The Study
Supplementing With Which Form of Creatine (Hydrochloride or Monohydrate) Alongside Resistance Training Can Have More Impacts on Anabolic/Catabolic Hormones, Strength and Body Composition?
This study is like a fair race between two types of creatine to see which one helps you get stronger and build muscle better when you lift weights. It found that both types worked about the same — but it doesn’t prove one causes muscle growth all by itself; it just shows that when you take creatine and lift weights, you tend to get better results than if you don’t take anything.
Analysis score
Maximum 90 for a randomized controlled trial.
Where the score came from
Scientists tested if a newer kind of creatine (Cr-HCl) helps you build muscle and get stronger better than the old, cheap kind (CrM), when you lift weights.
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 569 / 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 — gaining 10–15% more muscle and losing 2% body fat in 8 weeks is a big, noticeable change for someone lifting weights.
- 2Both kinds of creatine helped guys gain 10–15% more muscle and lose 1.5–2.5% body fat in 8 weeks.
- 3They also got stronger and had better hormone levels.
- 4The new kind didn’t do anything extra.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Physiological research
Year
2024
Authors
Ehsan Eghbali, H. Arazi, Katsuhiko Suzuki
Related Content
Claims (5)
In young men aged 18–25, taking 0.03 grams of creatine monohydrate or creatine hydrochloride per kilogram of body weight daily for eight weeks while doing resistance training increases muscle strength, muscle mass, and muscle cross-sectional area, and reduces body fat percentage compared to a placebo, with no difference between the two creatine forms.
In young men, eight weeks of resistance training with creatine supplementation raises the testosterone-to-cortisol ratio, increases growth hormone and IGF-1, and lowers cortisol and ACTH.
In young men doing resistance training for eight weeks, taking creatine hydrochloride at 0.03 g/kg/day results in the same changes in strength, muscle mass, and hormone levels as taking creatine monohydrate at the same dose.
In young men doing resistance training, taking creatine for eight weeks results in a 10–15% increase in skeletal muscle mass and muscle cross-sectional area, whether they take creatine monohydrate or creatine hydrochloride.
Young men who take creatine while doing resistance training for eight weeks lose about 1.5 to 2.5 percent body fat, while those taking a placebo do not.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.