Creatine monohydrate is one of the most thoroughly researched sports supplements. Yet the basic questions keep coming up: what exactly is it, how does it work, and what can you realistically expect from it? Below, we explain it all in simple terms, sticking to the facts.
What is creatine monohydrate?
Creatine monohydrate is the most commonly used and most extensively researched form of creatine: a substance that your body produces naturally and which you also obtain from meat and fish. ‘Monohydrate’ simply means that each creatine molecule is bound to a single water molecule. This is the form in which creatine is most stable and readily soluble.
Your body produces some of its own creatine every day from the amino acids arginine, glycine and methionine, mainly in the liver and kidneys. Around 95 per cent of your creatine stores are found in your skeletal muscles, largely in the form of phosphocreatine. In the diet, creatine is found mainly in red meat and fish, but the amounts are small: you would have to eat hundreds of grams of meat to get just a few grams. That is why athletes, and especially vegetarians and vegans, often opt for a supplement to replenish their muscle stores.
How does creatine monohydrate work?
Creatine works via your muscles’ energy system: it helps to rapidly replenish ATP, the direct fuel for short, explosive bursts of effort. More creatine in the muscle means more phosphocreatine to recharge that fuel between sets.
To be more specific: during a powerful movement, your muscle breaks down ATP (adenosine triphosphate) into ADP, releasing energy. This ATP store is small and is depleted within a few seconds. Phosphocreatine then donates a phosphate group to rapidly convert ADP back into ATP. The fuller your phosphocreatine stores, the more ATP your muscles can quickly replenish between those peak moments. This mechanism is particularly important during short, high-intensity effort, such as the final repetitions of a heavy set or a sprint, rather than during prolonged endurance sports.
What are the benefits of creatine monohydrate for athletes?
The evidence-based benefit relates to performance. Creatine increases physical performance in successive bursts of short-term, high intensity exercise. This is the wording approved by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) for creatine and the general sporting population (EU Claims Register, claim #739), and it applies when adults who train intensively consume 3 grams of creatine daily.
For a specific group, there is a second approved claim. Daily creatine consumption can enhance the effect of resistance training on muscle strength in adults over the age of 55. This is authorised under EU Regulation 2017/672, and applies at 3 grams per day in combination with strength training.
What does this mean in practice? The claim above is about performance, not automatic muscle growth. Muscle growth comes from consistent training, sufficient protein and recovery; creatine’s authorised benefit relates to physical performance in short, intensive effort, not to muscle growth itself.
Two things are worth flagging here. Firstly, many people see a slight increase in their body weight in the first few weeks, often 1 to 2 kilos. This is water retained by creatine in the muscle cells, not fat. Secondly, you sometimes read claims about creatine and brain function or memory. The EFSA has not approved any such claim, so we don’t include it here.
How is creatine made, and is it vegan?
Creatine supplements are not derived from meat, but are produced synthetically in a controlled process. As a result, creatine monohydrate in powder form is suitable for vegans.
Production involves a chemical reaction between sarcosine and cyanamide, after which the resulting creatine is purified and crystallised into monohydrate. No animal-derived materials are therefore involved. This is precisely why creatine is of interest to those following a plant-based diet: particularly with a vegetarian or vegan diet, creatine intake from food is low, whilst the supplement itself is plant-based.
Ekopura’s creatine monohydrate consists of a single ingredient: creatine monohydrate, with no artificial additives, flavourings or preservatives. What’s on the label is what’s inside.
How much creatine monohydrate should you take each day?
The standard maintenance dose is 3 to 5 grams of creatine monohydrate per day, every day, including rest days. At this dose, your muscle stores will become saturated after a few weeks; the exact time of intake matters little, but consistency does.
If you want to replenish your stores more quickly, you can undertake an optional loading phase. The table below compares the two approaches.
| Approach | Dosage | Duration | Stores full after |
|---|---|---|---|
| Immediate maintenance | 3 to 5 g per day | ongoing | approximately 3 to 4 weeks |
| With a loading phase | approximately 20 g per day, divided into 4 portions | 5 to 7 days, followed by 3 to 5 g | approximately 1 week |
Both approaches lead to the same result; the loading phase is simply quicker. Dissolve the powder in water, juice or your shake. The approved performance claim is based on a daily intake of 3 grams, aimed at adults who train intensively.
Frequently asked questions
What does ‘monohydrate’ mean in creatine monohydrate?
Monohydrate means that each creatine molecule is bound to a single water molecule. It is the most widely researched and most commonly used form of creatine. Other forms (such as creatine HCl or ethyl ester) are often marketed as more expensive alternatives, but monohydrate remains the gold standard against which all others are measured.
Do you need to do a loading phase?
No, a loading phase is optional. With 3 to 5 grams a day, your muscle stores will also become saturated, just a little more slowly. A loading phase replenishes your stores more quickly, but is not a prerequisite for the effect.
Can you combine creatine with a protein shake?
Yes. Creatine and protein have different functions and do not interfere with each other. Many athletes simply stir their creatine into their protein shake. If you’d like to know more about protein in relation to your training, read about why whey protein is used and what it does, or the benefits of protein powder.
Is creatine monohydrate safe?
Creatine monohydrate is one of the most extensively researched supplements and is well tolerated by most people at the standard dosage. If you have a kidney condition or other health issue, are taking medication or are pregnant, please consult your doctor first, as you would with any supplement.
Getting started with creatine
Are you looking for a creatine with no additives, containing just one clear ingredient? Choose Ekopura’s creatine monohydrate, or browse our creatine range. Pure, plant-based and free from unnecessary additives, so you know exactly what you’re consuming.
