If young, healthy guys take creatine with a sugary drink or a special mix of sugar and amino acids, their insulin levels spike faster than if they take creatine with just water.

If young, healthy guys take creatine with a mix of sugar, protein bits, and certain amino acids, it triggers about as much insulin as taking creatine with just a lot of sugar — and both help the body hold onto more creatine than if they took it with water.

If you take creatine along with a big dose of sugar (93 grams), your body releases more insulin than if you take creatine by itself — at least in healthy men.

If young, healthy guys take creatine with sugary drinks or a special mix of protein and sugar, less creatine comes out in their pee over 24 hours compared to taking it with just water.

If a young, healthy guy takes 5 grams of creatine with just water, his body absorbs it faster than if he takes it with carbs or with a mix of protein, amino acids, and carbs — and you can see that in his blood 15 minutes later.

For young, active guys taking creatine, adding carbs doesn’t seem to make it work better for boosting power, strength, or stamina—even though we thought insulin from carbs might help the body absorb more creatine.