Why is everyone suddenly taking creatine - and does the evidence hold up?

Search "creatine" today and you find it stacked next to the electrolytes in the supermarket, recommended by menopause clinics, and increasingly discussed in psychiatry journals. Global spending on creatine supplements is projected to rise from $1.4bn in 2025 to $8.7bn by 2033 (Grand View Research, 2026).

Muscle and performance: the settled part. Creatine monohydrate raises phosphocreatine stores used to regenerate ATP during short, intense effort. Combined with resistance training, it reliably increases strength and lean mass, and remains one of the most extensively studied sports supplements. In healthy people, there is no consistent evidence of harm from recommended daily doses, typically around 3–5g (Kreider et al., 2017).

Mental health: promising, not proven. A 2025 meta-analysis pooling 11 randomised trials found a statistically significant but small reduction in depressive symptoms. However, the certainty of evidence was rated "very low", with the authors warning that the true effect may be trivial or absent (Eckert et al., 2025). Research across different populations remains inconsistent, and there have also been concerns about possible mood elevation in susceptible individuals, including people with bipolar disorder (Juneja et al., 2024). The mechanism is plausible and the research worth following, but creatine is not an evidence-based substitute for established depression treatment.

Kidney safety: a number that is widely misread. A 2026 meta-analysis of 26 trials found that creatine supplementation raised serum creatinine and therefore lowered creatinine-based estimates of kidney filtration. However, when filtration was measured directly using Cr-EDTA clearance, there was no significant difference from placebo, suggesting the change largely reflects creatine metabolism rather than kidney injury (de Souza Almeida et al., 2026). Evidence in people with chronic kidney disease remains much thinner than in healthy adults, so anyone with established kidney disease should discuss supplementation with their clinician first.

Women's health: enthusiasm ahead of the data. Women may differ from men in creatine synthesis, dietary intake and intramuscular creatine stores, providing a plausible rationale for supplementation across different life stages. But female-specific research remains relatively limited (Smith-Ryan et al., 2025). A two-year trial in postmenopausal women found that creatine combined with exercise did not improve bone mineral density, although it did improve some measures of bone geometry at the hip (Chilibeck et al., 2023). Research specifically in perimenopausal women, one of the groups creatine is now heavily marketed towards, remains particularly limited.

The financial pillar. Plain creatine monohydrate is inexpensive compared with many supplements. Capsules, gummies and branded blends generally carry a substantial price premium for convenience, without evidence that they outperform standard creatine monohydrate.

1. Take 3–5g of plain creatine monohydrate daily if strength and muscle are your goal, it is the most extensively studied form and dosing range (Kreider et al., 2017).

2. Don't use it to self-treat depression. The evidence remains uncertain and, at most, supports investigating creatine as a potential adjunct rather than a substitute for established care (Eckert et al., 2025).

3. Speak to your doctor before supplementing if you have kidney disease or take medication that can affect kidney function.

4. Pair it with resistance training if strength and muscle are your goal. This is where some of the most consistent benefits are seen.

5. Buy plain creatine monohydrate over premium blends, this is the form behind the strongest evidence base.

References:

Chilibeck, P. D., Candow, D. G., Gordon, J. J., Duff, W. R. D., Mason, R. S., Shaw, K., Gualano, B., Roschel, H., Zello, G. A., & Kontulainen, S. A. (2023). A 2-yr randomized controlled trial on creatine supplementation during exercise for postmenopausal bone health. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 55(10), 1750–1760.

de Souza Almeida, A., da Silva, L. O. D., Takahasi, B. N. A., et al. (2026). Impact of creatine supplementation on kidney health: A systematic review and meta-analysis. International Urology and Nephrology.

Eckert, I., Lima, J., & Dariva, A. A. (2025). Creatine supplementation for treating symptoms of depression: A systematic review and meta-analysis. British Journal of Nutrition, 134(11), 947–959.

Grand View Research. (2026). Creatine supplements market size, share & trends analysis report, 2026–2033.

Juneja, K., Bhuchakra, H. P., Sadhukhan, S., Mehta, I., Niharika, A., Thareja, S., Nimmakayala, T., & Sahu, S. (2024). Creatine supplementation in depression: A review of mechanisms, efficacy, clinical outcomes, and future directions. Cureus, 16(10), e71638.

Kreider, R. B., et al. (2017). International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: Safety and efficacy of creatine supplementation. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 14, 18.

Smith-Ryan, A. E., DelBiondo, G. M., Brown, A. F., Kleiner, S. M., Tran, N. T., & Ellery, S. J. (2025). Creatine in women's health: Bridging the gap from menstruation through pregnancy to menopause. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 22(1), 2502094.