If you're a guy who lifts weights, taking creatine might help you gain more muscle and hold onto more water inside your cells than just training alone.

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Pro

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Against

Evidence from Studies

Supporting (1)

38

Community contributions welcome

38

Creatine Supplementation Does Not Influence the Ratio Between Intracellular Water and Skeletal Muscle Mass in Resistance-Trained Men.

Randomized Controlled Trial

Human

2020 Nov 1

The study found that men who took creatine while lifting weights gained more muscle and held more water inside their cells than those who took a placebo, which supports the idea that creatine boosts muscle and hydration gains from training.

Contradicting (0)

0

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No contradicting evidence found

Gold Standard Evidence Needed

According to GRADE and EBM methodology, here is what ideal scientific evidence would look like to definitively prove or disprove this specific claim, ordered from strongest to weakest evidence.

Source Study

Creatine Supplementation Does Not Influence the Ratio Between Intracellular Water and Skeletal Muscle Mass in Resistance-Trained Men.

Score: 38

DOI: 10.1123/ijsnem.2020-0080

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If you're a guy who lifts weights, taking creatine for 8 weeks can help you gain muscle and hold more water inside your muscle cells — but the water doesn't increase more than the muscle does, so it's not just 'bloating' — it's real growth.

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