The Study
Creatine Supplementation Does Not Influence the Ratio Between Intracellular Water and Skeletal Muscle Mass in Resistance-Trained Men.
This study shows that men who took creatine while lifting weights had more muscle and more water inside their cells compared to those who took a fake pill. But because we don’t know for sure how the study was run, we can’t say creatine caused these changes — only that they happened together.
Analysis score
Maximum 90 for a randomized controlled trial.
Where the score came from
Men who lift weights took creatine or a fake pill for 8 weeks while continuing their workouts. Scientists checked how much their muscles grew and how much water was inside and outside their cells.
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 538 / 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.
- 1Yes, creatine helps build more muscle and increases inner cell water, but it doesn’t throw off the natural balance between muscle and cell water.
- 2The creatine group gained more muscle and more water inside cells than the fake pill group.
- 3The amount of water inside cells went up just as much as muscle, so the balance stayed the same.
- 4Water outside cells went up the same in both groups.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
International journal of sport nutrition and exercise metabolism
Year
2020
Authors
A. Ribeiro, Ademar Avelar, Witalo Kassiano, J. Nunes, B. Schoenfeld, A. Aguiar, M. Trindade, A. Silva, L. Sardinha, E. Cyrino
Related Content
Claims (6)
Taking creatine supplements can help you build more muscle and get stronger because it helps your muscles recharge their energy faster during intense workouts like lifting weights or sprinting.
Creatine pulls water into your cells, making them swell a bit, and that swelling is how it helps your body work better.
If you're a guy who lifts weights, taking creatine for 8 weeks can help you gain muscle and hold more water inside your muscle cells — but the water doesn't increase more than the muscle does, so it's not just 'bloating' — it's real growth.
If you're a guy who lifts weights, taking creatine won't make you hold more water outside your cells compared to just training — the water increase seems to come from working out, not the supplement.
If you're a guy who lifts weights, taking creatine might help you gain more muscle and hold onto more water inside your cells than just training alone.
When guys who lift weights gain muscle, their muscle cells also hold more water — and this happens whether or not they take creatine. It suggests that growing muscle might be linked to how much water the cells hold.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.