The Study
The Effects of Creatine Supplementation Combined with Resistance Training on Regional Measures of Muscle Hypertrophy: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis
This study looked at lots of experiments where people took creatine or a fake pill while lifting weights, and measured their muscles with special scans. It found that creatine might help muscles grow just a tiny bit more than not taking it—but it’s not a huge difference. We can’t say for sure it always works, but it’s the best kind of evidence we have.
Analysis score
Maximum 100 for a systematic review with meta-analysis.
Where the score came from
This study looked at whether taking creatine pills while lifting weights helps muscles grow bigger, using scans to measure real muscle changes, not just weight gain.
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 553 / 100
Quality score
The highest quality evidence. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses that pool randomized controlled trials, giving the most reliable summary of experimental evidence.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1The muscle growth is so tiny it’s unlikely to be noticeable or meaningful for most people trying to build muscle.
- 2Muscles got slightly bigger—about 0.1 to 0.16 cm thicker—with creatine, but only in a few people.
- 3About 1 in 4 people didn’t respond at all.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Nutrients
Year
2023
Authors
Ryan Burke, A. Piñero, Max Coleman, Adam E. Mohan, M. Sapuppo, Francesca Augustin, Alan A Aragon, D. Candow, Scott C. Forbes, P. Swinton, B. Schoenfeld
Related Content
Claims (6)
Creatine supplementation with resistance training increases muscle size, and this increase is not caused by water retention because imaging techniques like MRI and ultrasound measure only muscle tissue, not fluid.
Taking creatine while doing resistance training leads to a very small increase in muscle growth, averaging 0.11 standardized units, which is not meaningful for most people.
In adults who take creatine and do resistance training, younger people experience slightly more muscle growth than older people, but the difference is so small and uncertain that it may not matter in practice.
When people take creatine and do resistance training, their upper and lower body muscles become slightly thicker by specific measurable amounts, with no significant difference in thickness between upper and lower body muscles.
Creatine supplementation leads to minimal muscle growth in about 20–30% of people because their natural creatine levels are already high or they have fewer type II muscle fibers.
Trained lifters who take creatine supplements gain exactly 1.8 kilograms of lean mass in six weeks.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.