Creatine is best known as a supplement for strength, muscle growth, and athletic performance. New findings from Texas A&M University suggest its potential benefits may reach beyond the gym, particularly during middle age, when preserving muscle becomes increasingly important.

In a study published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, adults ages 45 to 65 gained lean tissue and strength while taking creatine, even without participating in a structured exercise program. Combining creatine with regular exercise produced even greater improvements.

The 12 week study adds to research examining creatine as more than a supplement for athletes. Scientists are also investigating whether it can support muscle health and healthy aging across the lifespan.

Dr. Richard Kreider, professor and director of the Exercise and Sport Nutrition Lab at Texas A&M, led the study. Kreider has researched creatine for more than three decades, including its effects on exercise performance, muscle growth, and strength.

Creatine occurs naturally in the body and helps restore cellular energy. Kreider’s earlier work has also suggested that the compound may provide health benefits throughout life.

The new research involved 64 healthy adults who completed the entire intervention. Participants chose whether to enter a structured exercise and diet program designed for weight loss or remain in a group that did not exercise.

Within those groups, researchers randomly assigned participants to consume either 10 grams of creatine monohydrate or a placebo every day. This design allowed the researchers to examine creatine both with and without a structured fitness program.

Among participants who did not enter the exercise program, those receiving creatine gained about 2.4 pounds of lean tissue during the study. They also improved their strength on both the leg press and bench press.

Participants in the structured exercise program completed resistance and aerobic training three times each week. Those who combined the program with creatine recorded greater gains in leg press strength, bench press strength, and time to exhaustion.

Creatine did not appear to increase aerobic capacity beyond the benefits delivered by exercise alone. According to the researchers, that result is consistent with previous evidence indicating that creatine mainly supports muscular strength and power rather than aerobic fitness.

The study also examined whether creatine could help people reduce body fat while preserving or adding lean tissue. Participants in the exercise group followed a diet that created a modest calorie deficit.

After 12 weeks, participants combining creatine with the exercise and diet program added nearly three pounds of lean tissue while losing fat mass. Participants following the same exercise and diet program while receiving a placebo showed little change in lean tissue.

The creatine group also recorded a larger reduction in body fat percentage. Researchers said this was the first study to show that adding creatine to an exercise and diet program designed for weight loss can reduce body fat percentage more than exercise and diet alone.

The findings build on decades of work exploring creatine for uses beyond sports performance. Kreider has previously emphasized its potential importance throughout life, including possible value for older adults experiencing age related declines in muscle mass and cognitive function.

The body produces creatine naturally, and people can also obtain it from foods such as meat and fish. Kreider said reaching a daily intake of 10 grams from food alone would require eating roughly five to 10 pounds of meat or fish each day, making supplements a more practical and less costly choice.

Creatine is among the most extensively studied sports and nutritional supplements. In a 2025 analysis, Kreider and his colleagues reviewed 685 clinical trials and found no significant difference in reported side effect rates between participants taking creatine and those receiving a placebo.

The WoodNext Foundation funded the study through the Texas A&M Foundation. The results present creatine as a possible tool for supporting lean tissue and strength in middle age, with stronger results when supplementation is paired with regular exercise.