Table 1.
Summary of studies examining creatine supplementation on time to exhaustion or time trial performance.
| First Author, Year | Population | Supplement Protocol | Endurance Test | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anomasiri et al. 2004 | N = 19; Trained swimmers | CR: 10 g/day (split into 2 doses) for 7 days or PLA | 400 m swim | CR ↑ final 50 m (i.e. swimmers were faster in the final 50 m). |
| Balsom et al. 1993 | N = 18; Well-trained males | CR: 20 g/day for 6 days or PLA | 6-km TT; TTE at 120% vVO2max | CR ↓ (i.e. slower) TT (23.36 ± 0.82 vs 23.79 ± 0.85 min); TTE ↔ |
| Chwalbinska-Moneta et al. 2003 | N = 16; Elite male rowers | CR: 20 g/day for 5 days or PLA | GXT TTE and anaerobic capacity test (7 Watts/kg) | CR ↔ on GXT peak power (trend for CR to be superior). CR ↑ power output at LT; CR ↑ TTE during anaerobic test by 12.1 sec |
| Engelhardt et al. 1998 | N = 12regionally competitive triathletes | CR: 6 g/day for 5 days or PLA | 30-min at 3 mmol/L followed by 5 × 15 sec @ 7.5W/kg with 45 seconds of rest then 120 seconds of rest, then 5 × 15 sec followed by 30 min of aerobic exercise | CR ↑ interval work by 18%; ↔ on aerobic performance; In participants unable to complete the final 30 minutes of exercise at baseline, CR ↑ TTE by 4 min |
| Jacobs et al. 1997 | N = 26; Healthy recreational and competitive athletes | CR: 20 g/day for 5 days or PLA | TTE at 125% VO2max | CR ↑ TTE (+9%) |
| McNaughton et al. 1998 | N = 16males; Elite surf-ski or white-water kayak paddlers | CR: 20 g/day for 5 days or PLA | 90 sec, 150 sec, 300 sec tests. | CR ↑ work completed compared to PLA |
| Prevost et al. 1997 | N = 18(n = 10males, n = 8 females); healthy | CR: 18.75 g/day for 5 days and 2.25 g on the 6th day or PLA | TTE at 150% VO2peak continuously, intermittently (60 sec on/120 sec rest or 20 sec on/40 sec rest or 10 sec on/20 sec rest). | CR ↑ work in all trials |
| Rico-Sanz et al. 2000 | N = 14trained cyclists | CR: 20 g/day for 5 days or PLA | TTE alternating every 3 min between 30 and 90% MPO | CR ↑ TTE at 90% MPO |
| Rossiter et al. 1996 | N = 38(n = 28males, n = 10 females); Competitive rowers | CR: 0.25 g/kg for 5 days or PLA | 1000 m rowing performance | CR ↑ performance (2.3 seconds), PLA ↔ |
| Schaffer et al. 2019 | N = 11; Recreationally active males | CR: 20 g/day for 5 days followed by 2 g/day | TTF above CP | CR ↑ TTF (11%) |
| Tomcik et al. 2018 | N = 18; Well-trained male cyclists (~65 mL/kg/min) | CR: 20 g/day for 5 days followed by 3 g/day for 9 days or PLA with a moderate (6 g CHO/kg) and a high (12 g CHO/kg) diet in a cross over design | 120-km time trial interspersed with alternating 1 and 4-km sprints followed by a TTE incline (8%) ride at 90% VO2peak. | CR ↑ final sprints. ↔ 120-km and incline TTE |
| Vandebuerie et al. 1998 | N = 12; Elite male cyclists | CR: 25 g/day for 4 days or PLA | 2.5 hr ride followed by a TTE (at blood lactate of 4 mmol/L) and Sprints (5 × 10 sec) | CR ↑ sprint performance (8–9%); TTE ↔ |
| Van Loon et al. 2003 | N = 20; Healthy young males | CR: 20 g/day for 5 days followed by 2 g/day for 37 days or PLA | 20 min TT and sprints (12 × 12 sec) | CR ↑ supramaximal sprints; ↔ on 20 min TT |
CR = creatine; PLA = placebo; TTE = Time to exhaustion; TT = time trial; TTF = time to fatigue; CP = critical power; MPO = maximal power output; VO2max = maximal oxygen consumption; GXT = graded exercise test; LT = lactate threshold; ↓ = significantly reduced or was detrimental; ↑ = significantly increased or was of benefit; ↔ = no effect compared to placebo.