The Study
Creatine co-ingestion with carbohydrate or cinnamon extract provides no added benefit to anaerobic performance
This study shows what happened to a small group of young men who took different forms of creatine. All improved, and none did better than the others. But because we don’t know for sure how the study was run, we can’t say for certain that the supplements caused the results or that they’d work the same for everyone.
Analysis score
Maximum 90 for a randomized controlled trial.
Where the score came from
Scientists tested if taking creatine with sugar or cinnamon helps young active guys get stronger and faster than just taking creatine alone.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 545 / 100
Quality score
Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, minimizing bias. The gold standard for testing whether an intervention causes an effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1The results show that creatine works well for improving performance, but adding sugar or cinnamon doesn’t make it work any better.
- 2Everyone got about 15% better in short bursts of power, 6–17% stronger in big muscle exercises, and 10–15% more endurance.
- 3Adding sugar or cinnamon didn’t help more than creatine by itself.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
European Journal of Sport Science
Year
2016
Authors
Hashim Islam, Nick J Yorgason, T. Hazell
Related Content
Claims (4)
When you take creatine with carbs, it helps your body hold onto more creatine because the carbs spike insulin, which helps shuttle creatine into your cells better.
Taking creatine for a few weeks can give young, active guys a boost in short bursts of power, help them lift heavier weights, and let them do more reps — basically making their muscles work better during quick, intense exercise.
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.
Taking cinnamon with creatine doesn’t give young active guys any extra boost in strength, power, or endurance beyond what creatine alone already does — even though cinnamon might help with insulin.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.