Volume 30, Issue 168, February 2026

Creatine Supplementation - therapeutic use and benefits for athletes: A Review

Jakub Szmit^1♦, Marta Wolszczak¹, Hanna Wołodkiewicz¹

¹Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Warsaw, Żwirki i Wigury 61, 02-091Warsaw, Poland

^♦Corresponding author
Jakub Szmit, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Warsaw, Żwirki i Wigury 61, 02-091Warsaw, Poland

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Creatine has become one of the most popular dietary supplements and is a very important substance in cellular metabolism. The human body can produce creatine endogenously; however, it is not enough, and the rest should come from diet. Supplementation of creatine can increase lean body mass, muscle mass, and performance in high-intensity sports. Creatine can help not only in sports, but also in medical disorders, such as sarcopenia, type 2 diabetes, or neurodegenerative diseases. Aim of the study: This review aims to describe the mechanism and metabolism of creatine, discuss its therapeutic use, and identify the benefits of creatine supplementation for athletes. Materials and methods: To write this review, we used PubMed databases with the following search terms: “Creatine”, “Creatine supplementation”, “Creatine health”, “Creatine brain”, “Creatine sport”, “Creatine diseases”. Articles that were not written in English were not used in this review. Conclusion: Creatine is a very popular dietary supplement and is also essential to cellular function and metabolism. Supplementation of creatine leads to an increase in lean body mass and muscle mass. Creatine not only offers benefits in sport but can also be helpful as a therapeutic substance. The positive effects of creatine supplementation can be applied to diseases such as cerebral creatine deficiency syndrome and type 2 diabetes. Supplementation should be considered in older adults to help protect against muscle mass loss and sarcopenia.

Keywords: Creatine, Creatine supplementation, Creatine diseases, Creatine health

Medical Science, 2026, 30, e37ms3747

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.54905/disssi.v30i168.e37ms3747

Published: 21 February 2026