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Creatine (monohydrate)
Also called: creatine monohydrate
A compound made in the body and found in meat and fish, stored in muscles for short bursts of energy.
- Why people take it
- Strength, power and muscle gain in the gym and sports; more recently, brain function.
- What the evidence says
- One of the best-studied supplements: it helps repeated short, intense efforts and muscle gain with training. Effects on thinking and memory are still being researched.
- Be careful
- Causes some weight gain from water in the muscles. Talk to your doctor if you have kidney disease. It raises creatinine in blood tests, which can be mistaken for a kidney problem, so tell your doctor you take it.
- In food
- Meat and fish.
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Common questions
What is Creatine?
A compound made in the body and found in meat and fish, stored in muscles for short bursts of energy.
Why do people take Creatine?
Strength, power and muscle gain in the gym and sports; more recently, brain function.
Does Creatine work?
One of the best-studied supplements: it helps repeated short, intense efforts and muscle gain with training. Effects on thinking and memory are still being researched.
Is Creatine safe?
Causes some weight gain from water in the muscles. Talk to your doctor if you have kidney disease. It raises creatinine in blood tests, which can be mistaken for a kidney problem, so tell your doctor you take it.
Sources and further reading
Last reviewed 31 October 2026. Written by Satya Babu.
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