The authors pooled 23 trials in which adults under 50 did resistance training while taking either creatine or a placebo. Creatine groups gained about 4.4 kg more upper-body strength and about 11.4 kg more lower-body strength. The gains held for men, while the small number of women studied showed no clear benefit.
Creatine and resistance training have been reviewed many times, but earlier reviews pooled people across a wide age range and mixed different kinds of exercise together. That left a gap: what happens in adults under 50, and how large is the gain in kilograms.
This was a systematic review and meta analysis registered on PROSPERO and conducted to PRISMA guidelines. Four databases, MEDLINE, Scopus, Embase and SPORTDiscus, were searched to 22 May 2024. Only randomized controlled trials were included, each comparing creatine plus resistance training against placebo plus the same resistance training, in healthy adults under 50.
Twenty three studies were included. Twenty involved men, totaling 447 male participants. Two involved women, totaling 40. One involved both, with 13 men and 9 women. So of 509 participants in total, 49 were women. Creatine doses were 15 to 25 g per day, or 0.3 g/kg per day, during a loading phase of up to seven days, then 2 to 10 g per day, or 0.03 to 0.22 g/kg per day, afterwards. Training lasted 4 to 12 weeks at two to five sessions per week.
Creatine plus resistance training beat placebo plus resistance training for upper body strength by a weighted mean difference of 4.43 kg (95% CI 3.12 to 5.75, p less than 0.001) and for lower body strength by 11.35 kg (95% CI 8.44 to 14.25, p less than 0.001). Heterogeneity was zero for both, meaning the studies agreed closely.
The sex split is the important part. In men, creatine improved upper body strength by 4.95 kg (95% CI 3.52 to 6.38, p less than 0.001) and lower body strength by 11.68 kg (95% CI 8.60 to 14.76, p less than 0.001). In women, neither result reached statistical significance: upper body 1.54 kg (95% CI minus 1.81 to 4.89, p equals 0.368) and lower body 8.03 kg (95% CI minus 0.83 to 16.90, p equals 0.076). The difference between the sexes was a trend rather than a firm finding for the upper body (p equals 0.067) and not significant for the lower body (p equals 0.446).
Dose, loading, training status, training duration and training frequency made no difference, though higher doses above 5 g per day showed a trend for lower body strength (p equals 0.068).
Only 49 of 509 participants were women, spread across three studies, and no clear benefit was found in that group. The authors say directly that the sex comparison should be interpreted with caution because only two studies included female participants, and that the overall effect is likely driven by the men. Doses, loading protocols and supplementation durations varied, as did training intensity, volume and type, so the review cannot say which training protocol works best.
Egger's test found publication bias for upper body strength (t equals 2.102, p equals 0.048), though a trim and fill adjustment left the estimate at 3.60 kg (95% CI 2.39 to 4.81). The review received no external funding. One author, D. G. Candow, declares industry sponsored creatine research, creatine donations, travel support, seats on the scientific advisory boards of Alzchem and Create, both creatine manufacturers, and work as an expert witness in creatine litigation.
For men under 50 doing resistance training, this is reasonably strong evidence of a modest addition to strength gains, quantified in kilograms rather than abstract units, with unusually consistent results across studies.
It does not show the same for women. The female result was null for upper body strength and did not reach significance for lower body strength, and the evidence base behind it is three studies and 49 people. A null result in a small sample is not proof of no effect, but it is also not evidence of an effect, and the honest reading is that the question is open. The review also says nothing about adults over 50, about muscle size, or about anything other than maximal strength.
That depends on the specific medication and formula. A few, like blood thinners with CurQLife or blood pressure medication with MaxiNOs, are worth a direct conversation with your doctor first. Check each formula's own FAQ section for specifics, or ask your health coach.
No, and we'd rather be upfront about it. Bacopa, the plant in BacoZest, has published human studies, though they used other bacopa extracts. OptiNOs and MaxiNOs each have human studies sponsored by their maker, Laila Nutraceuticals, which haven't been published in a journal. CurQLife's research is still early, from lab and animal studies, and we label it that way.
It depends on what you're building your routine around. BacoZest is built around bacopa, which is studied for memory.* OptiNOs supports strength and muscular endurance alongside resistance training.* MaxiNOs was studied for healthy blood vessel function.* CurQLife's research is still at the lab stage. Your health coach can help you pick a starting point.
All four are built around plant extracts. OptiNOs was reported as well tolerated in its human study, and published bacopa studies reported no serious side effects. CurQLife's safety data so far comes from lab and animal testing. Check with your doctor first if you're pregnant, nursing, on medication, or managing a health condition.
Because the patented ingredients behind our four formulas went through dedicated research, and research costs real money. A generic curcumin or bacopa supplement hasn't been tested in the form you get from us. You're paying for an ingredient with research behind it, not just a label.
Generic ingredients often haven't been studied in the specific form you're buying. Our four core formulas use patented ingredients, and we show you the research behind each one, including where it's still early.
It depends on the formula. In its study, MaxiNOs blood vessel response was higher than placebo 2 to 3 hours after the first dose.* OptiNOs and bacopa were studied over 6 and 12 weeks of daily use, so give them time. CurQLife is meant to be taken daily.
Yes. BacoZest, OptiNOs, MaxiNOs, and CurQLife are built for different goals, and none of them contain stimulants. They haven't been studied together, so ask your health coach how to fit them into your routine.
