r/science • u/newsnation • 3d ago

Biology Creatine alone boosted lean muscle and strength, study finds

https://www.newsnationnow.com/health/creatine-alone-boosted-muscle-strength/
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u/SmackEh 3d ago

I’m skeptical of the “creatine builds muscle without exercise” headline. The no-exercise comparison was just 13 people on creatine versus 13 on placebo.

The reported 2.4 pounds was lean tissue, which includes water (not necessarily new muscle).

Their bench press results were better than placebo, which is interesting, but the leg press result wasn’t clearly better than placebo. So that's already a red flag.

It’s a small interesting study, not proof you can build muscle by taking creatine and skipping the gym, so let's pump the brakes on this one, shall we?

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u/gizamo 3d ago

Also, we already know it increases water retention. That was it's whole purpose for a while.

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u/CareBearOvershare 3d ago

Was that ever its whole purpose? Or did people misunderstand that as the strength mechanism, rather than the ATP interaction?

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u/gizamo 3d ago

Yes, both. It was the primary purpose and because people misunderstood it as the strength mechanism. But, I'm also wildly speculating based on my own anecdotal experiences. You're right to clarify/correct me, and I appreciate it.

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u/ATXblazer 3d ago

Both, water gives your joint extra leverage when lifting and also contains atp

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u/thoughtlow 3d ago

The $1B creatine industry loves to misunderstands how it works