Taking creatine for a week might change genes in young men's muscles that help reshape the muscle structure, possibly because the muscle cells are holding more water.

Taking creatine for a short time might turn on genes in young men's muscles that help fix DNA, possibly because the cells are reacting to the stress from holding more water.

Taking creatine for just a week can turn on important muscle cell signals that help with growth and energy use in young, healthy guys.

Taking creatine helps your muscle cells soak up more water, making them swell a bit—and this swelling tells your body to stop breaking down muscle as much.

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 3–5 grams of creatine monohydrate daily for 8 to 12 weeks leads to small increases in muscle size in people who regularly lift weights, mainly because it allows them to train more intensely or for longer, not because it directly stimulates muscle growth at the cellular level.