ReviewJournal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition2026
The emerging and evolving evidence supporting creatine as an ergogenic aid: history and applications.
Review in Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Trial
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundCreatine is one of the most extensively studied ergogenic aids, with over three decades of research supporting its role in exercise performance, recovery, and health.
methodsThis narrative review summarizes the historical development of creatine supplementation and evaluates evidence regarding its mechanisms, efficacy across active, athletic populations (e.g. strength, endurance, team-sport), and tactical (e.g. military, law enforcement) populations, and its safety profile.
resultsThe evidence suggests that creatine enhances phosphocreatine resynthesis and cellular energy availability, resulting in consistent improvements in high-intensity exercise performance, training adaptations, lean body mass, strength, and power. Additional findings indicate that creatine may attenuate exercise-induced muscle damage and inflammation, support recovery, and improve functional outcomes following strenuous activity. Emerging research suggests benefits for endurance and team-sport athletes through enhanced glycogen resynthesis, calcium handling, oxidative stress mitigation, and repeated-sprint performance. In tactical populations, creatine may support occupational readiness by improving strength, hydration status, thermoregulation, cognition, sleep quality, and recovery, with possible neuroprotective and cardiometabolic implications. Soccer-specific evidence demonstrates improvements in repeated-sprint ability and tolerance to high training loads, with preliminary data suggesting protective effects against neurotrauma and gut barrier disruption. Importantly, pooled analyses from hundreds of clinical trials report no greater incidence of adverse events compared with placebo, reinforcing creatine's established safety profile.
conclusionOverall, the evidence suggests that creatine is a versatile supplement with strong evidence to enhance performance and recovery across diverse populations. Future research should prioritize individualized dosing strategies, long-term outcomes in underrepresented groups, and exploration of novel therapeutic applications in health and disease.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.