Curious about creatine? Here’s everything you need to know about the supplement that’s taken the wellness world by storm.
Once upon a time, washing down a multi-vitamin with a glass of Berocca would constitute a robust supplement routine.
That’s not the case in 2026.
Today, the dietary
supplements industry is valued at more than US$109 billion ($185b), according to Fortune Insights, and the market is flooded with all manner of tinctures, powders and potions touted to do everything from helping grow your hair to boosting energy levels.
The latest buzzword in the supplement lexicon? Creatine.
It’s been making waves in the fitness world for at least 30 years (an article published in the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine credits widespread creatine use at the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics), but now the supplement has entered the mainstream with claims that its benefits go beyond exercise.
Proponents say creatine helps lift brain fog, boost energy levels, support DNA repair and aid longevity.
Despite creatine’s growing popularity, its meteoric rise has been closely followed by a flurry of counter-claims about what the supplement actually does (and who it’s best for).
Viva enlisted three experts to separate fact from fiction behind the internet’s buzziest supplement.
“Creatine is a naturally occurring compound made in the body and found in foods like red meat and fish, where it’s stored in muscle and tightly regulated to support energy production,” performance dietitian Dane Baker says.
“Its key role is to replenish ATP (adenosine triphosphate) – the body’s immediate energy source – through the phosphocreatine system, which fuels short, high-intensity efforts like strength training and sprinting.”
Personal trainer, psychotherapist and lifestyle coach Brittany McNabb says that while creatine remains one of the most studied supplements in sports science, it’s also the most misunderstood.
“It’s not a steroid. It’s a compound your body already makes from amino acids, and you’ve got it sitting in your muscles and brain right now helping you produce ATP. ATP is the energy your cells run on,” she says.
“Every time you think, lift, focus, regulate stress, you are spending it; 5g [of creatine] per day helps you recycle that energy faster. So you’ve got more of it available, more often.”
Baker has spent the last decade working with the country’s top athletes and sports organisations, and says that supplementing with creatine can lead to “small but meaningful improvements” in strength, power and performance when used in conjunction with a healthy diet and regular exercise.
“More recently, research has expanded beyond muscle to explore potential benefits for brain metabolism, cognitive function and bone – areas that are promising, but still developing,” Baker says.
Are all creatine products the same?
Our experts agree that the gold standard is creatine monohydrate – a highly bioavailable form of creatine which is used in almost all research.
It’s most commonly available in powder or pill form, but McNabb warns not to fall for marketing trickery when buying it over-the-counter at your local supermarket, pharmacy or supplement store.
“Don’t get pulled into fancy blends with apple flavouring and 10 other ingredients you can’t pronounce. Monohydrate is the form with decades of research behind it,” she says, adding she buys hers from Costco where she spends $40 on 1kg of creatine monohydrate powder.
According to Baker, gummies are the least effective way to take creatine.
“Many ‘wellness’ formats like gummies are under-dosed or use less effective forms, so they’re unlikely to deliver the same results,” he says.
In July 2025, independent testing found that creatine gummies created by popular supplement brand Push contained almost no active creatine, despite claims it contained 5g on the label.
It caused a public outcry from fans of the brand, halting sales and resulting in an official investigation by the New Zealand Commerce Commission. The brand has since pivoted production to a United States-based manufacturer to produce its range of creatine gummies.
Is creatine just for athletes?
For Shelley Empson, Pilates instructor and founder of new supplement brand Creatonic, the shift away from creatine as a supplement only for athletes to being touted as something everyone can use has been particularly exciting.
“Creatine is one of the world’s most research-backed supplements. There are decades of evidence behind it, but many people still think it’s not for them,” she says.
“That’s probably because most creatine supplements have been marketed towards physical performance. Now, emerging research is revealing its role in cognitive function and mood. It’s fantastic to see creatine finally getting the credit it deserves.”
McNabb says the “old” assumption that creatine is just for bodybuilders is doing damage, because it keeps the women she believes would benefit from it, from trying it.
“Creatine got cast as a ‘bro’ supplement because the research was always done on men. Women were left out of the conversation [as per],” she says.
“Women naturally store less creatine than men, and we tend to eat less of it through food, too. So when a woman starts supplementing, she often gets a more noticeable effect than the man next to her.
“I’d argue it’s more relevant for the average 35-year-old mum running on broken sleep and a packed calendar than it is for the gym bro eating 300g of red meat a day.”
It’s now something she regularly recommends to her female clientele.
“The way I describe it to the women I coach is that it’s less of a fitness supplement and more of a foundational energy nutrient,” McNabb says.
Baker has spent much of his career encouraging athletes to use creatine, but he’s now seeing people from all walks of life interested in taking it.
“That’s a positive shift, but it needs context: while early research focused on performance, newer work is exploring areas like brain health, bone and menopause – promising, but not yet definitive,” he says.
“Creatine can be used well beyond sport. It’s a fundamental compound involved in energy metabolism across multiple tissues, and with more than 40 years of research, it remains one of the most studied and safest supplements we have for healthy adults.”
Does creatine make you gain weight?
“Yes and no,” McNabb says.
“Creatine does pull water into your muscle cells, which is part of how it works. But this is intracellular hydration, not bloating. You won’t look puffy. You won’t gain ‘fake’ weight. The scale might creep up a kilo in the first couple of weeks because your muscles are holding more water, and that is literally the supplement doing its job. It’s not fat.”
Baker is also quick to throw out this theory, saying: “Creatine is osmotically active, meaning it draws water into the muscle, which can translate to ~0.5–2kg of additional body water – highly individual depending on baseline stores.
“That said, this is intracellular fluid (within the muscle), not ‘bloating’, and often supports training quality rather than hindering it.”
It does so by accelerating the regeneration of ATP, allowing you to push harder, achieve more reps and recover faster between sets, ultimately driving muscle strength and mass over time, according to a study published in the National Library of Medicine.
Baker says other concerns that creatine can cause cramping and dehydration are also baseless and are the result of “poor quality data” which “haven’t held up”.
“Well-controlled studies consistently show no increased risk.”
McNabb adds that it’s a myth that you have to load up on creatine to build stores in the body.
“You do not need a loading phase. [Previous advice about taking] 20g a day for a week is outdated for general health benefits,” she says.
“Taking 5g daily gets you to the same place. Timing doesn’t matter much. Consistency does.”
How do you take creatine?
The dosage is equally as important as the type of creatine you take, Baker says, explaining that around 3-5g per day is what raises muscle stores and drives home the health benefits.
In terms of timing and what to take it with, Baker says you can take creatine with food if you feel like it, but says that adding carbs isn’t necessary for it to be effective.
It’s ideal to take on days you’re exercising, right before or after your session.
McNabb mixes 5g of creatine powder into water, coffee or a smoothie, rather than ‘stacking’ it with another supplement, but says what makes the most difference is combining creatine with resistance training and plenty of protein.
“Not because creatine is weak on its own, but because it amplifies a signal your training is already sending. If you’re not lifting and you’re under-eating protein, you’re paying for a supplement that’s got nothing much to amplify,” she says.
Some people can experience gastric upset on creatine, but this is rare at lower doses.
Is creatine a must for menopause?
McNabb paints the picture of what happens to the body throughout menopause.
“From your mid-30s, women start losing lean muscle. Once estrogen starts shifting through perimenopause, that loss accelerates. At the same time, bone density drops, mood and cognition can wobble, recovery gets slower,” she says.
When creatine is taken in conjunction with resistance training, McNabb says evidence shows it supports muscle tension and strength, protects bones and more research is surfacing on its role in cognition and mood.
“Creatine buffers both [muscle tissue and cellular energy]. Creatine is one of the very few interventions we have that touches muscle, brain and bone in the same hit – but it’s not a magic pill. It’s scaffolding. And it works best when you’re already lifting and getting enough protein in.”
Baker says early studies suggest creatine may help maintain training quality, lean mass and aspects of bone geometry (the size and shape of bones) in post-menopausal women, but agrees that it’s not a miracle cure for menopause.
“These outcomes are driven primarily by consistent, progressive resistance training along with adequate protein and overall nutrition,” he says.
“In practice, creatine is best viewed as a safe, low‑cost add‑on that may give a small edge to training and recovery, rather than a solution on its own.”
Is creatine a cure-all?
Baker says you shouldn’t believe everything you see about creatine splashed across social platforms.
“Social media can make creatine sound like a cure-all, but many of the newer health claims are still early and evolving,” he says, adding that it won’t replace the fundamentals – consistent resistance training, adequate nutrition, sleep and broader lifestyle factors that help maintain muscle mass and bone density.
“That said, creatine – particularly in its monohydrate form – is a well‑researched, safe and affordable supplement that can provide a small, meaningful additive benefit when those fundamentals are in place,” Baker says.
“The key is understanding that it supports, rather than replaces, the core drivers of health like training, nutrition, and lifestyle.”
Take Your Pick
These creatine powders all contain creatine monohydrate.
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