The Effect of Creatine Supplementation on Resistance Training-Based Changes to Body Composition: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to determine the added effect of creatine supplementation on changes in body composition (lean body mass, body fat percentage, and body fat mass) with resistance training in adults younger than 50 years.
Results Summary
Creatine supplementation increased lean body mass by 1.14 kg and reduced body fat percentage by 0.88% and body fat mass by 0.73 kg compared to resistance training alone. No differences were found based on training status or carbohydrate co-ingestion, and training volume did not moderate the effects.
Population
Adults younger than 50 years
Effective Dosage
7 g or 0.3 g/kg of body mass per day
Duration
Not specified in the abstract
Interactions
None mentioned
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
creatine supplementation | increase | lean body mass (LBM) | adults younger than 50 years | 1.14 kg (95% CI 0.69 to 1.59) | increased | #1 |
creatine supplementation | decrease | body fat percentage | adults younger than 50 years | -0.88% (95% CI -1.66 to -0.11) | reduced | #2 |
creatine supplementation | decrease | body fat mass | adults younger than 50 years | -0.73 kg (95% CI -1.34 to -0.11) | reduced | #3 |
creatine supplementation | increase | lean body mass (LBM) | - | 1 kg | likely to increase | #4 |
creatine supplementation | decrease | fat mass | - | 0.7 kg | reduce | #5 |
concurrent carbohydrate ingestion | no change | the hypertrophy benefits of creatine | - | - | did not enhance | #6 |
Desai, I, Wewege, MA, Jones, MD, Clifford, BK, Pandit, A, Kaakoush, NO, Simar, D, and Hagstrom, AD. The effect of creatine supplementation on resistance training-based changes to body composition: A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Strength Cond Res 38(10): 1813-1821, 2024-The purpose of this review was to determine the added effect of creatine supplementation on changes in body composition with resistance training in adults younger than 50 years. The review protocol was preregistered on the Open Science Framework (osf.io/x48a6/). Our primary outcome was lean body mass (LBM); secondary outcomes were body fat percentage (%) and body fat mass (kg). We performed a random-effects meta-analysis in R using the metafor package. Subgroup analyses were conducted to examine the effects of training status and use of a carbohydrate drink with creatine. We conducted a meta-regression to examine the moderating effect of total training volume. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. One thousand six hundred ninety-four records were screened, and 67 full-text articles were assessed for eligibility. Twelve studies were included in the meta-analysis. Fifty-two percentages of the studies had low risk, 41% some concerns, and 7% high risk of bias. Compared with resistance training (RT) alone, creatine supplementation increased LBM by 1.14 kg (95% CI 0.69 to 1.59), and reduced body fat percentage by -0.88% (95% CI -1.66 to -0.11) and body fat mass by -0.73 kg (95% CI -1.34 to -0.11). There were no differences between training status or carbohydrate subgroups. Training volume was not associated with effect size in all outcomes; 7 g or 0.3 g/kg of body mass of creatine per day is likely to increase LBM by 1 kg and reduce fat mass by 0.7 kg more than RT alone. Concurrent carbohydrate ingestion did not enhance the hypertrophy benefits of creatine.