Dr. Michael Israetel, a BJJ black belt and renowned exercise scientist, has weighed in on a recent study from the University of New South Wales that challenges the effectiveness of creatine supplementation for muscle growth.
The Australian study, which included 63 healthy adults (34 females, 29 males) with an average age of 31, compared two groups: one taking 5g of creatine monohydrate daily and one taking a placebo. After a one-week loading phase and 12 weeks of resistance training, both groups gained approximately 4 pounds of lean mass, with no significant difference between the creatine and non-creatine groups.
“The conclusion of the study by the study authors was that creatine’s initial lean mass increase is almost certainly likely due to water retention,” Israetel explains in video, “and that creatine in this study did not enhance muscle gain beyond its initial water bloating effect.”
However, Israetel cautions against drawing definitive conclusions from a single study. “Science works never ever ever one study at a time,” he emphasizes. “Science builds its understanding of the world by taking lots and lots of studies and putting them together, zooming out and seeing what is the overall message we’re getting.”
Examining the broader scientific literature, Israetel points to multiple studies showing that creatine does enhance true muscle hypertrophy beyond water retention. These studies demonstrate that creatine supplementation typically adds “about 2 to four pounds of muscle more than the group that doesn’t” over 8-12 weeks of training.
Israetel highlights several lines of evidence supporting creatine’s effectiveness:
- Studies with proper washout periods show muscle gains persist after creatine is discontinued, indicating true hypertrophy rather than water retention
- Muscle biopsies, MRIs, and ultrasound measurements confirm increased muscle fiber cross-sectional area
- Creatine enhances performance, allowing for more reps per set and more productive training volume
- Mechanistic studies show creatine increases muscle fiber nuclei number and reduces myostatin expression, both critical factors in muscle growth
- Cell swelling from creatine has been shown to trigger anabolic signaling pathways
“Overall practical takeaway from this whole body of literature is that creatine results in actual muscle gains,” Israetel concludes, though he acknowledges that the effect is modest. “Creatine does not build a ton of muscle. It is not like weight training, it is not like ster*ids, and it’s not like eating a good diet high in protein getting lots of sleep. It’s a much smaller effect than that.”
Israetel‘s final recommendation? “Yes, creatine still works. Yes, you should still be taking it.” But he reminds users to maintain realistic expectations: “If you’re looking for ster*id effects from creatine, you’re almost always going to be disappointed.”
