The health benefits of lean body mass (LBM) include reduced risk of mortality, enhanced bone quality, and better regulation of blood sugar levels. Studies indicate that the most effective method for increasing LBM is resistance training (RT), which typically leads to an average gain of 1.5 kilograms over three to four months. Creatine monohydrate (CrM) Â supplementation contributes to making the muscle-building responses to resistance exercise stronger by promoting extra LBM gains.
CrM supplementation increases LBM by 1.1 kg in adults aged 18-47 years old as it allows for enhanced training volume and increases the stimulation of greater muscle growth. It starts with a loading phase of 20-25 grams/day and is maintained for 5-7 days to accumulate muscle stores to full capacity, followed by a maintenance phase that continues with 2-5 grams/day after the first week. The maintenance dose effectiveness increases LBM, which remains uncertain, as studies suggest that significant LBM gains depend on the loading phase. Researchers didn’t determine the role of water retention in the augmentation of LBM upon initiation.
This study examined CrM consumption at 5 g/day for seven days on the whole body and regional LBM measurements in novice subjects. A single-blind randomized controlled trial that was used as the study design obtained approval from the University of New South Wales Human Research Ethics Committee. Adults between 18 and 50 years were enrolled in the study with body mass indices of <30 kg/m² but were devoid of regular resistance training activities. Individuals who were on creatine or antibiotics in the past month, along with pregnant women and those with chronic diseases, were not included in the study. The study investigators assigned participants to two randomly chosen groups consisting of CrM users and controls.
Body composition was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) following participants undergoing an extended fast of eight hours and abstinence from exercise for twelve continuous hours. Statistical analysis compared body mass alteration across various time points as well as groups.
Total body LBM and trunk LBM in the CrM group both experienced significant increases during the wash-in phase (T1–T2; p = 0.03, p = 0.01, respectively). The measurements of arm and leg LBM together with fat mass remained without statistically significant variations. The subjects in both groups experienced an equivalent total LBM gain of 2 kilograms throughout the 12-week RT period at T2–T3 without any statistically significant difference between them (p = 0.71). The measurements of LBM segmental quantities and fat mass distribution between the groups remained equivalent throughout the analysis period. The subjects in the CrM group accumulated total LBM compared to control participants after completing RT (p = 0.05) during T1–T3 measurements.
Women in the CrM group experienced substantial growth of body muscle mass in their total LBM along with trunk (p = 0.04 and p = 0.02) and arm LBM (p = 0.03) measurements from the start of the wash-in phase. Within the CrM group women experienced significant increases in their leg LBM (p = 0.05), which differed from male participants.
Single CrM supplementation resulted in temporary LBM increases but didn’t enhance the LBM changes during a 12-week RT program except in female participants who may exhibit different creatine storage capacities. While CrM consumption leads to short-term LBM growth, the combination of RT with daily CrM amounts greater than 5 g has shown limited effects on LBM development. Further, there is a need for research to determine the optimum CrM dose quantity as well as effective wash-in time intervals and water content measurement methods in order to assess its potentiality as an LBM development aid.
References: Desai I, Pandit A, Smith-Ryan AE et al., The effect of creatine supplementation on lean body mass with and without resistance training. Nutrients. 2025;17(6):1081. doi:10.3390/nu17061081
