* include bone. This, in my opinion, introduces further potential for flaws, as bone mass may (and often will) increase in response to resistance training, particularly if the hormonal status is ok (estrogen, etc.), and thus with this study we are even further away from evaluating "muscle" (with FFM) than with the ones that evaluate LBM.
Sending love to Physionic 🙏

[craiger]

We've known for a while that creatine is stored with water in the muscle. I could care less that it's stored that way. It's still adding volume, and the ability to regenerate ATP quickly. So much the better if I get that volume all in the first week.

[AnthonySmith-xz]

Wasn't the story always it enhances the strength and endurance and you basically work harder thus creating gains yourself?

[TheCookiecupcakes]

1. I am so glad I found you! 2. I love the subtle snap sounds in your vids! 3. I move with the music at the end every single time!

[prototype]

My 30 years of using creatine tells me creatine ABSOLUTELY increases performance and recovery