Creatine used to belong to bodybuilders and protein-shake aisles. Today it shows up in conversations about healthy aging, brain health, and even gut health.
If you eat plant-based, it raises a fair question. Your body makes creatine, and meat contains it, but plants don't. So are you missing out? Should you take it, and is it safe for your gut and kidneys?
Here's what the research says, and where it's still catching up.
Table Of Contents:
What Is Creatine?
Creatine is a compound your body makes from three amino acids: arginine, glycine, and methionine. Your liver, kidneys, and pancreas produce about 1 gram a day. (A few people are born with rare genetic conditions that affect how their body makes or uses creatine. These are diagnosed in childhood and managed by specialists). It's then stored mostly in your muscles, with a small amount in your heart and brain.
Its job is quick energy. When your cells need a fast burst of fuel, like during a sprint or a heavy lift, creatine helps them recharge it. The name comes from kreas, the Greek word for meat, in which it was first discovered.
People who eat meat get roughly another gram a day from food, so their bodies make a little less. People who eat plant-based make all of their own. As a result, vegetarians and vegans tend to have about 10–15% less creatine in their muscles and roughly a third to half less in their blood.
That sounds like a shortfall, but it may not be. When vegetarians take creatine, their muscle levels rise more than meat eaters' do. Their performance gains, though, are generally similar, which suggests their lower starting levels don't hold them back much. Their brain levels are also about the same, because the brain makes its own supply. In other words, eating meat mainly means your body doesn't have to make as much.
The Gut Connection
Your gut lining is like a security gate. It’s just one cell thick, and those cells are locked together by “tight junctions” that let nutrients through and keep unwanted substances out. Holding those junctions tight is hard work, and creatine helps fuel it.
Scientists have only just started exploring this link, and the early results are promising:
- In mice, those that couldn’t make their own creatine were more prone to colitis, a type of inflammatory bowel disease, and giving them creatine eased it.
- In lab studies, gut cells that couldn’t take in creatine became leakier and slower to heal.
- People with ulcerative colitis also tend to have lower levels of the transporter that carries creatine into gut cells.
- A 2025 analysis found that people who ate more creatine were less likely to have chronic constipation.
It’s still early days, though. Most of this research was done in mice or lab-grown cells, and the human studies show links, not proof. The constipation study also looked at creatine from meat, not supplements. No one has yet tested whether creatine supplements improve gut health in people.
So creatine may help keep your gut lining strong, but that alone isn’t a reason to start taking it. Fiber-rich plant foods, fermented foods, movement, good sleep, and managing stress remain the foundations of a healthy gut.
Muscle and Aging: Creatine Works, But Only With Strength Training
From around middle age, we gradually lose muscle mass and strength, a process called sarcopenia. It raises the risk of falls, frailty, and losing independence, so slowing it down matters.
Creatine is one of the best-studied supplements for exercise. It helps your muscles recover faster between short bursts of hard effort, so you can do a few more reps or push a little harder. That extra effort is what builds muscle over time.
This is also why creatine doesn't do much on its own. Most studies in older adults found no benefit to muscle mass, strength, or performance from creatine alone. Combined with two to three strength training sessions a week, though, it added about 3 extra pounds of lean mass over roughly four months compared with training alone. It also improved strength and performance on a sit-to-stand test, which helps predict the risk of falls.
Based on this evidence, an expert panel from the Society on Sarcopenia, Cachexia and Wasting Disorders has suggested that creatine may be used to help manage age-related muscle loss, although benefits take at least 12 weeks to appear. Creatine can give you a small edge, but strength training is what builds and protects your muscle.
Creatine and the Brain
Your brain makes up about 2% of your body weight but uses around 20% of its energy. Creatine acts as a backup energy reserve for brain cells, which is why researchers have been curious about its effects on thinking and memory.
One small study gave creatine to vegetarians and meat eaters for four days. The vegetarians' memory improved, while the meat eaters' didn't. One possible explanation is that vegetarians, who make all their own creatine, respond more to an extra source. This was a small study, though, so the results need confirming.
A 2022 review of eight studies found that creatine gave memory a small boost, especially in older adults, but the studies varied in quality and used very different memory tests. And in a 2020 study, people who took creatine for a week made fewer mistakes during a 90-minute mentally draining task, though it didn’t stop their reaction times from slowing.
These findings are promising, but they come from small studies, and it’s too early to call creatine a brain booster.
Creatine, Homocysteine, and Heart Health
This is where creatine may be especially relevant for plant-based eaters.
Plant-based diets are linked to a lower risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and a lower overall risk of cancer. One large study, though, found that vegetarians had a slightly higher risk of stroke than meat eaters, even as their risk of heart disease was lower. One possible reason is homocysteine.
When your body makes creatine, it also produces homocysteine. High homocysteine levels can damage blood vessels and are linked to a higher risk of heart disease and stroke. Your body normally clears it using vitamin B12 and B6, and folate.
The most common reason for high homocysteine on a plant-based diet is low vitamin B12, since it's found mainly in animal foods. A reliable B12 supplement is the first and most important step. Eating plenty of greens and beans helps cover folate.
If your homocysteine stays high despite this, creatine may help. Taking in creatine means your body doesn't have to make as much, so it produces less homocysteine. In a small study of vegans who weren't taking B12, a few weeks of creatine lowered their homocysteine levels and improved blood flow in their small blood vessels.
If your homocysteine levels are still above 10 µmol/L after taking B12 regularly, it may be worth asking your doctor about trying 1 gram of creatine a day and retesting after a month or two.
Is Creatine Safe?
Creatine is one of the most widely used and studied supplements in the world. For healthy adults taking modest doses, the main side effect is a little weight gain from extra water held in the muscles. There are a few things to know, though.
Your gut. Some people get bloating, cramping, or loose stools from creatine. This happens mostly with large doses (10g or more) taken all at once, such as during a loading phase. Smaller doses, taken with a meal and plenty of water, are much gentler.
Your kidneys. Creatine can raise creatinine on a blood test. Doctors use creatinine to check kidney function, so it can look like your kidneys aren't working well when they are. The creatine is simply breaking down into more creatinine. If you take creatine, tell your doctor, and ask whether a cystatin C test would give a clearer picture. In people with healthy kidneys, creatine appears safe in studies lasting a few years, but longer-term research is limited. If you have kidney disease, don't take it unless your doctor approves.
Quality. Supplements aren't tightly regulated. When researchers tested 33 creatine products from the US and Europe, about half exceeded a recommended safety limit for at least one contaminant. Look for brands that are third-party tested and publish their results.
How to Take Creatine
If you decide to try creatine supplementation, keep it simple.
- Choose creatine monohydrate. It's the form used in almost all the research, and newer, pricier forms haven't been shown to work better.
- Take 3 grams a day for muscle support with strength training. That's about a level teaspoon. For homocysteine, 1 gram a day may be enough.
- Skip the loading phase. At 3 grams a day, your muscles reach the same creatine levels within about a month, with fewer gut side effects.
- Take it with a meal (along with carbohydrates and protein) and plenty of water. Some research suggests taking it after exercise may be slightly better, but timing matters far less than taking it consistently.
- Give it time. Muscle benefits take around 12 weeks of regular strength training to show.
The Bottom Line
Creatine isn't essential for everyone, and plant-based eaters aren't truly deficient. Your body makes what it needs. Still, it may be worth considering if you:
- Are an older adult doing regular strength training and want to protect your muscle
- Train hard and want a little extra performance
- Eat plant-based and still have high homocysteine despite taking vitamin B12 (talk to your doctor first)
The brain and gut research is an exciting area to watch, but neither is a proven benefit yet. And no supplement replaces the basics. Strength training, a fiber-rich whole-food plant-based diet, and a reliable source of B12 will do far more for your muscles, brain, and gut than creatine alone. As always, check with your doctor before starting a new supplement, especially if you have kidney disease or take medication.
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