The Study
No effect of creatine supplementation on human myofibrillar and sarcoplasmic protein synthesis after resistance exercise.
This study watched 7 young men to see if taking creatine changed how their muscles built protein after exercise. It can tell us what happened in this small group, but not for sure if creatine really does nothing for everyone.
Analysis score
Maximum 44 for a cross-sectional study.
Where the score came from
Scientists wanted to see if taking creatine helps muscles make more protein after a workout. They had young men do leg exercises and measured how much new muscle protein was made, with and without creatine.
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 530 / 100
Quality score
Snapshots of a population at a single point in time, or descriptions of small groups. Can identify correlations and prevalence, but cannot determine cause and effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1This means creatine didn't speed up muscle building right after exercise, even though it got into the muscles.
- 2The workout made muscle protein production go up 2-3 times.
- 3Creatine increased muscle creatine by 21%, but didn't make protein production go up more.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
American journal of physiology. Endocrinology and metabolism
Year
2003
Authors
Magali Louis, J. Poortmans, M. Francaux, J. Berré, N. Boisseau, E. Brassine, D. Cuthbertson, Kenneth Smith, J. Babraj, T. Waddell, M. Rennie
Related Content
Claims (5)
Taking creatine supplements leads to higher levels of creatine in muscles, improves the ability to regenerate energy during intense workouts, and over 8 to 12 weeks, allows for more total training and measurable muscle growth.
Creatine helps build muscle mostly by keeping muscle cells hydrated and reducing breakdown, not by making your body produce more muscle protein.
Taking a lot of creatine for 5 days doesn’t seem to boost muscle repair or growth right after a workout in young, healthy guys—even though it does increase creatine levels in their muscles. So, creatine might help muscles grow in other ways, not by speeding up protein building right after exercise.
Doing a tough leg workout with lots of sets makes your leg muscles start building new proteins much faster—2 to 3 times more than usual—right after the workout.
If young, healthy guys take a lot of creatine for 5 days straight, their muscles soak it up and end up with about 21% more creatine inside them.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.