Table 6.
Summary of selected studies examining the effects of creatine supplementation on endurance performance.
| Author-Year | Subjects | Duration | Dosing Protocol | Primary Variables | Results | Adverse Events |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rossiter et al. 1996 | 38 (28 male, 10 female) competitive rowers | 5 days | 0.25 g/kg/day for 5 days | time trial performance during rowing ergometry | ↓ 2.3 s in 1000-m times | None reported |
| McNaughton et al. 1998 | 16 elite male paddlers | 5 days | 20 g/day for 5 days | total work, peak power, BLa during rowing ergometry | ↑ in total work during 90–300 s of rowing ergometry performance | None reported |
| Miura et al. 1999 | 8 healthy males | 5 days | 20 g/day for 5 days | critical power test during cycle ergometry | ↔ critical power ↑ anaerobic work capacity |
None reported |
| Rico-Sanz et al. 2000 | 14 elite male cyclists | 5 days | 20 g/day for 5 days | oxygen consumption, time to exhaustion, BLa during maximal cycle ergometry | ↔ VO2 max ↑ time to exhaustion ↔ BLa |
None reported |
| Syrotuik el al. 2001 | 22 (12 male, 10 female) competitive rowers | 6 weeks | 0.3 g/kg/day for 5 days 0.03 g/kg/day for 5 weeks |
time trial performance during rowing ergometry | ↔ in 2000-m rowing times | None reported |
| Jones et al. 2002 | 9 active males | 5 days | 20 g/day for 5 days | VO2 kinetics during moderate and heavy submaximal cycle exercise | ↔ VO2 kinetics ↓ VO2 during heavy cycling exercise |
None reported |
| Chwalbinska-Moneta 2003 | 16 elite male rowers | 5 days | 20 g/day for 5 days | maximal power output, time to exhaustion, Bla during rowing ergometry | ↔ maximal power output ↑ time to exhaustion ↔ BLa |
None reported |
| Graef et al. 2009 | 43 active males | 30 days | 10 g/day for 20 days; only on training days (5 × week) | oxygen consumption, time to exhaustion, VT, total work, during maximal cycle ergometry | ↔ VO2 peak ↑ time to exhaustion ↑ ventilatory threshold ↔ Total work |
None reported |
| Kendall et al. 2009 | 43 active males | 30 days | 10 g/day for 20 days; only on training days (5 × week) | critical power and anaerobic work capacity during cycle ergometry | ↑ Critical power ↔ Anaerobic work capacity |
None reported |
| Hickner et al. 2010 | 12 endurance-trained males | 28 days | 3 g/day for 28 days | VO2peak, submaximal VO2, RER, Bla, 10 s sprints at 110% VO2peak during simulated cycling road race | ↔ VO2peak ↓ submaximal VO2 ↔ RER ↔ Bla, ↔ 10-s sprints at 110% VO2peak |
2 subjects reported muscle cramping at rest following supplementation |
| De Andrade Nemezio et al. 2015 | 24 male amateur cyclists | 5 days | 20 g/day for 5 days | time trial performance total O2 uptake, BLa during maximal cycle ergometry | ↔ 1000 m time ↓ total O2 uptake ↔ BLa |
None reported |
| Forbes et al. 2017 | 17 active females | 28 days | 0.3 g/kg/day for 5 days 0.1 g/kg/day for 23 days |
VO2peak, VT, peak workload, time trial performance during cycle ergometry | ↔ VO2peak ↔ VT ↔ 2000-m time ↔ peak workload |
None reported |
| Fernandez-Landa et al. 2020 | 28 elite male rowers | 10 weeks | 0.04 g/kg/day for 10 weeks + 3 g HMB/day for 10 weeks |
power output at AT, 4 mmol, 8 mmol Bla during rowing ergometry | ↑ power at AT for creatine-HMB and HMB only group ↑ power at 4 mmol BLa for creatine-HMB group ↑ power at 8 mmol BLa for creatine only, HMB only, and creatine-HMB groups |
None reported |
BLa = blood lactate; CR or no identifier = creatine monohydrate; RER = respiratory exchange ratio; ↓ indicates decrease; ↑ indicates increase; ↔ indicates no difference.