Does creatine fill your muscles with energy sugar?
Creatine supplementation does not affect human skeletal muscle glycogen content in the absence of prior exercise.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
We checked if taking creatine for 5 days helps store more energy sugar (glycogen) in muscles of young guys who eat normally and don’t exercise before.
No biological mechanisms were identified in this study. This may be an epidemiological, observational, or survey-based study that reports associations rather than proposing causal biological pathways.
Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses
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Evidence Score
A snapshot of a population at a single point in time. Can identify correlations and prevalence, but cannot determine the direction of cause and effect.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
We checked if taking creatine for 5 days helps store more energy sugar (glycogen) in muscles of young guys who eat normally and don’t exercise before.
No biological mechanisms were identified in this study. This may be an epidemiological, observational, or survey-based study that reports associations rather than proposing causal biological pathways.
Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses
Max 100Randomized Controlled Trials
Max 90Cohort Studies
Max 72Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional Studies
Max 44Case Reports & Case Series
Max 30Expert Opinion & Narrative Reviews
Max 537 / 44
Evidence Score
A snapshot of a population at a single point in time. Can identify correlations and prevalence, but cannot determine the direction of cause and effect.
Publication
Authors
Sewell DA, Robinson TM, Greenhaff PL
Related Content
Claims (6)
Taking creatine supplements may help your muscles store more glycogen, which is like a sugar reservoir, and since glycogen holds onto water, your muscles end up holding more water too.
Taking creatine for five days boosts creatine in muscles, but doesn’t change how much glycogen (energy) is used during intense cycling in healthy young guys — so more creatine alone doesn’t help save energy stores during endurance workouts if muscles weren’t already drained.
Taking 20 grams of creatine a day for five days boosts the amount of creatine in young men's muscles, even if they don’t work out or eat a lot of carbs.
Creatine might help your muscles store more glycogen, but only if you first do a workout that drains your energy stores — otherwise, it doesn’t do much for glycogen.
Taking creatine for 5 days doesn’t boost muscle fuel stores in healthy young guys who aren’t working out or eating extra carbs — it needs more than just the supplement to make a difference.