Creatine has been having a moment. Once most associated with the bodybuilding scene, recently plenty of athletes and recreational exercisers beyond the benches and barbells of the gym have been singing its praises. But are there any benefits in creatine supplementation for endurance athletes?
We spoke to sports nutritionist, Dr Emily Jevons from Total Endurance Nutrition to get her expert insights on what creatine is, the potential benefits of creatine for endurance athletes and how to take it.
What is creatine?
Like with any sports supplement, before we start diving into the possible benefits. It’s important to understand what creatine is in the first place. “Creatine is a protein that is made naturally in the body from three amino acids (arginine, glycine and methionine). It can also be found in meat and fish or taken in higher doses as a supplement,” Dr Emily Jevons explains.
“Creatine is available as a single supplement, but it is often an ingredient in ‘all-in-one’ meal replacement drinks and supplement ‘stacks’. The primary dietary sources of creatine are fish and red meat.”
What does creatine actually do?
As a form of protein, creatine plays a role in strength, performance and muscular recovery. Emily explains that creatine “enables you to sustain an all-out effort for longer than usual, and to recover faster between sets.”
“Creatine supplements also help to promote protein manufacture and muscle hypertrophy, increasing lean body mass. It can also reduce muscle acidity, and reduces muscle protein breakdown following intense exercise. This can result in greater strength and an improved ability to do repeated sets.”
Are there any benefits of creatine supplementation for endurance athletes?
An ability to sustain all-out efforts for longer, and recover faster between sets might sound ideal for strength training and athletes competing in rapid fire track and field events where being able to go hard, recover fast and go again is key. But what about endurance athletes, like triathletes, who are predominantly working with a ‘diesel engine’?
Improved glycogen storage
“Creatine appears to enhance anaerobic performance in both men and women,” says Emily. “However, recent research has revealed potential advantages that creatine may offer for more aerobic based sports too.”
One of those benefits is improved glycogen storage. When we exercise, the body utilises stored glycogen to generate adenosine triphosphate, the body’s energy currency which fuels our muscles. “Studies have shown that when consuming creatine during the loading phase (~20g creatine per day) alongside carbohydrate after hard training sessions, creatine may lead to greater storage of muscle glycogen.” (PMID: 27193231)
Reduced blood lactate responses
Alongside helping to improve the amount of glycogen we have available to fuel our muscles. Emily explains that creatine can also promote improved lactate buffering. “Creatine can act as an intracellular buffer, meaning that it can reduce blood lactate responses.” PMID: 23164647
During exercise, lactate is produced as a by-product of the breakdown of carbohydrate. As the physiologists at Loughborough performance lab explained to TRI247, at lower intensities, the body can actually use this lactate as another fuel source and clear it effectively. However, as intensity ramps up, the rate at which carbohydrates are broken down increases which also increases the rate of lactate production. At this stage, lactate begins to accumulate in the blood. Along with it, comes acidic ions which create that ‘burning’ sensation as you reach fatigue.
We refer to this change in blood lactate levels as ‘lactate threshold’. Being able to sustain activity for longer before lactate begins to significantly accumulate in the blood essentially means that you’ll be able to go harder, for longer before you start to hit fatigue. And so, if creatine can act as a ‘buffer’ to reduce this blood lactate response, it can hold benefits for endurance sports performance.
Supports recovery
While creatine has been hailed as a way to speed up recovery between sets in a strength and conditioning context. Emily explains that there’s also evidence to show it can help to support recovery after endurance exercise.
“Creatine also has anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory effects following endurance exercise. Several studies have shown that short-term supplementation with creatine (5-7 days with 20g creatine per day) reduces markers of inflammation following endurance events.” PMID: 34199588
Other potential health benefits
Alongside sport-specific benefits, creatine can also help to support overall health and wellbeing. “Creatine can also provide benefits in other ways, and it’s been linked to many general health benefits,” says Emily. “These include enhanced blood sugar control, improved cognitive ability and brain function as well as many other beneficial observations.” PMID: 33572884
For age-group triathletes managing the constant juggle of work, life and training – better cognitive ability and brain function can only be a good thing when that afternoon slump hits after being up at silly ‘o clock for morning swim training!
How much creatine to take – and are there any risks or downsides?
As with any supplement, it’s important to take time to understand any potential risks or side effects alongside the possible benefits to make an informed choice. So what do we need to know about taking creatine?
“Creatine is safe both in the short and long term, the only side effect known is possible weight gain from water retention but it’s important to stress that not everyone will experience this.”
“The most common creatine-loading protocol is 4 x 5–7g doses per day over a period of 5 days. But this is more likely to produce side effects such as water retention.”
“Instead, loading up with 3g a day over 30 days should produce the least water retention. Generally its recommended individuals should consume 3g creatine a day to support general health as we age.”
Get more nutrition advice from our content series with Total Endurance Nutrition, and head to their website to find out more about 1:1 nutrition support.