Although the evidence for creatine is not definitive, of all sports supplements, it has the most evidence behind it. Numerous small double-blind studies suggest that it can increase athletic performance in sports that involve intense but short bursts of activity. The theory behind its use is that supplemental creatine can build up a reserve of phosphocreatine in the muscles, to help them perform on demand. Supplemental creatine may also help the body make new phosphocreatine faster when it has been used up by intense activity. For this reason, vegetarian athletes may potentially benefit most from creatine supplementation.
Some authorities recommend skipping the loading dose.
Creatine's ability to enter muscle cells can be increased by combining it with glucose, fructose, or other simple carbohydrates. Caffeine appears to block the effects of creatine. 1 Therapeutic Uses Creatine is one of the bestselling and best-documented supplements for enhancing athletic performance, but the scientific evidence that it works is far from complete. Creatine has also been proposed as an aid to promote weight loss and to reduce the proportion of fat to muscle in the body, but there is little evidence that it is effective for this purpose. 5 Better evidence exists for chromium in this regard.