Why Creatine Makes Muscles Bigger
Creatine supplementation has no effect on human muscle protein turnover at rest in the postabsorptive or fed states.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Taking creatine doesn't change how fast your muscles build or break down protein when you're resting. But eating food makes your muscles build protein faster and break it down slower. So if creatine helps you grow muscle, it's probably because you work out more, not because your body changes how it uses protein.
Surprising Findings
Creatine had no effect on muscle protein synthesis or breakdown—even after feeding.
Most assume creatine directly stimulates muscle growth at the cellular level; this shows it doesn’t touch protein turnover at rest.
Practical Takeaways
Take creatine if you want to train harder—but don’t skip meals. Protein intake right after workouts matters more than creatine alone.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Taking creatine doesn't change how fast your muscles build or break down protein when you're resting. But eating food makes your muscles build protein faster and break it down slower. So if creatine helps you grow muscle, it's probably because you work out more, not because your body changes how it uses protein.
Surprising Findings
Creatine had no effect on muscle protein synthesis or breakdown—even after feeding.
Most assume creatine directly stimulates muscle growth at the cellular level; this shows it doesn’t touch protein turnover at rest.
Practical Takeaways
Take creatine if you want to train harder—but don’t skip meals. Protein intake right after workouts matters more than creatine alone.
Publication
Journal
American journal of physiology. Endocrinology and metabolism
Year
2003
Authors
Magali Louis, J. Poortmans, M. Francaux, E. Hultman, J. Berré, N. Boisseau, V. Young, Kenneth Smith, W. Meier‐Augenstein, J. Babraj, T. Waddell, M. Rennie
Related Content
Claims (4)
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.
If you take creatine and get bigger muscles, it’s probably because you’re working out more, not because creatine is changing how your muscles build protein when you’re just sitting around.
Taking 21 grams of creatine a day for 5 days can boost the amount of creatine in your muscles by about 30%, but it doesn’t make your muscles build protein faster or break it down slower, whether you’ve eaten or not.
Eating a meal makes your muscles build more protein and break down less of it—by about double the normal rate for building and 40% less for breaking down—and this happens whether or not you take creatine.