Supplements · Metabolic & Cardiometabolic
creatine monohydrate increases muscle mass and strength
In plain terms: Does creatine monohydrate help build muscle?
Part of: 🧪 creatine
Yes — creatine plus resistance training reliably adds strength and roughly a kilo of lean mass across many trials; the effect is real though modest and depends on actually training.
📅 Last reviewed: 2026-07-14 ⓘ
Evidence ladder
How far up the ladder this claim has climbed. A high consensus on a low rung means "consistent so far," not "proven in people."
Top evidence so far: All trials, pooled (Meta-analysis)
How the studies fall
The evidence (17)
| Source | Grade | Stance | Quality | Finding |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| López-Moreno M et al 2026 · study_type: RCT | RCT | supports | moderate | Triple-blind RCT, 20 physically active vegan adults, 4wk creatine (0.1 g/kg/day) vs placebo: skeletal muscle mass +0.3 kg and reduced body fat -1.4 kg vs controls (p<0.05). |
| Delpino 2022 · Nutrition | meta-analysis | supports | high | Creatine added to resistance training increased lean body mass by ~1.1 kg versus training alone. |
| Gualano 2014 · Exp Gerontol | RCT | supports | moderate | Creatine plus resistance training improved leg/bench press strength and appendicular lean mass versus training alone. ↩ SUPERSEDED — pooled in the review above, counted once |
| Desai 2025 · Nutrients | RCT | contradicts | moderate | Creatine increased lean body mass mainly when combined with resistance training, with negligible effect without training. |
| Gu 2026 · Front Nutr | meta-analysis | supports | moderate | Creatine augmented strength, performance and lean mass gains particularly when combined with resistance training in young men. |
| Volek 1999 · Med Sci Sports Exerc | RCT | supports | moderate | Creatine with heavy resistance training produced greater muscle fiber hypertrophy and performance than placebo. ↩ SUPERSEDED — pooled in the review above, counted once |
| Kazeminasab 2025 · Nutrients | meta-analysis | supports | high | Creatine significantly improved upper- and lower-body strength and power in pooled RCTs. |
| Devries 2014 · Med Sci Sports Exerc | meta-analysis | supports | high | Creatine with resistance training increased muscle mass and strength gains in older adults over training alone. |
| Osama M et al 2025 · study_type: RCT | RCT | supports | low | Double-blind RCT, 40 knee-osteoarthritis patients (40-70y) on physical therapy + resistance exercise, 4wk: creatine group showed significant improvement in body composition parameters (p<0.05) alongside strength (IMS, p<0.001) versus placeb |
| Branch 2003 · Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab | meta-analysis | supports | moderate | Creatine supplementation increased lean/body mass and high-intensity performance across pooled studies. |
| Wang 2024 · Nutrients | meta-analysis | supports | high | Creatine plus resistance training significantly increased muscle strength gains in adults under 50 across pooled RCTs. |
| Liu 2025 · Eur Rev Aging Phys Act | meta-analysis | supports | moderate | Creatine plus resistance training significantly improved lower-limb strength and lean tissue mass in older adults. |
| Naddafha S et al 2026 · study_type: meta-analysis | meta-analysis | supports | moderate | Meta-analysis of 7 RCTs (n=608) in postmenopausal women: lean mass MD +0.37 kg (95% CI 0.05 to 0.69) and leg-press 1RM +7.5 kg favoring creatine, benefits concentrated in trials combining ≥5 g/day with resistance training. |
| Burke 2023 · Nutrients | meta-analysis | mixed | moderate | Direct-imaging hypertrophy showed only a very small benefit of creatine plus resistance training over placebo. |
| Ramos-Hernández R et al 2026 · study_type: RCT | RCT | mixed | moderate | Randomized crossover trial, 30 older adults, 6wk creatine+HMB vs placebo with a mixed conditioning program (incl. resistance training): significant time×group interaction for muscle mass parameters, but within-group creatine+HMB changes in |
| Chen KH et al 2026 · study_type: meta-analysis | meta-analysis | mixed | moderate | Meta-analysis of 14 RCTs (763 women across reproductive stages, incl. 3 creatine trials) combined with exercise: no significant effect on skeletal muscle mass (g=0.065, 95% CI -0.353 to 0.482), appendicular lean mass, or fat-free mass; only |
| Dempsey 2002 · J Fam Pract | meta-analysis | supports | moderate | Oral creatine produced a modest but significant increase in maximal strength in healthy adults. |
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Educational only, not medical advice. Grades and scores reflect published evidence weighted by study design and quality; see the methodology.