Effects of Creatine Monohydrate Supplementation on Muscle, Bone and Brain- Hope or Hype for Older Adults?
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative review synthesizing existing literature without systematic review methodology or new human data
PubMed 39509039 · doi:10.1007/s11914-024-00895-x
What was done
The authors summarized current evidence regarding the effects of creatine monohydrate supplementation—alone or paired with resistance training—on muscle strength and mass, bone mass, and cognitive function in older adults experiencing biological aging and sarcopenia.
What was found
The abstract reports no numerical data, statistical estimates, or sample sizes. Descriptively, creatine supplementation combined with resistance training improved lean mass, limb muscle thickness, upper- and lower-body strength, and functional ability. Limited evidence suggested modest benefits for some aspects of cognitive function, while most evidence indicated no meaningful benefit for bone mass.
Why it matters
This review helps differentiate evidence-supported outcomes (muscle and strength gains when combined with resistance exercise) from unsupported claims (bone mass improvement) regarding creatine supplementation in aging populations.
Limits
As a narrative review, it lacks a systematic search protocol, risk-of-bias assessment, and meta-analytic pooling. The abstract provides no specific effect sizes, dosing strategies, intervention durations, or study counts.
Cited by
- supports Intramuscular creatine levels in the lower limbs decline with advancing age.
- partial Creatine supplementation has been shown to have beneficial effects on age-related muscle loss, strength loss, bone loss, and brain atrophy in older adults.
- supports AG1 Pro contains 5 grams of creatine monohydrate per serving to support muscle strength, performance, and brain health.