Creatine supplements can be effective but experts warn against gummies and dodgy marketing

“If you have a body you can benefit from it.”

“If you’re not taking it, you’re missing out.”

These are just some of the claims about creatine that social media is awash with.

As Brisbane based sports dietitian Taryn Richardson says, “creatine is having a real moment”.

Hype around taking creatine supplements is at an all-time high and there’s never been more product options on the market; from cola gummies to “icy blue razz” powders that are mixed with a drink.

Creatine is a compound naturally produced by the body and also found in animal-based products like fish and meat.

It’s found in most muscles in the body, as well as the brain, and used as a source of energy to allow muscles to flex.

Our bodies make around half the creatine we need each day (about 2 to 4 grams) but the rest has to come from the food we eat or supplementation.

Creatine is one of the most studied supplements and there is extensive evidence it can support muscle growth and improve athletic performance.

Emerging research shows it might even help our brains.

But some experts are urging consumers to do some research before they buy.

“There’s this messaging at the moment that everyone should take creatine supplements no matter who they are and what they’re doing, and I really disagree with that,” Ms Richardson said.

Some brands are selling “premium” types of creatine that don’t have adequate scientific backing but customers are paying more for them, according to experts.

“Just remember these supplement companies have really good marketing teams,” said Professor Matthew Cooke, a nutritionist at La Trobe University, who has done extensive research on creatine.

There’s also “femvertising” of some products with pretty, pink packaging, collagen add-ins and female-centric marketing, with one US brand even calling themselves “Sheatine”.

Then there’s the gummies.

‘Expensive lollies’?

Creatine gummies are advertised as a delicious and easy-to-take option but independent testing has repeatedly shown some contain almost zero creatine.

One popular brand sold in Australia called PUSH was forced to halt all sales after testing showed their gummies were significantly underdosed with creatine.

Sydney-based personal trainer James Smith was skeptical about the gummy products and whether they met their label claims so he sent nine brands for testing at independent lab Eurofins.

All of the testing was made public and only one brand, Wellboost’s strawberry banana gummies, contained the advertised 5 grams of creatine.

PUSH’s strawberry flavour gummies returned a creatine reading of 0.102 grams per serving when it should have been 5 grams. Their apple flavour came in at 0.112 grams.

PUSH was charging $59.95 for a 30-day supply.

Anaesthetic technician Tina Hill had been taking PUSH gummies for four months before learning they were just “expensive lollies”.

“I was just throwing money down the drain,” she said.

Ms Hill said she heard about creatine online and wanted to support her strength training but was also interested in any potential cognitive benefits it could give her.

“I saw all of those well-known fitness influencers who had come from a competitive background were promoting PUSH gummies on social media and it seemed reliable,” she said.

In a statement, PUSH told the ABC it accepted full responsibility for the underdosing and was now suing its former manufacturer.

PUSH has accused the manufacturer, which is based in China, of altering the product formula without their knowledge.

“Production is now underway with a new Australian based manufacturer to strengthen quality control and prevent issues like this from happening again,” PUSH said.

“Moving forward every batch of PUSH gummies will be independently tested by Eurofins US.”

But experts say consumers should avoid all creatine gummies brands for now.

“I think these companies have good intentions but it comes down to the production — with the process of making gummies such as heating likely decreasing the levels of creatine,” Professor Cooke said.

Ms Richardson agreed.

“For now I’m telling my clients to stick with powders — they are a lot cheaper anyway,” she said.

Ms Hill switched to a powder supplement and said she is finally feeling the effects of creatine.

“A few weeks in I do feel like I’ve seen a huge improvement in my fitness levels and just my general wellbeing.”

How much creatine should we be getting?

Women generally have lower levels of creatine as they tend to get a lower intake through their diet and have lower muscle mass than men, which means they have lower creatine storage.

Studies have also shown vegetarians and vegans have lower baseline levels.

“A lot of us probably aren’t getting enough creatine from our diet as we’re heading towards more plant-based diets or at least reducing the amount of meat we eat,” Professor Cooke said.

Evidence shows creatine supplementation can boost the total creatine in your muscles by around 20 to 40 per cent. Some people do this quickly by starting with a “loading” phase of 20 grams per day for a week and then lowering to 5 grams per day.

Loading isn’t necessary though, Professor Cooke said, because you get the same results by starting at 5 grams per day, it will just take a bit longer.

For most people it will result in more power and strength for explosive bursts of exercise and it improves recovery after exercise-related muscle damage as well as sarcopenia (loss of muscle as we age) if taken in conjunction with resistance training.

Recently, researchers started delving deeper into the potential benefits of creatine among women and how it might assist during hormonal fluctuations. 

During menopause, estrogen and progesterone levels decline significantly which may negatively impact creatine metabolism so supplementation could be beneficial at this time, Professor Cooke said.

Research has shown creatine supplementation can help post-menopausal women with physical function when combined with resistance training and now experts want to explore how it might support bone health during perimenopause when bone density starts to decrease.

It’s early days but research is also suggesting supplementation may benefit pre-menopausal women during their menstrual cycles when there’s varying levels of creatine metabolism and fatigue.

Some brands are now shamelessly trying to capture the female market by using taglines like “craft your perfect peach” or advertising “creatine for women” when it’s exactly the same as the “genderless” creatine on the market. 

Professor Cooke said some brands may be capitalising on the recent research that’s been more focused on women.

“I know some marketing will take advantage of this but in the research space it’s really great to see this research in the female population.”

What about creatine and brain function?

Creatine is mostly stored in muscles but a small amount is also found in the brain and there’s evidence it may benefit mood and cognitive function, particularly for those who are sleep deprived.

It could even help with recovery from traumatic brain injuries.

More high-quality research is needed but some studies show it could potentially help people with Alzheimer’s disease.

Jose Antonio is a professor of health and human performance at Nova Southeastern University in Florida and said he was particularly excited by the neuroscience research into creatine.

“Even if you don’t care about the muscular strength side of things I tell my students they should take it for their brain because in the last five years there’s been more data showing it can help with cognitive processes,” Professor Antonio said.

It’s worth nothing though that approximately 20 to 30 per cent of people are non-responders to creatine supplementation, meaning that they see little to no benefit from it.

Some creatine marketing based on false claims

Creatine can be bought in a few different forms and the vast majority of research is on creatine monohydrate (creatine molecule + water molecule).

But some brands are selling new formulations in which they bond the creatine molecule to other compounds to make:

• Creatine hydrochloride (HCL)
• Creatine ethyl ester
• Creatine nitrate

Many brands selling these claim they are up to five times more effective or better absorbed than creatine monohydrate.

“That’s baloney,” Professor Jose Antonio said, “not only are they more expensive, they don’t work better.

“Some of them claim, ‘this is better absorbed than creatine monohydrate’ but monohydrate is 99.9 per cent absorbed so you’re not going to get any better absorption.”

Professor Cooke said some of these may actually be less effective and he wouldn’t recommend buying anything other than creatine monohydrate.

To supplement or not

Creatine supplements are safe and have limited side effects — some people may experience some bloating but that can generally be minimised by taking a lower dose or taking it with meals.

But Ms Richardson doesn’t recommend heading straight to the supplement aisle saying a “food first” approach is best.

“There’s no point adding sprinkles to the cake if you don’t have your cake baked first — you need to build a foundation of good day-to-day nutrition through your diet and only then would I look to add supplements to that.”

Professor Cooke said taking a creatine supplement was personal preference but he is glad it’s no longer seen as something just for “gym heads”.

“I think the key thing here is it’s safe and there’s benefits across the life span.”