Long-term creatine intake is beneficial to muscle performance during resistance training
Vandenberghe, Goris, Van Hecke, Van Leemputte, Vangerven & Hespel (1997) · Journal of Applied Physiology
Topics: Women's Health, Strength & Power, Muscle & Body Composition
- Study type: Randomized trial
- Population: Sedentary young women
- Sample: n=19
- Dose: 20 g/day loading, then 5 g/day
- Duration: 10 weeks
- Published: 1997
What the study found
A foundational trial in women. Previously untrained women who took creatine during 10 weeks of resistance training gained significantly more muscle strength and fat-free mass than those on placebo, and the gains persisted through a detraining period.
Key findings
- Greater increases in maximal strength and fat-free mass versus placebo.
- Muscle creatine and phosphocreatine rose significantly.
- Benefits were maintained during a subsequent detraining phase.
The practical takeaway
Creatine works just as well in women as in men — an important counter to the myth that it's a men-only supplement.