Taking creatine supplements for about six weeks doesn’t seem to change the levels of a specific protein and its genetic instructions in your muscles, even if you’re healthy.

Taking creatine supplements the way some athletes do—starting with a big dose, then switching to a smaller one—might temporarily boost the sugar stored in your muscles, but that boost fades once you switch to the smaller daily dose.

Taking 21 grams of creatine a day for 5 days can boost the amount of creatine in your muscles by about 30%, but it doesn’t make your muscles build protein faster or break it down slower, whether you’ve eaten or not.

Taking creatine powder for about a week—first a lot, then a little—can boost the amount of creatine in your muscles by over 13%, which helps your muscles store more energy.

Taking creatine for a week like this doesn’t make you weigh more or gain more muscle in young, healthy men and women.

Taking creatine for a week doesn’t make your muscles start building protein faster, even if you take a lot of it at first and then less later.