Protocols by Charles Sieg

Supplements

Creatine

What the research says about creatine monohydrate for strength, lean mass, and the brain, whether the kidney, hair, and water myths hold up, and whether gummies deliver what the label says.

Overall evidence Strong19 sourcesReviewed November 5, 2026

Many randomized trials and meta-analyses agree on strength and lean mass, and the safety record is long; the brain findings are smaller, less consistent, and mostly in older adults; for gummies, the only dose checks are two small tests that were not peer-reviewed and disagree on one brand.

The short version

  • I take creatine, as gummies. The form with the most research behind it is creatine monohydrate1.
  • Most of the research uses 3 to 5 grams a day, or about 0.1 grams per kilogram of body weight a day2.
  • The best-supported benefit is more strength and lean mass when it is paired with resistance training, including in older adults3,4.
  • Memory gains show up mainly in older adults, not young ones, and the sleep-deprivation result comes from one small trial5,6.
  • The kidney, hair, and dehydration worries have not held up in the research I could find, though the hair question rests on one small, unreplicated study2,7.
  • Gummies are the open question. Two third-party tests found some creatine gummies with little or no creatine and others at or above the label, and the tests disagree on at least one brand. Neither tested Optimum Nutrition's gummies, the ones I take, and I found no independent test of them8,9.

The protocol

This is what the research supports, not a prescription. I have not listed my own dose or timing here.

ParameterWhat the research supports
FormCreatine monohydrate, described by the International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN) as the most extensively studied and clinically effective form1
Daily dose3 to 5 grams a day, or about 0.1 grams per kilogram a day2
Loading (optional)About 0.3 grams per kilogram a day for 5 to 7 days, then 3 to 5 grams a day1. A 2021 review of common questions concluded that a loading phase is not required2
Skipping the loadIn a study of 31 men, 3 grams a day for 28 days raised muscle creatine by about 20 percent, a similar rise to the one seen after 20 grams a day for 6 days10. The 2021 review adds that daily dosing takes at least about 4 weeks to reach similar saturation2
TimingIn older adults, taking it only on resistance-training days still beat placebo for lean mass and strength11. On the Rhonda Patrick podcast, Darren Candow said it can be taken at once or split through the day12
Training that goes with itThe older-adult trials used resistance training 2 to 3 days a week for 7 to 52 weeks3
Gummy formThe one gummy trial I found used 5 grams a day for 10 weeks13. As of November 2026, Optimum Nutrition's page says 3 of its gummies give 5 grams of creatine monohydrate14. Whether a gummy holds its labeled dose is the open question covered below

What to expect: during a loading phase you can gain about 1 to 3 kilograms, mostly water2. Without loading, benefits build over weeks rather than days2.

Why it works

Creatine supplementation raises the creatine stored in muscle, which is the leading explanation for better high-intensity performance and training gains1. The brain makes its own creatine, and the blood-brain barrier limits how much supplemental creatine gets in, according to the show notes of the Candow episode12. That is one reason the brain effects are smaller and less certain than the muscle effects.

What the research says

Strong Strength and lean mass in older adults. A meta-analysis of 22 randomized trials (721 men and women, average age 57 to 70) found that creatine plus resistance training added 1.37 kg of lean tissue mass (95% CI 0.97 to 1.76) over placebo, with small strength gains: chest press SMD 0.35 and leg press SMD 0.243. A later meta-analysis found gains in lean mass and strength at doses of 5 grams a day or less and above 5 grams a day alike. It also found that when studies with a loading phase were excluded, creatine no longer beat placebo for chest or leg press strength11. So the older-adult strength result is solid for lean mass and less certain for strength.

Strong Upper-body strength in general. A meta-analysis of 53 studies (563 people on creatine, 575 controls) found a pooled upper-limb effect size of 0.317 (95% CI 0.185 to 0.449), and meta-regression did not link the result to population or supplementation characteristics4. These are small-to-moderate effects, not dramatic ones.

Mixed Memory and thinking. A meta-analysis of 8 randomized trials in healthy people found a small overall memory benefit (SMD 0.29, 95% CI 0.04 to 0.53). Adults 66 to 76 improved a lot more (SMD 0.88) than adults 11 to 31 (SMD 0.03, no effect), and the older-adult result was very inconsistent between trials (I-squared 83 percent)5. A systematic review of 6 trials (281 people) said short-term memory and reasoning may improve, while long-term memory, attention, executive function, and reaction time were conflicting; vegetarians seemed to respond better than meat-eaters15. The classic small trial gave 45 vegetarians 5 grams a day for 6 weeks and found better backward digit span and Raven's matrices scores than placebo, both p below 0.000116. Vegetarian volunteers are a special group, so I would not stretch that to everyone.

Early Sleep deprivation. In a double-blind crossover trial of 15 healthy adults (average age 23), a single 0.35 g/kg dose of creatine during about 21 hours of partial sleep deprivation improved processing speed by about 16 to 29 percent depending on the task, and cut self-reported fatigue by 8 percent6. The authors note the small sample, that several results did not survive correction for multiple tests, and that only one dose was tested6.

Strong Safety in healthy people. The ISSN position stand found no compelling evidence that short- or long-term creatine monohydrate use harms healthy people or clinical populations at doses up to 30 grams a day for 5 years1.

Moderate Kidneys. The 2021 review traced the kidney worry to a 1998 case report of a young man who already had kidney disease and was also taking cyclosporine. It also notes that creatine can raise serum creatinine, a lab marker, without lowering actual kidney function2. The ISSN suggests people with existing kidney disease check with a physician first1.

Early Hair. The hair-loss worry comes from a 2009 trial of 20 male rugby players, where dihydrotestosterone (DHT) rose 56 percent after 7 days of loading and stayed 40 percent above baseline after 14 days of maintenance, while testosterone did not change7. The 2021 review points out that the creatine group started 23 percent lower in DHT, that the result has not been replicated, that 12 other studies found no meaningful testosterone change, and that no study has reported hair loss in humans2. The honest read: no direct evidence of hair loss, and one small hormone signal nobody has confirmed.

Moderate Water and cramping. Loading can add water weight early, but the 2021 review found creatine does not always lead to water retention, and the claim that it causes dehydration or cramps is not supported by the experimental research. In college football players in hot, humid conditions, creatine users had less cramping (p = 0.021) and fewer heat illnesses and dehydration cases (p = 0.043)2.

Do creatine gummies deliver the labeled dose?

Most of the research above used creatine monohydrate powder. Gummies are a newer format, and the question is simple: does the gummy hold the creatine the label says? I could find two third-party tests. Neither is peer-reviewed, each has a catch, and neither included Optimum Nutrition's gummies, the ones I take: the NOW report names all 12 brands it tested and the SuppCo article names all six gummies, and Optimum Nutrition is on neither list9,8. I treat them as a warning about the format, not a verdict on any product they didn't test.

NOW's test, reported in March 2024. A trade-press report of NOW's own announcement says NOW, a supplement company, tested 12 brands of creatine gummies by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) against a creatine reference standard. Six of the 12 met or exceeded their label claims, and creatinine, the breakdown product of creatine, was detected in all the gummies that failed to meet their creatine claims9. The same report says creatine can convert to creatinine in water, which makes gummies hard to dose correctly because they are made with water9. The catch: NOW makes supplements itself, said it tested a single lot, and two of the brands it named as failing answered with lab results of their own9. I read the trade-press report, not NOW's release.

SuppCo's test, June 2025. In its own article, SuppCo, a supplement-rating site, says it bought 11 products off the shelf (5 powders and 6 gummies) and sent them to an ISO 17025-accredited lab it does not name. Four of the six gummies had trace or no detectable creatine. The other two measured 6.3 grams against a 5-gram label serving and 4.59 grams against a 4.5-gram label serving, and both had significant creatinine. All five powders passed, with 5-gram servings and purity of 98 to 101 percent8. The catch: six gummies chosen by one site, an unnamed lab, no stated funding, and an article that also promotes SuppCo's own TrustScore ratings. I could not read the PDF report SuppCo links to, only the article8.

What the tests agree on: some gummies are fine and some are close to empty, and the powders held up where they were tested. Where they disagree: Create measured 4.59 grams against a 4.5-gram label in SuppCo's test, while the NOW coverage lists Create among the brands that fell short. Create's chief executive then said Eurofins testing put its three flavors at 93.6, 99.4, and 101.6 percent of the claim8,9. The two tests were more than a year apart, and NOW itself said the contract labs it considers most competent apparently lack validated methods for testing gummies9.

Early Do gummies work when they do contain creatine? In a 10-week randomized trial of 32 female beach volleyball athletes, those who took 5 grams a day of creatine monohydrate gummies (n = 17) improved countermovement jump height (p < 0.001) and change-of-direction speed (p = 0.009), while the control group (n = 15) took nothing. Lean body mass and skeletal muscle mass showed no significant difference between the groups over time. The control group had no placebo, and the conflict-of-interest statement says Create, the brand the two tests disagree on, donated the gummies13.

What I can and can't say about my own gummies: Optimum Nutrition's page says 3 gummies give 5 grams of creatine monohydrate, and it gives sugar as 0 grams in one place and 2 grams per serving in another14. Neither test covered these gummies and I found no independent test of them, so the labeled dose is the maker's claim, not something I can show was checked. A lot-specific lab result would settle it.

Creatine with HMB

I also take HMB, and the creatine and HMB pairing has its own small body of work. The authors of a 3-week trial of 40 people called the two additive for lean mass, but a 2020 trial in rugby players found adding HMB to creatine gave no extra benefit over creatine alone17,18. A systematic review of six articles found mixed results19. See the HMB page for the details.

Rhonda Patrick on creatine

Rhonda Patrick hosted Darren Candow, PhD, on FoundMyFitness episode #100, "The Optimal Creatine Protocol for Strength, Brain, and Longevity," posted March 31, 202512. The show notes cover dose, loading, brain health, and the kidney and hair myths. The notes say the episode discusses dosing by body weight (roughly 0.1 to 0.14 grams per kilogram a day), 5 grams a day as a common starting point, and that the lowest dose studied for a bone effect was 8 grams a day12. The notes also say Candow takes about 10 grams a day himself and raises it during periods of metabolic stress, which is his personal practice, not a recommendation12. On the brain, the notes say benefits appear mostly in stressed brains, such as older adults or people who are sleep deprived12. Those higher doses are well above the 3 to 5 grams most trials use, so treat them as one researcher's view. The show notes available were a preview, and the kidney and hair sections were cut off, so no position on those is attributed to the episode. Patrick's appearance here does not mean she endorses me or this site.

How I use it

I take creatine as gummies, along with Optimum Nutrition's HMB. That is all I have told the site so far.

Where I buy it

I don't list prices because they change. The link is a plain product link, with no referral tag.

Cautions

  • People with existing kidney disease should talk to a doctor first1.
  • Because creatine can raise serum creatinine, a routine kidney lab can read oddly without kidney damage. Tell the doctor you take it2.
  • Servings above 10 grams during loading may cause diarrhea2.
  • The older-adult strength gains depend partly on loading-phase trials, and the memory results vary a lot between studies11,5.
  • Evidence in children and in women is more limited, and not every trial in females shows better performance2.
  • The sleep-deprivation result comes from 15 people in one lab, so I treat it as promising, not settled6.
  • Gummies add a question the powder research does not: how much creatine is in the product. Two small third-party tests found gummies anywhere from almost empty to above the label, so a gummy's labeled dose is unverified unless a lot-specific lab result backs it8,9.
  • Creatine can convert to creatinine in water, and the tests found creatinine in the gummies that failed and in both gummies that passed SuppCo's test9,8.

References

  1. Kreider RB, Kalman DS, Antonio J, Ziegenfuss TN, Wildman R, Collins R, et al. 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. 2017;14:18.Position standPubMed 28615996 · DOI

    What it found: Expert position stand and review of the creatine literature. Names creatine monohydrate as the most studied and effective form, suggests about 0.3 g/kg/day for 5 to 7 days then 3 to 5 g/day, and finds no compelling evidence of harm in healthy people or clinical populations at up to 30 g/day for 5 years.

    Limits: A consensus statement by authors who work in sports nutrition, not a single trial, and it suggests people with kidney disease check with a physician first.

  2. Antonio J, Candow DG, Forbes SC, Gualano B, Jagim AR, Kreider RB, et al. Common questions and misconceptions about creatine supplementation: what does the scientific evidence really show?. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. 2021;18(1):13.ReviewPubMed 33557850 · DOI

    What it found: Narrative evidence review of 12 common creatine questions citing more than 500 publications. Recommends 3 to 5 g/day or 0.1 g/kg/day, says a loading phase is not required, finds no evidence that recommended doses damage the kidneys, cause hair loss, or cause dehydration or cramping, and notes loading can add about 1 to 3 kg, mostly water.

    Limits: A narrative review by authors who have researched and consulted on creatine, not a systematic review, and it does not address time of day.

  3. Chilibeck PD, Kaviani M, Candow DG, Zello GA. Effect of creatine supplementation during resistance training on lean tissue mass and muscular strength in older adults: a meta-analysis. Open Access Journal of Sports Medicine. 2017;8:213-226.Meta-analysisPubMed 29138605 · DOI

    What it found: Meta-analysis of 22 randomized trials with 721 men and women (mean age 57 to 70) doing resistance training 2 to 3 days a week for 7 to 52 weeks. Creatine added 1.37 kg of lean tissue mass (95% CI 0.97 to 1.76) and small strength gains (chest press SMD 0.35, leg press SMD 0.24).

    Limits: Includes small trials with varied protocols, and the abstract does not report doses or mechanisms.

  4. Lanhers C, Pereira B, Naughton G, Trousselard M, Lesage FX, Dutheil F. Creatine Supplementation and Upper Limb Strength Performance: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Sports Medicine. 2017;47(1):163-173.Meta-analysisPubMed 27328852 · DOI

    What it found: Meta-analysis of 53 studies with 563 people on creatine and 575 controls. Global upper-limb effect size 0.317 (95% CI 0.185 to 0.449, p < 0.001); bench press 0.265 and chest press 0.677. Meta-regression found no link to population or supplementation characteristics.

    Limits: Upper-body strength only, and the abstract does not give doses or training details.

  5. Prokopidis K, Giannos P, Triantafyllidis KK, Kechagias KS, Forbes SC, Candow DG. Effects of creatine supplementation on memory in healthy individuals: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Nutrition Reviews. 2023;81(4):416-427.Meta-analysisPubMed 35984306 · DOI

    What it found: Meta-analysis of 8 randomized trials in healthy people (10 in the systematic review). Overall SMD 0.29 (95% CI 0.04 to 0.53); adults 66 to 76 years SMD 0.88 (95% CI 0.22 to 1.55, I2 83%); adults 11 to 31 years SMD 0.03 (95% CI -0.14 to 0.20). Dose (about 2.2 to 20 g/day) and duration (5 days to 24 weeks) did not change the result.

    Limits: Few trials with high heterogeneity, and the older-adult effect rests on small studies.

  6. Gordji-Nejad A, Matusch A, Kleedörfer S, Jayeshkumar Patel H, Drzezga A, Elmenhorst D, et al. Single dose creatine improves cognitive performance and induces changes in cerebral high energy phosphates during sleep deprivation. Scientific Reports. 2024;14(1):4937.Randomized trialPubMed 38418482 · DOI

    What it found: Double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled crossover trial of 15 healthy adults (average age 23) given a single 0.35 g/kg dose of creatine monohydrate during about 21 hours of partial sleep deprivation. Processing speed improved about 16 to 29 percent depending on the task versus placebo, and self-reported fatigue fell 8 percent.

    Limits: Fifteen people, one dose, partial sleep deprivation only, brain imaging in small subsets, and several results did not survive Bonferroni correction.

  7. van der Merwe J, Brooks NE, Myburgh KH. Three weeks of creatine monohydrate supplementation affects dihydrotestosterone to testosterone ratio in college-aged rugby players. Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine. 2009;19(5):399-404.Randomized trialPubMed 19741313 · DOI

    What it found: Double-blind placebo-controlled crossover study of 20 male college rugby players: 7 days of 25 g/day then 14 days of 5 g/day. Testosterone did not change; DHT rose 56 percent after loading and stayed 40 percent above baseline after maintenance (P < 0.001), and the DHT:T ratio rose 36 percent then 22 percent.

    Limits: Twenty young men, hair loss was not measured, and the result has not been replicated.

  8. Glenn J. SuppCo Tested | Creatine Reality Check: The Failures We Found When Testing Popular Products. SuppCo, June 12, 2025.ArticleRead

    What it found: SuppCo, a supplement-rating site, reports buying 11 products (5 powders and 6 gummies) off the shelf and sending them to an unnamed ISO 17025-accredited lab. Four of the six gummies had trace or no detectable creatine, two gummies measured 6.3 g against a 5 g label serving and 4.59 g against a 4.5 g label serving, and all five powders passed with purity of 98 to 101%.

    Limits: Six gummies from one site's own selection, the lab and method are not named in the article, I could not read the linked PDF report, and the article promotes SuppCo's own TrustScore ratings and states no funding.

  9. Krawiec S. NOW tests creatine gummies, identifies limitations in third party gummy testing. Nutritional Outlook, March 1, 2024.ArticleRead

    What it found: Trade-press report on a press release from NOW, a supplement maker, which tested 12 brands of creatine gummies by HPLC against a creatine reference standard. Six of the 12 met or exceeded their label claims, creatinine was detected in all the gummies that failed to meet their creatine claims, and NOW said, answering one brand's dispute, that it tested a single lot.

    Limits: The test was run by a supplement company on a single lot, two of the brands named as failing answered with their own lab results, and NOW said labs apparently lack validated methods for gummies; I read the trade-press report, not NOW's own release.

  10. Hultman E, Söderlund K, Timmons JA, Cederblad G, Greenhaff PL. Muscle creatine loading in men. Journal of Applied Physiology. 1996;81(1):232-237.Randomized trialPubMed 8828669 · DOI

    What it found: Study of 31 men given varying creatine regimens. Muscle total creatine rose about 20 percent after 6 days at 20 g/day and stayed raised on 2 g/day; 3 g/day raised it a similar ~20 percent more gradually over 28 days; levels returned to baseline about 30 days after stopping.

    Limits: Small, men only, and it measured muscle creatine levels rather than performance or health outcomes.

  11. Forbes SC, Candow DG, Ostojic SM, Roberts MD, Chilibeck PD. Meta-Analysis Examining the Importance of Creatine Ingestion Strategies on Lean Tissue Mass and Strength in Older Adults. Nutrients. 2021;13(6):1912.Meta-analysisPubMed 34199420 · DOI

    What it found: Meta-analysis in older adults comparing doses of 5 g/day or less versus more than 5 g/day, with or without a 20 g/day loading phase of 5 to 7 days. Creatine plus resistance training beat placebo for lean mass and strength regardless of dose, but when loading studies were excluded it did not beat placebo for chest or leg press strength; taking it only on training days also beat placebo.

    Limits: Abstract reports no sample sizes or effect sizes, and subgroup comparisons rest on few trials.

  12. Rhonda Patrick (host); Darren Candow (guest). The Optimal Creatine Protocol for Strength, Brain, and Longevity | Darren Candow, PhD. FoundMyFitness (episode #100), March 31, 2025.PodcastListen

    What it found: Rhonda Patrick interviews Darren Candow, PhD, on creatine for strength, brain, and aging. Show notes cover dosing by body weight (about 0.1 to 0.14 g/kg/day), loading versus daily dosing, brain effects in stressed brains, and the kidney and hair myths; the guest describes taking about 10 g/day himself.

    Limits: An interview whose online show notes were a truncated preview, so views on kidneys and hair are not available, and the higher doses discussed are the guest's opinion.

  13. Pereira F, Forbes SC, Romano V, Christopher P, Santana JC, Antonio J. Effects of Creatine Monohydrate Gummies on Performance and Body Composition in Female Beach Volleyball Athletes. Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology. 2026;11(1):105.Randomized trialPubMed 41900512 · DOI

    What it found: Thirty-two collegiate and professional female beach volleyball athletes completed a 10-week randomized controlled trial: the creatine group (n = 17) took 5 g a day of creatine monohydrate gummies and the control group (n = 15) did not. The creatine group improved countermovement jump height (p < 0.001) and change-of-direction speed (p = 0.009), with no significant group-by-time interaction for lean body mass or skeletal muscle mass.

    Limits: The control group took nothing (no placebo), it is 32 athletes of one sport, and the conflict-of-interest statement says Create donated the gummies.

  14. Optimum Nutrition. Creatine Gummies. optimumnutrition.com, November 5, 2026.Product pageRead

    What it found: The maker's page for its creatine gummies: 5 g of creatine monohydrate per serving of 3 gummies, taken as 3 gummies daily. Outside its menu, which lists HMB 1000 Caps as a separate product, the page does not mention HMB, and it names no third-party certification.

    Limits: The page gives sugar as 0 g in one place and 2 g in another, cites no studies on the gummies themselves, and shows no gummy count per container.

  15. Avgerinos KI, Spyrou N, Bougioukas KI, Kapogiannis D. Effects of creatine supplementation on cognitive function of healthy individuals: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Experimental Gerontology. 2018;108:166-173.Systematic reviewPubMed 29704637 · DOI

    What it found: Systematic review of 6 randomized trials with 281 healthy people. Short-term memory and intelligence or reasoning may improve; long-term memory, spatial memory, attention, executive function, and reaction time were conflicting; young people showed no change and vegetarians responded better than meat-eaters.

    Limits: Few, small, and varied trials, and the abstract reports no effect sizes or doses.

  16. Rae C, Digney AL, McEwan SR, Bates TC. Oral creatine monohydrate supplementation improves brain performance: a double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over trial. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 2003;270(1529):2147-2150.Randomized trialPubMed 14561278 · DOI

    What it found: Double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial of 45 young adult vegetarians taking 5 g/day of creatine monohydrate for 6 weeks. Backward digit span (working memory) and Raven's Advanced Progressive Matrices (intelligence) both improved versus placebo, p < 0.0001.

    Limits: Vegetarians have lower baseline creatine intake, so the result may not apply to meat-eaters, and the abstract reports no means or effect sizes.

  17. Jówko E, Ostaszewski P, Jank M, Sacharuk J, Zieniewicz A, Wilczak J, et al. Creatine and beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate (HMB) additively increase lean body mass and muscle strength during a weight-training program. Nutrition. 2001;17(7-8):558-566.Randomized trialPubMed 11448573 · DOI

    What it found: Three-week double-blind trial of 40 people randomized to placebo (n = 10), creatine (n = 11), HMB (n = 9), or creatine plus HMB (n = 10), with 3.0 g/day of HMB. Versus placebo the creatine, HMB, and combined groups gained 0.92, 0.39, and 1.54 kg more lean body mass; creatine had a main effect (P = 0.05), HMB a trend (P = 0.08), and there was no interaction (P = 0.73), so the authors called the effects additive.

    Limits: Three weeks, 9 to 11 people per group, and lean mass was estimated with bioelectrical impedance.

  18. Mangine GT, VanDusseldorp TA, Hester GM, Julian JM, Feito Y. The addition of β-Hydroxy β-Methylbutyrate (HMB) to creatine monohydrate supplementation does not improve anthropometric and performance maintenance across a collegiate rugby season. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. 2020;17(1):28.Randomized trialPubMed 32460801 · DOI

    What it found: Double-blind crossover study of 16 male collegiate rugby players who took HMB plus creatine (5 g of each daily) or creatine plus placebo (5 g creatine and 5 g placebo daily) for 6 weeks. The authors concluded that adding HMB to creatine offered no extra benefit over creatine alone.

    Limits: Sixteen players, 13 completed the first phase and 8 the crossover, and the trial measured maintenance across a season rather than gains.

  19. Fernández-Landa J, Calleja-González J, León-Guereño P, Caballero-García A, Córdova A, Mielgo-Ayuso J. Effect of the Combination of Creatine Monohydrate Plus HMB Supplementation on Sports Performance, Body Composition, Markers of Muscle Damage and Hormone Status: A Systematic Review. Nutrients. 2019;11(10):2528.Systematic reviewPubMed 31635165 · DOI

    What it found: Systematic review that included six articles on creatine monohydrate plus HMB. Of the strength studies 1 of 2 showed improvement, of the anaerobic studies 2 of 3, and the one aerobic study showed none, and the 4 muscle-damage studies and 1 hormone study showed no benefit; the authors concluded 3 to 10 g/day of creatine plus 3 g/day of HMB for 1 to 6 weeks may benefit strength and anaerobic performance.

    Limits: Only six small, short studies with mixed results, and no meta-analysis pooling.