Is creatine worth it in middle age?
Creatine After 45: Muscle Gains Even Without Exercise, in a 12-Week Trial
· By Anthony Falcone
Verdict: Keep it. Yes. In this small trial, creatine increased lean mass and strength in 45- to 65-year-olds — even without a training plan — and helped keep muscle during a diet. The brain-related results are interesting but still exploratory.
What the researchers tested
Sedentary adults chose whether to join an exercise-and-diet programme (resistance and cardio training while eating 300–500 kcal a day less) or carry on as normal. Within each group they were then randomly given creatine monohydrate (5 g twice a day) or a placebo, double-blind.
Body composition was measured by DXA scan, with strength, blood markers and cognitive tests at 0, 6 and 12 weeks.
What they found
With exercise and dieting, the creatine group gained about 1.3 kg of lean mass and lost more body-fat percentage, while the placebo group's lean mass barely moved.
Without any exercise programme, creatine still increased lean mass by about 1.1 kg, along with strength and muscular endurance.
Some memory and cognitive tests improved with creatine, but the authors call these results exploratory because many tests were run without correcting for multiple comparisons.
Creatine was well tolerated. Blood creatinine rose but stayed within normal range; the authors explain this is expected with creatine and is not, by itself, evidence of kidney harm.
What this means for you
- Creatine monohydrate remains one of the best-supported supplements for keeping muscle as you age, especially while dieting.
- It works best with resistance training, but even without it there was a measurable effect here.
- If you get routine blood tests, tell your doctor you take creatine — it raises creatinine, which can make kidney-function estimates look worse than they are.
How much to trust it
- Small trial (64 completers), 12 weeks only.
- People chose whether to exercise; only the creatine/placebo assignment was random.
- DXA "lean mass" includes body water, which creatine is known to increase.
- Cognitive and blood-marker findings were exploratory.
The study
Chun J, Liu Y, Kibler GL, Lee H, et al. Effects of creatine supplementation with and without exercise and diet intervention on body composition, cognitive function, and markers of health in middle-aged and older adults. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 2026. doi.org/10.1080/15502783.2026.2716273
Our Supplement Stack Protocol covers creatine alongside vitamin D3+K2, magnesium and omega-3, with a dosing and timing chart. See the protocol