Creatine Monohydrate
Among the most robustly supported supplements for muscle strength and lean mass across age groups. Cognition, mood, and post-menopausal muscle/bone are promising but younger and mixed; each use is graded on its own.
Generally well tolerated at 3-5 g/day. Mild GI upset or water retention possible. Not a treatment for any disease. Consult a clinician if you have kidney disease.
Full safety details belowEvidence by use
Each use graded independently. A strong grade for one use does not carry over to others.
Strong, consistent human trials.
Emerging and mixed. Not settled.
Emerging and mixed. Not settled.
Not enough evidence to grade yet.
Generally well tolerated at 3-5 g/day. Mild GI upset or water retention possible. Not a treatment for any disease. Consult a clinician if you have kidney disease.
Who takes it and why
Each expert's dose and stated reason, linked to their own words. Attribution only; no endorsement implied.
Photo: Jamesbrianbounds, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons ↗muscle + cognitive/brain energetics
www.hubermanlab.com ↗Attribution only; no endorsement implied.
Photo: Jop van Velthuis, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons ↗muscle preservation + brain/cognitive performance, healthspan
peterattiamd.com ↗Attribution only; no endorsement implied.
Photo: M Robertson, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons ↗cellular energy / longevity
protocol.bryanjohnson.com ↗Attribution only; no endorsement implied.
Which Creatine Monohydrate should you buy?
The short version: plain creatine monohydrate is the most-studied and least-expensive form, and any product that is third-party certified is a safe bet. Certification (NSF Certified for Sport or USP Verified) screens for banned substances and confirms the label matches what is in the bottle. Here are recognizable brands that carry it. We do not certify products and take no payment to list them.
52 Creatine Monohydrate products are third-party certified in total. See the full list →
When a certification and a lab test disagree
Sometimes a product is certified now but failed an independent test in the past. Here's where that happened, with dates and sources.
In 2024, an independent lab (NOW Foods / NOW Foundation internal analytical lab ↗) found this product Roughly half of tested creatine gummies failed to meet label claim; several contained mostly creatinine (degraded creatine) rather than creatine. Large amounts of creatinine detected.. The same brand now appears in the NSF Certified for Sport registry (we observed it on 2026-06-02). We do not know whether the product was reformulated since the test; we only know when we observed the certification. We show both so you can decide for yourself.
In 2024, an independent lab (NOW Foods / NOW Foundation internal analytical lab ↗) found this product Roughly half of tested creatine gummies failed to meet label claim; several contained mostly creatinine (degraded creatine) rather than creatine. Large amounts of creatinine detected.. The same brand now appears in the NSF Certified for Sport registry (we observed it on 2026-06-02). We do not know whether the product was reformulated since the test; we only know when we observed the certification. We show both so you can decide for yourself.
Sources
- International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: safety and efficacy of creatine supplementation in exercise, sport, and medicine (2017) review
- Common questions and misconceptions about creatine supplementation: what does the scientific evidence really show? (2021) review
- Creatine Supplementation: An Update (2021) review