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Creatine is among the most popular nutritional supplements, with hundreds of studies supporting its effectiveness. It is a naturally occurring compound in the human body, primarily stored in skeletal muscle. It can be derived in small amounts from food but it is more widely known as a dietary supplement. It is commonly used by athletes, weightlifters, bodybuilders and regular gym goers (1). The primary reason people take Creatine is to help increase strength and muscle mass, however, the goal of losing weight is often coupled with getting stronger. This begs the question should you use Creatine when trying to lose weight?
In this article, I will present the scientific evidence and practical advice around Creatine when it comes to weight loss.
Creatine is a dietary supplement that is used to improve exercise performance and increase muscle mass. It is a combination of three different amino acids: glycine, arginine, and methionine. It is primarily made in the liver, with about 1 gram of Creatine being produced endogenously daily. You can also get Creatine from various foods such as red meat, fish and seafood, poultry and dairy products.
However, supplementation is the most common method to increase Creatine levels within the body. There are several types of Creatine available but most of the research is conducted using Creatine Monohydrate. It is made up of one Creatine molecule and one water molecule and is considered the default option for Creatine supplementation. This is what we use in MARCHON Creatine Monohydrare powder.
Creatine is one of the most researched supplements in the world with some robust positive evidence. Some of the potential ergogenic benefits of Creatine supplementation are -
One key takeaway from the research is that the benefits are seen in both males and females, trained and untrained individuals alongside young and the older populations. (1, 2 ,3). We have a more detailed breakdown of the benefits in our article Creatine Monohydrate: What is it & What are its benefits?
The primary function of Creatine monohydrate in the body is to assist in the production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP). ATP is often referred to as the "energy currency" of cells because it provides the energy needed for various cellular processes. When you perform activities that require rapid and intense bursts of energy, such as weightlifting or sprinting, ATP is the primary source of fuel for your muscles.
Creatine monohydrate plays a key role in regenerating ATP during these short bursts of high-intensity exercise.
Creatine monohydrate may also have an impact on muscle growth and recovery. Although the mechanism is not fully understood, it is thought to contribute to these processes in the following ways:
How much Creatine one needs to see a positive response can vary based on dietary habits, age and training type. If you have an extremely high intake of red meat you may see fewer benefits to Creatine supplementation as you already have a higher intake.
A general consensus from the research suggests a range of 3-5g per day for at least 2-4 weeks is required to see a benefit, but some people may want to utilise a loading phase (20g a day for 5 days) to saturate Creatine stores at a quicker rate.
This and more detail on how Creatine works is covered in the Creatine Monohydrate: What is it & What are its benefits?
'Cutting fat' refers to a specific dietary approach aimed at reducing body fat percentage while preserving lean muscle mass. Some fundamentals need to be adhered to in terms of successful fat loss.
Several factors contribute to energy balance and your ability to create a calorie deficit. Calories in is simply the amount of food you consume. Calories out has several contributing factors -
To create a calorie deficit you can decrease food intake, increase expenditure or do both. However, be wary of doing either too aggressively. Although this may lead to weight loss you run the risk of losing more muscle mass and struggling with adherence when creating a large deficit (4). Aiming for 200-500kcal per day will be a good starting point.
To help with mitigating muscle mass loss when dieting protein intake becomes incredibly important. The table below is a collection of the latest research for recommended protein intake in g/kg of bodyweight based on your goal, your output and current weight (5, 6, 7, 8).
Lastly, it doesn’t matter what type of exercise you do when losing fat but doing some form of resistance training is advised to both support the fat loss process as well as building and preserving muscle mass (9).
In terms of carbohydrates and fats as long as your calories and protein are aligned with your goal, the ratio of carbohydrates and fats doesn’t matter. Reduced-calorie diets result in clinically meaningful weight loss regardless of which macronutrients they emphasise, so prioritise what you prefer (10).
Once you have these three pillars in place some common faults occur with fat-loss diets that can prevent progress. These include -
Dieting isn’t easy. However, do not make it harder for yourself by making these common mistakes. If you are suffering from any medical condition then talk to your doctor or health professional.
There are several myths and stories surrounding creatine supplementation and weight gain. The main reason creatine is associated with weight gain is due to water retention or increased intramuscular water levels in the muscle. This water retention can lead to:
Numerous studies have shown that the weight gained from short-term creatine supplementation is virtually all water weight, not an increase in fat mass (11). A study conducted in 2003 by Kutz & Gunter took seventeen active males to examine the effects of creatine monohydrate supplementation on total body weight (TBW), percent body fat, body water content, and caloric intake. Significant increases before and after the study were found in TBW (90.42 ± 14.74 to 92.12 ± 15.19 kg) and body water content (53.77 ± 1.75 to 57.15 ± 2.01 L) for the creatine group (p = 0.05). No significant changes were found in percent body fat or daily caloric intake in the creatine group. No significant changes were noted for the placebo group. These findings show that creatine supplementation increases TBW but body fat was not affected by creatine supplementation. Therefore weight gain in lieu of creatine supplementation may in part be due to water retention. A more recent meta analyses showed that increased body mass in the longer term may be indirectly related to and explained by greater muscle accretion from creatine supplementation and resistance training (12).
Results from this meta-analysis showed that adults ≥ 50 years of age who were supplemented with creatine during resistance training experienced a greater reduction in body fat percentage compared to placebo. Despite no statistical difference (p = 0.13), adults supplementing with creatine lost ~0.5 kg more fat mass compared to those receiving placebo.
This study also has an incredible review of all the studies on creatine and body fat and weight. Well worth checking it out.
This is the key principle to understand, creatine supports muscle growth, not fat storage. While creatine does not directly cause fat gain, it can aid in building lean muscle mass by:
The only time it might be worth considering stopping taking creatine while losing weight is if your actual goal is losing weight. By that, I mean for athletes that need to diet down to a weight class like for boxing or MMA. Stopping creatine might help them hit their goal weight but it would take up to three or four weeks for all that creatine weight to go they should also need to take into consideration the possible drop in performance but usually there will be a taper that occurs so this wouldn’t be too much of an issue.
In summary, the weight gain often associated with creatine supplementation is primarily due to increased water retention within the muscles giving a fuller or bloated appearance which can make you feel like you are gaining fat. However, creatine does not directly cause fat gain.
It is common for people to not use Creatine when cutting fat as they often see faster results on the scale (due to a drop in water retention). In a fat loss phase the goal should be to lose fat not weight, by preserving as much muscle mass as possible.
Studies show that individuals who take creatine and engage in resistance training lose more fat mass while preserving lean muscle mass compared to those who don't supplement with creatine (12, 13).
The proposed mechanisms are:
Due to the requirement of being in an energy deficit when trying to lose fat, Creatine can be a useful addition during a fat-loss diet to help provide energy for training, reduce muscle protein breakdown and maintain strength.
One of the most common concerns people have about supplementing with creatine is water retention. Yes, you will retain water, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Muscle is roughly 75% water by volume, and this water retention may actually be beneficial for muscle growth and performance.
Some evidence suggests that creatine's "osmotic effect" may increase protein synthesis and enhance hypertrophy. To understand this, we need to differentiate between intracellular water (ICW) and extracellular water (ECW).
ICW is the fluid inside the cells of the tissue of interest, while ECW is the water outside the cells, including interstitial fluid (between cells) and blood plasma. When we assess how creatine impacts fluid balance and water retention, measuring body water can provide valuable insights.
A study (14) took this approach and offered novel insights into creatine's effects on body water and muscle. The researchers found that creatine supplementation increased intracellular water (ICW) within muscle cells, likely due to the osmotic effect of creatine drawing water into the cells.
This increase in ICW is significant because it suggests that creatine may enhance muscle cell volumisation, which can act as an anabolic signal for protein synthesis and muscle growth. Additionally, better hydration of muscle cells could improve muscle endurance and delay fatigue during exercise.
While some initial water retention may occur, this is primarily due to the increased ICW within muscle cells, rather than an accumulation of extracellular water. Over time, the body reaches a new homeostatic balance, and the excess water weight stabilises or dissipates, leaving the muscle cells volumised and potentially primed for growth.
So, while water retention is a common concern, it's important to understand that creatine's osmotic effect primarily impacts intracellular water within muscle cells, which may provide benefits for muscle growth and performance.
Although Creatine can provide support in terms of energy production, there is no clear evidence that creatine supplementation directly provides a "metabolic boost" in terms of increasing whole-body metabolism or resting energy expenditure. As we have covered in this article and in more detail in the Creatine Monohydrate: What is it & What are its benefits blog, Creatine alongside resistance training can increase muscle mass. Muscle is more metabolically active tissue compared to fat tissue. At rest, muscle burns around 6 calories per pound (13 calories per kg) per day, while fat burns only around 2-3 calories per pound (4-6 calories per kg) per day. Therefore the more muscle you build the potential for your resting metabolic rate to be higher. However, Creatine will not increase your metabolic rate.
In conclusion, creatine is effective for muscle growth and preservation, especially during a fat-loss diet, by enhancing workout performance and reducing muscle breakdown. However, it does not directly increase fat metabolism. Using a Creatine product that has zero calories like our creatine monohydrate would be a good option.
