A popular supplement could help you look leaner and more toned - here's how it works

Creatine naturally occurs in the body and is stored in your muscles to help give you energy during strenuous activities like weightlifting and high-intensity exercise.

It can be supplemented to increase the amount stored in the muscles. This, in turn, can improve strength, exercise performance, recovery and support muscle growth during training.

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How does it work?

Creatine works by helping your muscles produce energy more quickly during high-intensity exercise, allowing you to train harder and perform more repetitions or heavier lifts.

The substance is finding itself into more and more products, including protein bars, powders and even gummies, but should everyone take it? Nutritionist and chief product officer at Protein Works, Kyle Crowley, thinks so.

He told GB News: “Creatine has always been a staple in sports nutrition, but over the past few years, a number of studies have uncovered its more holistic value. Its benefits regarding cognitive health, mental clarity, and energy levels make it a key supplement for everyone.

"Supplementing with creatine has been shown to improve cognitive performance, support memory retention, and even aid mental resilience under stress. It supports how we think, how we feel, and how we recover, both physically and mentally."

Creatine has been well researched, with numerous reports showing it has many cognitive benefits. It can also help with weight loss and fitness goals, with health enthusiasts encouraged to take 3g to 5g per day to get the best results. Recent reviews gathered data from multiple studies to find the main benefits for gymgoers.

One review published in the National Library of Medicine looked at 12 studies involving adults under 50 who trained with resistance and took creatine. Those who had creatine lost slightly more body fat than those who did the same training without creatine.

The researchers concluded that combining creatine with strength training can help people become leaner while supporting their exercise performance and muscle mass. The supplement can support muscle retention and training performance, which likely contributed to the results.

Similarly, a 2024 review considered 143 studies on creatine and found that people who took creatine while doing strength training gained more muscle and slightly reduced their body fat percentage.

This means that although the number on the scale may not change much, participants generally improved their body composition by having more muscle and less fat. This contributes to a leaner, more toned appearance. The study concluded creatine can help those trying to lose weight maintain and build muscle while training.

Another nutritionist agreed, stating how daily creatine can work as a "valuable tool for losing weight".

Is it safe?

While it is becoming more popular, many people have still never heard of creatine - let alone tried it for themselves. It can get a reputation for unpleasant side effects, but Crowley suggested these are not a concern for the majority of people.

He said: "While some people are worried about side effects, such as dehydration, stomach problems and muscle cramps, these are usually very short-lived and can be mitigated by taking less than the recommended dose when first starting out.

"There is a lot of contradicting information online about creatine, with some people claiming it causes hair loss or even liver damage. These claims are mostly due to misinterpreted studies or sensationalism."

Beyond the fitness benefits, the nutritionist highlighted many other reasons why Britons may want to test it out. He added: "Creatine is one of the most researched supplements on the market, and more and more studies are coming out corroborating its benefits not only for muscle health, but for cognitive and brain health too.

"Anyone struggling with brain fog, exhaustion or sluggishness could greatly benefit from supplementing creatine. Our peach-flavoured Creatine Gummies are formulated with the same 200-mesh creatine monohydrate as our high-quality powders, but are easier to take every day."