Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37096381›Full record

ReviewJournal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition2023

Creatine supplementation and endurance performance: surges and sprints to win the race.

Scott C Forbes, Darren G Candow, Joao Henrique Falk Neto, Michael D Kennedy, Jennifer L Forbes, Marco Machado, Erik Bustillo, Jose Gomez-Lopez, Andres Zapata, Jose Antonio

Registry-linked trialOpen access · goldAbstract readReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT07233707 (Impact of Creatine Monohydrate Supplementation on Breath-Hold Exercise Performance on a Bicycle Ergometer), which is not on this map. Cited by 40 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
40citing papers in PubMed, 3 pooled it
11.7field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

NCT07233707 naenrolling by invitationnot on this mapstarted 2025, after this paper: background citation

Impact of Creatine Monohydrate Supplementation on Breath-Hold Exercise Performance on a Bicycle Ergometer

TypeinterventionalSponsorHarokopio UniversityRan2025 to 2026Enrolled26ConditionsHealthyArmsCreatine Monohydrate, Placebo Control
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

40 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 56 citations in OpenAlex.

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  19. The impact of creatine supplementation associated with resistance training on muscular strength and lean tissue mass in the aged: a systematic review and meta-analysis.European review of aging and physical activity : official journal of the European Group for Research into Elderly and Physical Activity · 2025
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors at 5 institutions in 3 countries.

Scott C ForbesBrandon University, Department of Physical Education Studies, Brandon, MB, Canada.
Darren G CandowUniversity of Regina, Faculty of Kinesiology and Health Studies, Regina, SK, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-6655-4482
Joao Henrique Falk NetoUniversity of Alberta, Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation, Edmonton, AB, Canada.
Michael D KennedyUniversity of Alberta, Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation, Edmonton, AB, Canada.
Jennifer L ForbesBrandon University, Department of Physical Education Studies, Brandon, MB, Canada.
Marco MachadoUniversiade Iguaçu Campus V, Itaperuna, RJ, Brazil.
Erik BustilloTrain 8Nine/CrossFit Coconut Grove, Erik Bustillo Consulting, Miami, FL, USA.
Jose Gomez-LopezRehab & Nutrition Center, Human Performance Laboratory, Motion Training, Lo Barnechea, Chile.
Andres ZapataMotion Sports Nutrition, Medellín, Colombia.
Jose AntonioNova Southeastern University, Department of Health and Human Performance, Davie, FL, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-8930-1058
Brandon University · CAUniversity of Alberta · CANova Southeastern University · USUniversidade Iguaçu · BRUniversity of Regina · CA

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Creatine supplementation is an effective ergogenic aid to augment resistance training and improve intense, short duration, intermittent performance. The effects on endurance performance are less known. The purpose of this brief narrative review is to discuss the potential mechanisms of how creatine can affect endurance performance, defined as large muscle mass activities that are cyclical in nature and are >~3 min in duration, and to highlight specific nuances within the literature. Mechanistically, creatine supplementation elevates skeletal muscle phosphocreatine (PCr) stores facilitating a greater capacity to rapidly resynthesize ATP and buffer hydrogen ion accumulation. When co-ingested with carbohydrates, creatine enhances glycogen resynthesis and content, an important fuel to support high-intensity aerobic exercise. In addition, creatine lowers inflammation and oxidative stress and has the potential to increase mitochondrial biogenesis. In contrast, creatine supplementation increases body mass, which may offset the potential positive effects, particularly in weight-bearing activities. Overall, creatine supplementation increases time to exhaustion during high-intensity endurance activities, likely due to increasing anaerobic work capacity. In terms of time trial performances, results are mixed; however, creatine supplementation appears to be more effective at improving performances that require multiple surges in intensity and/or during end spurts, which are often key race-defining moments. Given creatines ability to enhance anaerobic work capacity and performance through repeated surges in intensity, creatine supplementation may be beneficial for sports, such as cross-country skiing, mountain biking, cycling, triathlon, and for short-duration events where end-spurts are critical for performance, such as rowing, kayaking, and track cycling.

Indexed as

CreatinePhysical EnduranceDietary SupplementsGlycogenHumansMuscle, SkeletalPhosphocreatineCreatineGlycogenPhosphocreatineaerobicanaerobicErgogenic aidsexercisesupplements

Identifiers

PMID37096381
PMCPMC10132248
OpenAlexW4366988509

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

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.