Creatine has long had a reputation as the gym-bag supplement: something for lifters and athletes chasing extra reps. But a new study from Texas A&M University suggests it may matter just as much for people in midlife and beyond, at the stage when holding on to muscle starts to become a real challenge.

In a 12-week trial published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, adults aged 45 to 65 who took creatine gained lean tissue and strength, even though they were not following a structured exercise program. Those who paired creatine with training did even better.

How the study worked

The research was led by Dr. Richard Kreider, professor and director of the Exercise and Sport Nutrition Lab at Texas A&M, who has studied creatine for more than 30 years. His team followed 64 healthy adults who completed the full 12 weeks.

Volunteers first chose whether they wanted to join a structured exercise and diet-induced weight-loss program or stay in a non-exercise group. Within each group, they were then randomly assigned to take either 10 grams of creatine monohydrate or a placebo every day.

Gains without a workout plan

Among people who did not exercise as part of the study, those on creatine gained about 2.4 pounds (roughly 1.1 kg) of lean tissue over the 12 weeks. Their leg press and bench press strength also improved.

In the exercise group, participants did resistance and aerobic training three times a week. Adding creatine on top of that produced larger improvements in leg and bench press strength, and in time to exhaustion.

There was one area where creatine did not add anything: aerobic capacity. That fits with what we know about the compound, which mainly supports muscular strength and power rather than endurance fitness.

Keeping muscle while losing fat

A familiar frustration of dieting is that the scale drops but some of the loss comes from muscle. To test this, the exercise group also followed a diet built around a modest calorie deficit.

After 12 weeks, the people taking creatine had gained nearly 3 pounds (about 1.3 kg) of lean tissue while also losing fat mass. Those on exercise and diet with a placebo showed little change in lean tissue. Creatine users also had a bigger drop in body fat percentage, which, according to the researchers, is the first time a study has shown that adding creatine to an exercise and diet weight-loss plan can improve fat percentage beyond exercise and diet alone.

Why creatine, and why now?

Creatine is made naturally by the body and helps cells replenish the energy they need for short, intense efforts like lifting. It is also found in meat and fish, but Kreider points out that reaching 10 grams a day from food would take roughly 5 to 10 pounds of meat or fish daily, which is why he considers supplements the more practical and cheaper route.

On safety, a 2025 analysis by Kreider and colleagues covering 685 clinical trials found no significant difference in reported side effects between people taking creatine and those taking a placebo.

Things to keep in mind

  • The trial was small (64 completers) and short (12 weeks), and it enrolled healthy adults, so the results may not carry over to people with medical conditions.
  • Participants picked the exercise or non-exercise group themselves; randomization applied only to creatine versus placebo within each group.
  • The study was funded by the WoodNext Foundation through the Texas A&M Foundation.
  • The paper also examined cognitive function and other health markers; this post covers only the results highlighted in the university’s news release.

The takeaway: for middle-aged and older adults, creatine looks like a promising tool for protecting muscle, with or without a gym routine. As with any supplement, it is sensible to talk to a doctor before starting.

Sources and further reading