The Study
Impact of creatine supplementation on inflammation: evidence from a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized double-blind placebo trials
This study looked at lots of experiments where people took creatine or a fake pill and measured their body’s inflammation. It found that creatine didn’t make the common inflammation markers go down — but it might help after super hard workouts, we just couldn’t be sure because not enough studies measured that.
Analysis score
Maximum 100 for a systematic review with meta-analysis.
Where the score came from
Creatine helps muscles work harder, but doesn't generally reduce body-wide inflammation — except maybe right after super hard races.
Where does this study sit?
Systematic Reviews & Meta-analyses
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Cohort Studies
Max 72Case-Control
Max 58Cross-Sectional
Max 44Case Reports & Series
Max 30Expert Opinion
Max 558 / 100
Quality score
The highest quality evidence. These studies systematically search, appraise, and synthesize results from multiple individual studies, providing the most reliable summary of current knowledge.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1The big drop after races is short-lived and doesn't help with everyday inflammation from aging or arthritis.
- 2After a 30-km race: TNF-α dropped 33.7%, PGE2 dropped 60.9%.
- 3For other cases: no change in CRP, IL-6, or muscle damage markers.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Frontiers in Immunology
Year
2026
Authors
Kell Mazzini Ribeiro de Camargo, Alejandro Bruna-Mejías, J. Valenzuela-Fuenzalida, L. A. Gonzaga, S. Barbalho, Alexandre L. Barroca, A. A. Porto, R. D. Raimundo, L. D. de Abreu, V. E. Valenti
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.