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Creatine and the over-45s: what a 12-week trial in 64 people actually found

Qurexa Editorial Team20 September 20266 min read 0 0
Creatine and the over-45s: what a 12-week trial in 64 people actually found

What happened

Creatine is one of the oldest and most studied sports supplements. It has a reputation as something for young men in gyms. A trial published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, and reported on 18 September 2026, looked at a different group: healthy adults aged 45 to 65. The study was run by Texas A&M University. The principal investigator was Dr Richard Kreider, professor and director of the university's Exercise and Sport Nutrition Lab. Sixty-four people took part for 12 weeks. They were split four ways. Some followed a structured exercise and diet programme; some did not. Within each of those, some took 10 grams of creatine monohydrate a day and some took a placebo. Nobody knew which they had been given. The researchers then measured lean tissue, fat, strength and endurance.

Why this matters

From around the age of 40, most people slowly lose muscle. It happens quietly and it is easy to miss until something gives - getting out of a low chair becomes harder, or a fall does more damage than it once would have. Muscle also matters during weight loss. When people lose weight, some of what they lose is muscle rather than fat. That is not what most people want, and it is one reason weight regained later tends to come back as fat. This question has become more pressing as weight-loss medicines have become common. Losing weight quickly makes it harder to hold on to muscle. So anything cheap and safe that helps protect it is worth a proper look. Creatine is cheap. The question this trial asked is whether it helps people in this age group, including those not doing any structured exercise.

What the evidence actually says

In the group who were not on the exercise programme, those taking creatine gained about 2.4 pounds - roughly 1.1 kilograms - of lean tissue over the 12 weeks, and improved their leg press and bench press strength. The placebo group did not. In the group doing exercise and following the diet, creatine did more. They gained about 3 pounds of lean tissue, lost more fat, got stronger and lasted longer before exhaustion than those on the placebo. Aerobic capacity did not improve. Creatine works on short, powerful efforts, not on stamina, and the results reflect that. On safety, the researchers point to a separate 2025 analysis in which Kreider and colleagues reviewed 685 clinical trials. They found no meaningful difference in reported side effects between people taking creatine and people taking placebo. Now the caution, which is important here. Sixty-four people, split four ways, means roughly 16 people per group. That is small. Small groups produce less reliable numbers, and they can make real effects look bigger than they are. The dose used, 10 grams a day, is higher than the 3 to 5 grams commonly recommended for maintenance. The trial ran for 12 weeks in healthy middle-aged adults. It does not tell us about people who are older, frailer, or who have kidney problems. And the write-up describes this as among the first studies to look at creatine alongside a weight-loss programme. First studies are valuable, but they are the beginning of an evidence base, not the end of one.

Qurexa perspective

As a pharmacy-led company, we get asked about supplements constantly, and creatine comes up more than it used to - particularly from people who have started a weight-loss medicine and have read that they should protect their muscle. Our honest position is that a pharmacist is the right person to ask, and the conversation is free. The reason is not that creatine is dangerous for most people. It is that supplements are not regulated like medicines, doses on labels vary, and some interact with prescriptions or are unsuitable for particular conditions. A pharmacist can look at everything you take at once, which a label cannot. If you take repeat medicines, it is worth mentioning any supplement you start - not because we expect a problem, but because the whole list is what matters.

Practical advice

If you are considering creatine, here is what is reasonable to say based on the evidence as it stands. Creatine monohydrate is the form that has been studied most. It is also usually the cheapest. Fancier forms cost more without good evidence behind them. Common maintenance doses in the research are 3 to 5 grams a day. This trial used 10 grams, which is at the higher end. It works best alongside resistance exercise. That does not have to mean a gym. Bodyweight movements, resistance bands or carrying shopping properly all count as resistance. Drink normal amounts of water. Creatine draws a little water into muscle, and some people gain a pound or two of water weight early on. That is expected and is not fat. Check with your GP or pharmacist first if you have kidney disease, are pregnant or breastfeeding, are under 18, or take regular prescribed medicines. And keep the size of the effect in proportion. Roughly a kilogram of lean tissue over three months is a real result, but it is not transformation. Protein intake, sleep and regular movement still do the heavy lifting.

What to know

A 12-week trial of 64 healthy adults aged 45 to 65 found that 10 grams of creatine monohydrate a day was linked to about 1.1 kilograms more lean tissue and better strength - even in people who were not following an exercise programme. Those who did exercise and follow a diet gained more lean tissue, lost more fat and lasted longer before exhaustion. Aerobic fitness did not improve, which fits what creatine is known to do. The trial is small, at around 16 people per group, and used a dose above the usual recommendation. It is an encouraging early result in an age group that has not been studied nearly as much as young athletes. If you take prescribed medicines or have kidney problems, speak to a pharmacist or GP before starting. Sources: Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, creatine supplementation trial in adults aged 45-65, 2026, https://www.tandfonline.com/journals/rssn20 | Texas A&M University, "Study finds creatine's benefits extend beyond the gym", 18 September 2026, https://today.tamu.edu/news/2026/09/18/study-finds-creatines-benefits-extend-beyond-the-gym/ | Medical Xpress, "Creatine may preserve muscle during weight loss while boosting strength", 19 September 2026, https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-creatine-benefits-gym.html This article is for general information and does not replace advice from a doctor, pharmacist or other qualified healthcare professional.

#creatine#supplements#muscle#weight loss#over 45s#exercise

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