The emerging and evolving evidence supporting creatine as an ergogenic aid: history and applications - PubMed
6 hours ago
- #ergogenic-aid
- #recovery
- #exercise-performance
- Creatine is a well-researched ergogenic aid with over 30 years of evidence supporting its benefits in exercise performance, recovery, and health.
- Mechanisms of creatine include enhancing phosphocreatine resynthesis and cellular energy availability, leading to improvements in high-intensity exercise, strength, power, and lean body mass.
- Creatine may reduce exercise-induced muscle damage and inflammation, support recovery, and improve functional outcomes post-exercise.
- Emerging research highlights benefits for endurance and team-sport athletes, including glycogen resynthesis, oxidative stress mitigation, and repeated-sprint performance.
- Tactical populations (e.g., military, law enforcement) may experience improved strength, hydration, thermoregulation, cognition, and recovery with creatine supplementation.
- Soccer-specific studies show enhanced repeated-sprint ability and tolerance to high training loads, with potential protective effects against neurotrauma and gut barrier disruption.
- Creatine has a strong safety profile, with pooled clinical trial data showing no greater incidence of adverse events compared to placebo.
- Future research should focus on individualized dosing, long-term outcomes in underrepresented groups, and novel therapeutic applications in health and disease.