Recently, more and more research has focused on the anabolic effects of creatine. Most studies believe that short-term creatine supplementation (20-25g per day for 7 days) can increase body weight by 0.7-1.6kg. The reason is that creatine stimulates water retention and/or protein synthesis [17]. Ziegenfuss et al. reported that 5 days of creatine supplementation increased thigh muscle volume by 7%, and intracellular and extracellular water increased by 2% to 3% [18]. Some studies that supplemented creatine for a long period of time (7 to 140 days) during the training period also showed that both body weight and lean body mass increased significantly, while the proportion of total water in total body weight did not change [19]. Some researchers hypothesize that creatine first stimulates an increase in intracellular water, increasing cell osmotic pressure, and also stimulates protein synthesis. Subsequent increases in lean body mass and strength may be due to increased protein synthesis and/or maintenance of high training volumes that enhance lean tissue growth [20].

The American College of Sports Medicine states that creatine supplementation will increase body weight slightly (0.5 to 1kg). The initial weight gain may be due to an increase in overall water content. The positive effects of creatine occur with long-term training. Within 10 to 12 weeks, body weight and lean body mass increase, but body fat percentage does not change.

Earnest et al. conducted a study on the impact of creatine use on blood lipids. They gave 34 male and female subjects aged 32 to 70 years to take 20g of creatine for 5 days, and then continued to take 10g of creatine for a total of 51 days. Results Total cholesterol, triglycerides and very low-density lipoprotein were significantly reduced. In addition, the experiment also found that the creatine group had a tendency to lower blood sugar. This effect of creatine may improve insulin sensitivity, which is beneficial to diabetics in lowering blood sugar. This shows that creatine is likely to reduce blood lipids and increase glucose metabolism [21].