In 64 adults ages 45 to 65, daily creatine lined up with more lean tissue even without a structured training plan

What the research found

Study (12 weeks; people chose whether to join a training plan, then were randomized to creatine or placebo). Richard Kreider and colleagues at Texas A&M report in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition (DOI 10.1080/15502783.2026.2716273). Sixty-four healthy adults ages 45 to 65 finished. The study dose was 10 grams of creatine monohydrate a day. In the group that did not join the plan, creatine lined up with about 2.4 pounds more lean tissue and higher leg-press and bench-press loads. In the group that trained and ate at a modest calorie deficit, creatine lined up with nearly 3 pounds more lean tissue and a larger drop in body-fat percentage, while the placebo group showed little lean-tissue change. Creatine did not add aerobic capacity beyond training alone. Assignment to training was not randomized. A 2025 review by the same lab of 685 trials found no significant gap in reported side-effect rates versus placebo. This is not a disease treatment, not a personal dose, and not medical advice.

Evidence level: Clinical trial. This is among the stronger kinds of evidence, but one study rarely settles a question.

Read the original at Texas A&M / Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition