Older adults in the hospital for a certain kind of stroke can safely take a specific dose of creatine for a week — it’s generally well-tolerated, though some might get mild stomach issues or temporary changes in a kidney-related blood test.

If older adults who've had a certain kind of stroke take 20 grams of creatine every day for a week, their body shows signs that it's absorbing and using the supplement, based on a rise in a related blood marker.

Older adults who had a stroke didn’t get stronger or gain more muscle from taking creatine for a week, even if they ate enough protein and started moving early.

Taking 20 grams of creatine a day for a week after a certain kind of stroke might lower a brain-related protein linked to inflammation in older adults — suggesting it could help with brain healing.

Taking creatine supplements the right way is probably safe and might help older people and kids stay healthy, without hurting their liver, kidneys, or metabolism, based on studies done so far.

Taking creatine monohydrate every day for up to five years, even at high doses, doesn’t seem to harm your kidneys, liver, or blood in healthy people or those with brain-related diseases like Parkinson’s or ALS.