ReviewEuropean review of aging and physical activity : official journal of the European Group for Research into Elderly and Physical Activity2025
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.
Review in European review of aging and physical activity : official journal of the European Group for Research into Elderly and Physical Activity, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 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
3 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Effects of resistance training combined with creatine supplementation on muscle strength, physical function, and muscle mass in older adults: a systematic review and three-level meta-analysis.Frontiers in nutrition · 2026Pooled it
- Lean Mass and Musculoskeletal Preservation in GLP-1-Based Obesity Treatment: Nutrition, Exercise, Supplementation, and Monitoring Strategies.Metabolites · 2026Review
- Review
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
backgroundSarcopenia is an age-related decline in muscle strength and mass, which significantly impacts the quality of life for older adults. Resistance training (RT) is well established as an effective intervention for sarcopenia. Some studies suggest that additional benefits may be obtained when RT is combined with creatine supplement (Cr). However, critical confounding factors, such as age and intervention duration, have not been systematically controlled in previous investigations. This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to quantify the efficacy of Cr + RT on appendicular muscle strength and lean tissue mass in older adults, with a particular emphasis on temporal effect modification through duration-stratified subgroup analyses.
methodsWe conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) through searches across eight databases. Eligible studies involved aged individuals undergoing resistance training (2–3 sessions/week) with Cr or placebo (PL) for 8-104 weeks. After screening, 8 RCTs (n = 482 participants) were included, assessing outcomes of lean tissue mass, chest press, and leg press strength.
resultsCompared to PL + RT, Cr + RT significantly improved lower limb strength (SMD = 0.29 [95% CI 0.00-0.57]; p = 0.05) and lean tissue mass (SMD = 0.27 [95% CI 0.02–0.53]; p = 0.03), but did not show significant improvements in upper extremity muscle strength. Subgroup analysis revealed intervention duration effects: interventions lasting ≤ 32 weeks (5 studies) showed better upper limb strength gains (SMD = 0.45 [95% CI 0.14–0.77]; p = 0.005) and increases in lean tissue mass (SMD = 0.57 [95% CI 0.19–0.96]; p = 0.004).
conclusionsCr + RT can significantly increase muscle strength and lean tissue mass in older adults, particularly in interventions lasting up to 32 weeks. These time-dependent effects highlight the importance of intervention duration in nutritional ergogenic strategies for sarcopenia management.
trial registrationThis systematic review has the registration number CRD420251018405 on PROSPERO.
Indexed as
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.