Taking creatine for a few days before a big race might help protect athletes' muscles and liver from damage caused by extreme exercise.

40

Pro

0

Against

Evidence from Studies

Supporting (1)

40

Community contributions welcome

40

Effect of short-term creatine supplementation on markers of skeletal muscle damage after strenuous contractile activity

Randomized Controlled Trial

Human

2010 Mar

The study gave some triathletes creatine for 5 days before a race and found they had less of a rise in liver/muscle damage markers, which matches what the claim says.

Contradicting (0)

0

Community contributions welcome

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

Effect of short-term creatine supplementation on markers of skeletal muscle damage after strenuous contractile activity

Score: 40

DOI: 10.1007/s00421-009-1305-1

Similar Assertions

Taking creatine for a few days before a big race might help reduce signs of muscle damage in triathletes after intense exercise.

40

0

83%

Taking creatine for five days boosts creatine in muscles, but doesn’t change how much glycogen (energy) is used during intense cycling in healthy young guys — so more creatine alone doesn’t help save energy stores during endurance workouts if muscles weren’t already drained.

37

0

72%

In young, healthy guys recovering from intense workouts, taking creatine doesn’t seem to change muscle swelling or stress signals — which means the boost in muscle fuel recovery probably isn’t due to those factors.

37

0

70%

Taking creatine supplements might help athletes lift heavier, sprint faster, build more muscle, and feel less tired when doing short bursts of intense exercise.

1

0

70%