Taking creatine supplements is generally safe. That said, taking too much may not necessarily be better for your health and can also lead to unpleasant gastrointestinal symptoms.

Creatine is one of the most popular sports supplements on the market.

It’s primarily used for its ability to increase muscle size, strength, and power. It may also have other health benefits related to aging and brain function.

However, as the mantra goes, more is not necessarily better.

This article details creatine’s health benefits, side effects, and dosage information.

Creatine is naturally produced by your body in your kidneys, liver, and pancreas. It’s made from three amino acidsTrusted Source — glycine, arginine, and methionine.

On average, you make 1 to 2 grams (g)Trusted Source of creatine per day, which is stored primarily in your skeletal muscles.

The compound is also found in food, predominantly animal products like beef, chicken, pork, and fish. A typical, omnivorous diet provides 1 to 2 gTrusted Source of creatine per day.

Aside from being naturally found in many foods, creatine is available in supplement form.

Although there are several forms of these supplements available, creatine monohydrate is the most well-studied, effective, and inexpensive form.

Creatine is widely recognized for its ability to enhance athletic performance.

However, research has recently suggested that the potential benefits of these supplements may expand beyond athletic performance to encourage healthy aging and benefit brain health.

Athletic performance

Adequate creatine availability ensures your body can quickly replenish adenosine triphosphate (ATP) – a molecule that stores energy and fuels your cells — to provide energy to your muscles.

This increase in available energy has been shownTrusted Source to boost muscle size, strength, and power.

Healthy aging

Research suggests that taking creatine supplements may help keep your muscles and bones healthy as you age.

What’s more, a review of studiesTrusted Source in 405 older adults found greater improvements in muscle mass and strength in those who supplemented with 5 to 22 g of creatine combined with resistance training, compared to those who did resistance training alone.

This 2022 review of studies found that creatine is an efficient form of supplementation for muscle growth in the healthy young population with adequate training in a variety of dosage strategies and athletic activities.

Another 2023 study found that the use of this supplement in addition to RT can double the amount of strength gained from resistance training.

Brain health

Creatine supplements have been shown to increase levels of creatineTrusted Source in the brain, which may promote brain health.

It’s thought that taking these supplements enhances brain function by improving the energy supply to the brain and providing cellular protection.

A review of 6 studiesTrusted Source found that doses of 5 to 20 g of the compound may improve short-term memory and intelligence in healthy people.

Creatine powder is typically mixed with water or juice and taken before or after workouts.

You can supplement with creatine in one of two ways.

Creatine loading

The standard way to take the supplement is through what’s known as creatine loading.

Creatine loading involves taking 20 to 25 g of creatine, split into 4 to 5 equal doses for 5 to 7 days.

Following loading, 3 to 5 g per dayTrusted Source is necessary to maintain your muscle stores of creatine.

The purpose of loading is to saturate your muscle cells with creatine quicker so that you can experience its benefits sooner. To experience the effects of creatine, your muscles must be fully saturated with it, which typically takes 5 to 7 days of loading.

Maintenance dose

Skipping the loading phase and taking the maintenance dose of 3 to 5 grams daily is the other way to supplement with creatine.

This method is just as effective as creatine loading, but it takes much longer — typically 28 days — to experience the same benefits.

Compared to the loading method, taking the maintenance dose over a longer time may be more convenient, since it involves just 1 dose per day rather than 4 to 5 daily doses.

Creatine is a safe, well-studied supplement.

That said, it’s commonly thought that taking these supplements may harm kidney health.

However, in a studyTrusted Source in people with type 2 diabetes, a condition that may impair kidney function, supplementing with 5 g of creatine per day for 12 weeks did not harm kidney health.

Nonetheless, long-term studies in people with kidney disease are lacking. People with impaired kidney function or those taking medications should check with their healthcare professional before supplementing with creatine to ensure safety.

While creatine is considered a safe supplement, keep in mind that you may experience side effects related to overconsumption.

Despite the strong safety profile of creatine, taking larger than recommended doses isn’t necessary and may result in some minor side effects.

Bloating

Creatine loading can result in a significant gain in body weight due to an increase in both muscle mass and water intake into your muscles. While harmless, this increase in body weight may cause bloating.

While not everyone experiences bloating when taking the supplements, you may be able to reduce it by skipping the loading phase and taking the maintenance dose of 3 to 5 g per day instead.

Stomach discomfort

Taking too much creatine at one time can result in stomach discomfort.

For example, in one studyTrusted Source athletes who supplemented with 10 g of creatine in a single serving experienced diarrhea, stomach upset, and belching. Those who supplemented with a 2 to 5-g single dose did not report the same side effects.

That said, if you choose to follow the loading protocol, you can avoid these side effects by taking 20 to 25 g of creatine split into 4 to 5 equal doses throughout the day.

Taking too much creatine is futile

Taking too much creatine at one time can result in stomach discomfort and bloating, and it’s a waste of money.

After your muscles are fully saturated with creatine, it’s recommended to take 3 to 5 g dailyTrusted Source to maintain optimal muscle stores.

Because this amount is enough to keep your muscle stores of creatine saturated, taking more than the recommended maintenance dose will cause you to excrete the excess creatine through your urine, as your body can only store so much.

Creatine is a popular sports supplement that’s taken primarily for its ability to improve athletic performance.

Studies have also investigated creatine for other potential health benefits related to aging and brain function.

While taking creatine supplements poses little if any risk, taking too much, especially during the loading phase, is unnecessary and may cause side effects like bloating and stomach discomfort.