Creatine is one of the most talked about supplements when it comes to fitness. But this is primarily because it is used by gym buffs and gym bunnies whose aim is to build muscle.
But what if your aim is not so much to build muscle, and is instead to lose excess fat and weight? That’s the focus of this article. And by the wrap up at the end, you will have a clear picture of the impact of creatine on weight loss, and you’ll be able to decide whether it’s right for you.
We’ll kick things off with a few simple basics, before getting into the nitty-gritty. (Please feel free to scroll ahead if you already know the basics.)
What Is Creatine?
Creatine is a substance that occurs naturally in the body. It is an amino acid that’s present in both the muscles and the brain.
Your body naturally creates about a gram of creatine every day. It is used by cells in the body to recycle another molecular compound known as adenosine triphosphate, which is important for cellular energy production,
Creatine can also be part of a healthy diet, through eating red meat and seafood. However, the levels of creatine found in such foods is significantly lower than the creatine to be found in synthetic creatine supplements.
What Is Creatine Used For? What Are The Benefits Of Creatine?
Creatine supplements are used by the likes of body builders, those who do weight training and calisthenics, and basically anyone who wants to build muscle or tone up.
It’s incredibly popular among such people because its benefits to muscle performance and muscle building are not only very well known, but also very heavily researched. In fact, it’s hands-down THE most well researched supplement for bodybuilding.
There’s plenty of evidence that creatine supplements can enable people to do more repetitions when weight lifting, and generally perform better. This in turn helps them to gain both muscle mass and better strength.
And there’s also evidence to suggest that creatine can also help with muscle repair, which can be very important after high intensity workouts.
Is Creatine Good For Weight Loss?
And now it’s time to cut to the chase – can creatine be used for weight loss?
Let’s be clear, creatine is NOT a weight loss supplement, and it is not designed to burn body fat.
As mentioned earlier, creatine is a supplement that is specifically intended for those who wish to build muscle mass, and improve their performance during their workouts.
But I can guess what you might be thinking now. Well, if it helps to convert my body tissue into muscle mass, doesn’t it get rid of fat at the same time?
Well, it turns out that taking creatine has, in some cases, led to weight loss in some people…
But, this is due to its more round-about effects, and the research in this area of its effects isn’t as well researched, and remains much more elusive.
What’s more, the people who lose weight while using creatine supplements are typically doing more exercise, and this can conflate whether it is actually creatine that’s having this effect, or whether it’s down to the actual exercise.
How Creatine May Help With Weight Loss
There is a school of thought that says that creatine supplements can, in fact, help achieve weight loss.
The idea behind it is that when you build more muscle by working out and taking creatine supplements, this increases your body’s metabolism.
And consequently, this should make your body better able to burn excess body fat.
But just how effective is it for weight loss?
How Effective Is Creatine At Speeding Up The Metabolism?
A relatively large study published by PubMed Central found that in adults aged 50 and over, those who supplemented with creatine during resistance training had a greater reduction in body fat percentage compared to those who were given a fake supplement instead.
However, it’s important to note at this point that this was not statistically significant, and those who reduced their weight with creatine for this study only lost approximately 0.5 kg compared to those who took a fake supplement.
However, please read on…
Does Creatine Cause Weight Gain?
There are two main ways it is believed that taking creatine supplements can actually lead to weight gain. These are as follows…
Building Muscle Mass
A main purpose of creatine supplements is to build muscle in those who take it. It’s a workout supplement that helps your muscle cells make more energy so that bodybuilders can take their training to the next level, doing more reps in their resistance training and working out for longer periods of time.
This in turn means that their body weighs more as a result. This is because muscle weighs more than fat.
Water Retention
And that’s not all. Creatine supplements are also associated with short-term water retention, and this can cause you to gain between 3 and 5 pounds of weight.
Wrap Up
If your goal is to lose weight, then taking creatine supplements certainly won’t harm you.
It is possible that regular consumption of the supplement can help with weight loss, when used correctly, but to be honest, it’s not going to make a lot of difference if you aren’t doing resistance training in conjunction with it.
So, if you are going to take creatine supplements, I would encourage you to make the most of its effects and benefits by working out, so that you can be fitter, healthier, and generally be in better shape.
You should also bear in mind, as we covered earlier, that in some instances taking creatine supplements can lead you to gain weight. So I would encourage you to think carefully about what your health and fitness goals are.
If you’re not going to do any resistance training alongside your supplements, you may find that rather than losing weight, you actually put on weight instead.
