What Is Creatine and Where Does It Come From?

Creatine is a compound the body produces itself and also obtains from food. It is synthesised from three amino acids — arginine, glycine and methionine — and it is found in meat and fish, which is why intake from diet differs substantially between people who eat animal products and those who do not.

Why it is supplemented

Creatine is stored largely in skeletal muscle, and supplementation raises those stores above what diet and endogenous production typically provide. It is one of the most extensively studied sports nutrition ingredients, and the NIH fact sheet on supplements for exercise and athletic performance summarises the evidence base as it stands.

We describe what the research literature concerns. We do not make claims about what a particular tub will do for you — see our editorial policy on the distinction between ingredient evidence and product claims.

Creatine monohydrate is the default

The overwhelming majority of creatine sold, and the overwhelming majority of creatine studied, is creatine monohydrate. This is unusual and useful: it means the ingredient in most tubs is the same ingredient, so comparison genuinely comes down to purity claims, pack size and price per serving.

Terms you will see that do not indicate a different compound: micronised, which describes a finer particle size, and branded raw material names, which identify the manufacturer of the monohydrate. Genuinely different compounds do exist — see monohydrate vs HCl and buffered forms.

Dietary creatine

Meat and fish are the dietary sources. People following vegetarian and vegan diets have lower dietary intake, and this group is discussed specifically in the literature for that reason.

What the label should tell you

A plain creatine product has a short panel: the compound, the grams per serving, and the number of servings. Anything longer is a blend, and blends need reading ingredient by ingredient — many pre-workout products contain creatine alongside several other actives, covered in our dosage guide.

Our creatine comparison filters by brand, format and pack size.

References

• NIH Office of Dietary Supplements — Dietary Supplements for Exercise and Athletic Performance
• International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: safety and efficacy of creatine supplementation in exercise, sport, and medicine