Timing of Creatine Supplementation around Exercise: A Real Concern?

Abstract

Creatine has been considered an effective ergogenic aid for several decades; it can help athletes engaged in a variety of sports and obtain performance gains. Creatine supplementation increases muscle creatine stores; several factors have been identified that may modify the intramuscular increase and subsequent performance benefits, including baseline muscle Cr content, type II muscle fibre content and size, habitual dietary intake of Cr, aging, and exercise. Timing of creatine supplementation in relation to exercise has recently been proposed as an important consideration to optimise muscle loading and performance gains, although current consensus is lacking regarding the ideal ingestion time. Research has shifted towards comparing creatine supplementation strategies pre-, during-, or post-exercise. Emerging evidence suggests greater benefits when creatine is consumed after exercise compared to pre-exercise, although methodological limitations currently preclude solid conclusions. Furthermore, physiological and mechanistic data are lacking, in regard to claims that the timing of creatine supplementation around exercise moderates gains in muscle creatine and exercise performance. This review discusses novel scientific evidence on the timing of creatine intake, the possible mechanisms that may be involved, and whether the timing of creatine supplementation around exercise is truly a real concern.

Morning versus Evening Intake of Creatine in Elite Female Handball Players

“…Another limitation of our study was the relatively small size of the sample. Although clinical trials with a larger sample size are needed to confirm these findings, we can state that the results of the present study are in line with recent research on the optimal timing of Cr intake, which suggests that greater performance is achieved when Cr supplementation is performed after strength training [ 6 , 8 , 38 ]. Factors that could have influenced the different results obtained are the level of training of the participants and the initial amount of Cr present in their muscles.…”

“…Although several studies have attempted to elucidate whether the best time to ingest Cr is before or after training [ 6 ], the results showed greater benefits when Cr was ingested close to the training sessions due to the increased blood flow, with significant improvements seen with post-training consumption [ 7 ] due to the fact that Cr can increase glycogen formation in the muscle and increase insulin sensitivity [ 8 ].…”

Creatine O'Clock: Does Timing of Ingestion Really Influence Muscle Mass and Performance?

“…The purported mechanisms underlying the potential effects of creatine timing to augment resistance training adaptations are currently only hypothetical ( Figure 1 ). First, one could speculate that exercise-induced muscle hyperemia could favor creatine delivery to skeletal muscles, possibly affecting both uptake and retention (Forbes and Candow, 2018 ; Ribeiro et al, 2021 ). Therefore, pairing the exercise-mediated increase in blood flow with the rise in circulating creatine following supplementation could, theoretically, be beneficial.…”

“…Through the combination of endogenous synthesis and/or exogenous intake, creatine enters the systemic circulation and subsequently gains entry into energetically demanding tissues (e.g., skeletal muscle) through a creatine-specific transporter (Persky and Brazeau, 2001 ). Exercise-induced muscle contractions increase skeletal muscle blood flow (i.e., hyperaemia) (Tipton et al, 2001 ), which may augment creatine kinetics leading to greater intramuscular creatine accumulation over time (Harris et al, 1992 ; Persky and Brazeau, 2001 ; Forbes and Candow, 2018 ; Ribeiro et al, 2021 ). Co-ingestion of creatine with carbohydrates and protein also appears to increase creatine accumulation in muscle (Steenge et al, 1998 , 2000 ), possibly due to insulin-stimulated sodium-potassium (Na +− K + ) pump activity (Ewart and Klip, 1995 ).…”

Os benefícios ergogênicos da suplementação de creatina para atletas e praticantes de exercícios físicos do sexo masculino

“…Este Pi é usado pelo ADP (difosfato de adenosina) para formar ATP. Ao aumentar a ressíntese de ATP, os indivíduos ganharão mais energia durante o exercício, estendendo seu desempenho e retardando a fadiga muscular (Ribeiro et al, 2021).…”