Supplements & sports nutrition
Decision path
We start with what the equipment does, compare the trade-offs that matter, then assess individual products. Retailer descriptions are a source to verify, not our verdict.
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Creatine monohydrate is one of the most studied training supplements. Combined with resistance training it produces a small increase in strength and muscle size, it appears well tolerated in healthy adults, and it is optional rather than essential.
Read the articleCreatine adds a little water, often about 1 to 2 kg early, less without a loading phase, but it goes inside the muscle cells, not the layer under the skin. A controlled trial found extracellular water rose no more than with placebo. It is water in muscle, not fat, and it reverses if you stop.
Read the articleProbably not. The worry comes from one 2009 study that measured a DHT rise after creatine loading and never looked at hair. The only trial to directly measure hair follicle health, a 12 week RCT in 2025, found no effect on hormones or hair. Limits remain: one short study in young men.
Read the articleThe cited short trials provide reassurance for the populations and protocols studied, not a guarantee for every reader. Creatine can influence creatinine-based kidney estimates, but that does not establish why an individual result is abnormal. Do not dismiss a raised creatinine or lower eGFR as a supplement effect without clinical assessment.
Read the articleExplore Supplements & sports nutrition