ReviewNutrients2021
Timing of Creatine Supplementation around Exercise: A Real Concern?
Review in Nutrients, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 21 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
21 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Effects of creatine supplementation on exercise performance, physiological outcomes, and body composition in females engaged in exercise or training: a systematic review and multilevel meta-analysis.Frontiers in nutrition · 2026Pooled it
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- Short-term creatine supplementation enhances strength, reduces fatigue, and accelerates recovery in resistance-trained athletes: a double-blind, randomized, crossover trial.Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition · 2025Trial
- High-dose short-term creatine supplementation without beneficial effects in professional cyclists: a randomized controlled trial.Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition · 2024Trial
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- Combined Impact of Creatine, Caffeine, and Variable Resistance on Repeated Sprint Ability in Young Soccer Players.Nutrients · 2024Trial
- Effects of β-Alanine Supplementation on Subjects Performing High-Intensity Functional Training.Nutrients · 2024Trial
- Effects of a Low Dose of Orally Administered Creatine Monohydrate on Post-Fatigue Muscle Power in Young Soccer Players.Nutrients · 2024Trial
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- Morning versus Evening Intake of Creatine in Elite Female Handball Players.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Trial
- A comprehensive review of the physiology and evidence base to guide the use of ergogenic and medical supplements for enhanced cycling performance.Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition · 2026Review
- Part II. Common questions and misconceptions about creatine supplementation: what does the scientific evidence really show?Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition · 2025Review
- From Science to Dressing Room: Dietary Supplements for Elite Soccer Performance.Journal of functional morphology and kinesiology · 2025Review
- Acute effects of beetroot juice vs. creatine supplementation on maximal strength, autonomic regulation, and muscle oxygenation during incremental resistance exercise.Biology of sport · 2025Article
- The Impact of Protein and Amino Acid Supplementation on Muscular Strength and Endurance in Recreational Gym-Goers During 8-Week Resistance Training.Sports (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Creatine supplementation and muscle-brain axis: a new possible mechanism?Frontiers in nutrition · 2025Review
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Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Creatine has been considered an effective ergogenic aid for several decades; it can help athletes engaged in a variety of sports and obtain performance gains. Creatine supplementation increases muscle creatine stores; several factors have been identified that may modify the intramuscular increase and subsequent performance benefits, including baseline muscle Cr content, type II muscle fibre content and size, habitual dietary intake of Cr, aging, and exercise. Timing of creatine supplementation in relation to exercise has recently been proposed as an important consideration to optimise muscle loading and performance gains, although current consensus is lacking regarding the ideal ingestion time. Research has shifted towards comparing creatine supplementation strategies pre-, during-, or post-exercise. Emerging evidence suggests greater benefits when creatine is consumed after exercise compared to pre-exercise, although methodological limitations currently preclude solid conclusions. Furthermore, physiological and mechanistic data are lacking, in regard to claims that the timing of creatine supplementation around exercise moderates gains in muscle creatine and exercise performance. This review discusses novel scientific evidence on the timing of creatine intake, the possible mechanisms that may be involved, and whether the timing of creatine supplementation around exercise is truly a real concern.
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Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.