Creatine for Endurance
For aerobic and endurance performance, creatine does not work: high-quality meta-analyses find no benefit, and the evidence against it earns a Counter-Evidence (D) grade. Its real value lies in short, high-intensity strength and power efforts, not sustained endurance.
Why this grade7-layer evidence engine
The grade is driven by two high-quality meta-analyses that point against any endurance benefit. A 2023 review of 13 trials in trained athletes found creatine ineffective on endurance performance (SMD = -0.07; 95% CI -0.32 to 0.18; p = 0.47, PMID 36877404), and a 2022 meta-analysis of 19 RCTs (n = 424) reported that creatine actually produced smaller VO2max gains than placebo (ES = -0.32; p = 0.002, PMID 34859731). The only positive signals come from a sprint/end-spurt narrative review that is industry-funded (PMID 37096381) and a small elite-rower RCT where creatine alone did nothing and only a creatine-plus-HMB combination helped (PMID 31936727).
Clinical and government sources agree. Mayo Clinic states there is 'no proof that creatine helps you do better at aerobic sports,' Cleveland Clinic notes it works 'without affecting your ability to exercise for longer periods (aerobic endurance),' and Harvard and the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements tie its benefits to short anaerobic efforts and to strength and power rather than endurance.
Regulatory approvals do not change this. The FDA's GRAS 'no questions' response and EFSA's confirmed 'cause and effect relationship' both apply to safety or to muscle strength in adults over 55 doing resistance training, not to aerobic endurance. One sports-nutrition society lists only a 'possible' enhancement of aerobic capacity, which is a weak rather than supportive claim. The honest takeaway: creatine is well-evidenced for strength and power, but for endurance it is not effective.
Scoring transparency
All scores computed by a 7-layer evidence engine — fully auditable▸View the full decision path (audit trail)
- compute_raw_score — 加權公式: L2×0.30 + L3×0.25 + L5×0.25 + L11×0.10 + L1×0.10 = 0.295
- tier_from_score — 依分數區間映射至 tier letter
- apply_hec_rules — 高階證據未達主導 (0 positive vs 1 negative)，由 raw_score 決定
- tier_strict_requirement_check — Tier 條件達標，未降階
- detect_disputes — 偵測到 0 個 hard + 0 個 soft dispute
- decide_status — 依 tier + dispute 結果決定 status