5 min read
Creatine is to the wellness world what Taylor Swift is to pop culture: everywhere, impossible to ignore, and endlessly discussed. And for very good reason.
One of the most well-studied, science-supported supplements on the market, creatine has long been beloved by bodybuilders and strength athletes for its ability to crank up power output and support muscle gains, says registered dietitian and board-certified specialist in sports dietetics Maura Donovan, MS, RD, CSSD.
But much like Tay’s evolution from young country star to global icon, creatine’s appeal has gone mainstream. “Creatine has been around for decades, but it’s been getting a lot of attention recently as more people are recognizing that it can benefit almost anyone,” says Donovan.
Most recently, the powder is also being championed by wellness enthusiasts eager to boost their brain health (yes, there’s emerging research on its effects on cognition), as well as by individuals seeking body recomposition. That’s right, the latest crowd to eye the viral supplement is those looking to lose weight and drop fat.
But does creatine actually support fat, or are influencers oversimplifying science? Ahead, experts weigh in on what creatine really can—and can’t—do for your weight loss goals.
The Creatine And Fat Loss Connection, Explained
Creatine in and of itself does not burn fat. Unlike other so-called fat-burning substances such as caffeine or green tea extract, “creatine is not a stimulant nor thermogenic, and therefore it does not directly increase basal metabolic rate,” says exercise physiologist and registered dietitian Jim White, ACSM-EP, CPT, RDN, the owner of Jim White Fitness & Nutrition Studios. (Your basal metabolic rate is the number of calories your body burns just to keep you breathing, circulating blood, and regulating body temperature.)
However, what creatine can do is support the behind-the-scenes processes that reshape your body composition over time, according to White. The chemical compound can help you lift more weight, crank out more reps, and bounce back faster, he explains—all of which indirectly support muscle growth and, over time, changes in body comp.
To understand why this is, let’s take a time machine back to high school biology. Your liver, kidneys, and pancreas naturally produce creatine every single day, which the body then stores in your muscles (as phosphocreatine) for your body to use a rapid source of energy during high-intensity and high-power activities, explains registered and board-certified sports dietitian Jenna Stangland, MS, RD, CDDS, director of nutrition for the Minnesota Timberwolves and co-founder of A4 Health. The oomph you feel while sprinting loops around a track or grinding through a set of heavy squats? That’s your muscles pulling from creatine stores to keep your body’s energy currency flowing, she says.
Meet the experts: Jenna Stangland, MS, RD, CDDS, is a registered and board-certified sports dietitian, the director of nutrition for the Minnesota Timberwolves, and the co-founder of A4 Health. Jim White, ACSM-EP, CPT, RDN, is an exercise physiologist and registered dietitian who owns Jim White Fitness & Nutrition Studios. Maura Donovan, MS, RD, CSSD is a registered dietitian and board-certified specialist in sports dietetics as well as expert of sports nutrition at Thorne. Dominic Kuza, MS, is an exercise physiologist, NASM-certified nutrition specialist, and the head of product innovation and advanced clinical education at Raw Nutrition.
The catch: Your body only produces about one gram per day, which isn’t enough to utilize your muscle stores or unlock the full benefits. And while “creatine can also be ingested through animal proteins in the diet, the amounts are minimal,” notes Stangland. To get the equivalent of a five-gram supplement scoop, you’d have to eat more than two pounds of meat daily, she says—a serving size that far exceeds recommendations for red meat. As you might guess, that’s where creatine supplementation comes in.
What To Know About Taking Creatine For Weight Loss
“When you supplement with creatine, you are increasing the amount of the energy-supportive substance,” Stangland explains. As a result, you have more power available during training and can push harder for longer. “Your muscles can perform longer or can perform more frequently with increased creatine stores,” she says. In practice, that means squeezing out extra reps, lifting heavier, or recovering quicker between intervals—all of which translate into greater strength and muscle gains over time, she says.
Creatine supplementation may also support recovery after exercise. “Research has shown that creatine supplementation may reduce markers of muscle damage (like creatine kinase) and inflammation after intense training,” says Stangland. It also draws water into muscle cells to replenish muscle cell hydration. While this is why creatine is often associated with temporary bloating and puffiness, it also supports your workouts, according to Stangland. “Water contains oxygen, so the extra water in your muscle cells supports short, quick training efforts,” she says.
Altogether, “this could translate to less soreness and faster turnaround between sessions,” so you can train more consistently and effectively, she says—which is ultimately what sets the stage for meaningful muscle and strength gains and, often as a result, fat loss. (The more lean muscle mass you have, the more you burn at rest.)
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How To Determine If Creatine Supplementation Is Right For You
Ultimately, creatine isn’t a magic fat burner. It only indirectly benefits your body composition if you’re pairing it with strength training. As Stangland explains, any fat loss an individual notices when supplementing with creatine isn’t actually from the creatine itself. “It’s a byproduct of the body composition changes from a combination of resistance exercise, creatine supplementation, and lean muscle gains,” she says. (FYI: You can still get the brain health benefit of creatine without also exercising.)
So, if you’re someone who lifts regularly, does high-intensity workouts, or wants to preserve muscle as you age, taking three to five grams of creatine monohydrate daily could be a solid addition to your routine, says Donovan. While creatine is generally well tolerated, people with kidney or liver disease, high blood pressure, or who are pregnant or breastfeeding should talk to their doctor first, she says.
That said, you can absolutely strength train and see body composition benefits without ever adding a scoop of creatine to your shaker bottle. Ultimately, fat loss and body recomp come down to creating a sustainable calorie deficit and maintaining consistent exercise, explains exercise physiologist and certified nutrition specialist Dominic Kuza, M.S., head of product innovation and advanced clinical education at RAW Nutrition. Creatine is a supportive tool that can help you lift heavier, recover faster, and build muscle more efficiently, he says. But it won’t do much for fat loss on its own.
With that, if your primary goal is fat loss, Kuza recommends getting out of the supplement aisle and nailing the essentials. “Strength training, eating a modest calorie deficit with enough protein, and managing your stress are the foundations of fat loss,” he says.
Getting enough sleep is also extremely important, adds White. While you’re asleep, your body is actively synthesizing proteins and repairing muscles, which is needed to grow that metabolically active muscle, he says. “You should aim for at least seven hours of sleep every day.”
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