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Creatine 101

Everything on this page is general information about creatine and electrolytes as compounds, drawn from published research. It isn't medical advice. KREYT is a Formulated Supplementary Sports Food — not suitable for children under 15 or pregnant women, and it should only be used under medical or dietetic supervision.

What creatine is

Creatine is a natural compound your liver, kidneys and pancreas make from amino acids. It isn't synthetic and it isn't a steroid — it's already part of how your body runs. About 95% of the creatine in your body is stored in skeletal muscle, ready to use.

What it does

During short, explosive effort — a heavy set, a sprint, the last rep — your muscles burn through ATP, their instant energy currency, in seconds. Creatine helps regenerate ATP faster, so recovery between efforts happens quicker. That is why creatine monohydrate supports performance in short-burst, high-intensity exercise. It is not a stimulant and doesn't work like one.

Where it comes from

Your body makes about a gram a day on its own. Red meat and fish add a little more — but you'd need around a kilogram of red meat to match one effective 5g daily dose. That gap is the whole reason supplementing exists.

Why it's a habit, not a pre-workout

Creatine works by fully saturating your muscle stores over time. Morning or night, before training or after, rest day or leg day — consistency is what matters, not the clock. You don't need a loading phase: one sachet a day reaches saturation in around three to four weeks. Loading (roughly 20g a day, split into four doses, for 5–7 days) just gets you there faster.

How much research is there?

Exercise scientists have been studying creatine supplementation since the early 1990s. Researchers estimate there are now well over a thousand published studies, covering performance, safety and long-term use across athletes, everyday gym-goers, older adults and clinical populations. Long-term studies running for years, not weeks, have not turned up the safety concerns that once circulated. Much of that research comes from university exercise-science labs rather than supplement companies, which is part of why creatine has such a strong reputation among researchers.

Creatine and women

Creatine is not a men's supplement. Research suggests women synthesise creatine at roughly 20% lower rates than men and, on average, eat 30–40% less of it through diet — so many women start with lower stores. The most common myth is that it causes sudden "bulk". It doesn't: creatine draws a small amount of water into muscle cells, which is a normal, well-documented part of how it works, not a transformation. Research specific to women is still catching up — for decades most studies were done on male athletes — but the postmenopausal research in particular is strong, and a 2025 review in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition summarised the evidence across the menstrual cycle, pregnancy and menopause. One note: the research does not point to a different dose for women.

Common myths, sorted

  • "It's basically steroids." Creatine is an amino-acid-derived compound your body makes. Steroids are synthetic hormones. They're not related, and creatine isn't banned by any major sporting body.
  • "It wrecks your kidneys." In people with healthy kidneys, decades of research haven't linked normal doses to kidney damage. If you have an existing kidney condition, that's a conversation for your doctor.
  • "It makes you bloated." Creatine draws water into muscle cells, not your stomach.
  • "You have to load it." Optional, not required — see above.
  • "It's only for bodybuilders." The research includes everyday gym-goers, runners, older adults and more.

And the electrolytes?

Electrolytes are minerals — sodium, potassium, magnesium — that carry an electric charge. They're what let your nerves fire and your muscles contract, not just what keeps you "hydrated". When you sweat you lose them along with the water: sweat can carry close to a gram of sodium per litre on a heavy session, more on a hot day. Sodium keeps fluid balanced and supports nerve signals; potassium helps muscles contract and relax; magnesium supports hundreds of enzyme reactions. Replacing the minerals matters as much as replacing the water — which is why every KREYT Energy sachet carries a sensible dose of all three, without sugar or dye.

Which form of creatine?

Creatine monohydrate is the single most-researched form there is — the benchmark every other version gets measured against. It's the only kind in a KREYT sachet: 5g, pure, nothing else added.