Privacy Policy A few more years of research may be needed before nutrition scientists agree on the safety and effectiveness of creatine.
Creatine phosphate is a high-energy compound stored in muscle.
It is sometimes taken to improve performance in brief maximal exercise lasting less than 30 seconds. One study using 5 grams fed 4 times per day for 5 days, then only 5 grams per day from the sixth day on did result in improvement in brief maximal exercise lasting less than 30 seconds. J. Sports Nutr. Some athletes take creatine supplements in an effort to increase strength or increase creatine uptake by muscle cells. But the following research documented creatine's ineffectiveness in swimmers and runners.