Creatine has become one of the most talked-about supplements for building muscle, boosting performance and supporting healthy aging. New research from Texas A&M University suggests its potential benefits may be especially relevant as maintaining muscle becomes more important with age.
In a 12-week study published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, researchers found adults ages 45 to 65 who took creatine gained lean tissue and strength, even without participating in a structured exercise program. Those who combined creatine with exercise saw greater gains.
The findings add to growing interest in creatine beyond its familiar role as a supplement popular with athletes, including its potential role in supporting muscle health as people get older.
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The study’s principal investigator, Dr. Richard Kreider, professor and director of the Exercise and Sport Nutrition Lab at Texas A&M, has studied creatine for more than 30 years. The naturally occurring compound helps replenish cellular energy and has been extensively studied for its effects on exercise performance, muscle and strength. Kreider’s previous research has pointed to potential benefits for health across the lifespan.
Benefits beyond a workout routine
The latest study included 64 healthy adults who completed the 12-week intervention. Participants chose whether to take part in a structured exercise and diet-induced weight-loss program or remain in the non-exercise group, then were randomly assigned to take either 10 grams of creatine monohydrate or a placebo each day.
Among those who weren’t in the exercise program, participants taking creatine gained about 2.4 pounds of lean tissue over 12 weeks. They also improved their leg and bench press strength. Participants in the exercise program completed resistance training and aerobic training three times a week. Adding creatine to the diet led to greater gains in leg and bench press strength and time to exhaustion.
One area where creatine did not appear to provide an added benefit was aerobic capacity, which is consistent with creatine primarily enhancing muscular strength and power.
Maintaining muscle while losing weight
The study also looked at a common challenge with weight loss: losing fat without losing muscle along with it.
Participants in the exercise program followed a diet designed to create a modest calorie deficit. After 12 weeks, those taking creatine had gained nearly three pounds of lean tissue and reduced their fat mass. The exercise-and-diet group taking a placebo showed little change in lean tissue.
Those taking creatine also had a greater reduction in body fat percentage. To the researchers’ knowledge, this is the first study to show that adding creatine to an exercise and diet-induced weight-loss program can produce a greater reduction in body-fat percentage than exercise and diet alone.
A growing body of research
The latest findings build on decades of research into creatine’s potential uses beyond athletic performance.
Kreider has previously pointed to its importance throughout the lifespan, including its potential benefits for older adults as they experience age-related declines in muscle mass and cognitive function. The body produces creatine naturally, and it can also be obtained through foods such as meat and fish, though Kreider says many people don’t get enough through diet alone. He notes you would have to eat about five to 10 pounds of meat or fish each day to obtain 10 grams of creatine, making supplementation a more practical and less expensive option.
Creatine is also one of the most extensively studied sports and nutritional supplements. In a 2025 analysis, Kreider and colleagues reviewed 685 clinical trials and found no significant difference in the rate of reported side effects between participants taking creatine and those taking a placebo.
This study was funded by the WoodNext Foundation through the Texas A&M Foundation.
