Creatine Doesn't Work for Everyone: Here's What You Need to Know

[00:00] a lot of people feel after taking it. And if that’s you, then we might finally understand why that is. Let’s talk about it. your enemies, your mom, your dogs, love to tell you how great creatine is. And,

[00:18] the fact is, they are essentially right since creatine is one of the most that has consistently shown effective fitness benefits. Yet, anything for them, that’s probably true.

[00:33] Despite its amazing benefits, the research also clearly shows that some people experience little to no benefit from taking creatine. These people are known as creatine non-responders, and,

[00:45] based on some datasets, they can make up as much as 30% of all people taking creatine. Now there are reasons proposed in the past for the existence of non-responders. One has to do with a person’s muscle fiber

[00:57] composition. Having more type 1 slow-twitch fibers might benefit less from creatine than having more type 2 fast-twitch fibers. creatine from the food they eat, especially creatine-rich

[01:11] sources like meats. But there’s also one potential explanation that never really got much attention… until now. it has to do with your genetics. Let’s take a look.

[01:27] impact on different training outcomes within a group of one hundred During the intervention, the athletes were training in various types of exercises that involve strength, endurance, and skill-based drills.

[01:42] of course, supplemented creatine and nothing else for about 8 weeks, using a fairly standard protocol of loading 20 grams a day for five days As far as the genetic component, six

[01:56] different polymorphisms, or genetic variations, were genotyped selected for their association with power output and strength in ways that mechanistically can be influenced by creatine supplementation.

[02:12] Based on their genetic assessment, each athlete was given a total genotype score. The higher their score, the more they supposedly should benefit when we look at the results, there might very well be something to it.

[02:27] After eight weeks, athletes that saw significant gains in muscle mass did tend to have higher genotype scores. More specifically, mass was strongly associated with having more favorable genotype scores

[02:40] for two specific genes, ACE and AMPD1. BMI also increased with higher genotype scores, while fat mass saw no strong relationship. Also, lower genotype scores were more strongly associated

[02:53] with sustaining muscle injuries. Now, before we jump to any conclusions, Yes, there was an association based on genetics. However, it’s

[03:05] hard to definitively say how much of a role creatine really played because this study really only scratches the surface in terms of evidence. with any type of blinding. Instead, all athletes were simply given creatine,

[03:22] and various outcomes were measured before and after. So we can’t rule out potential biases or really attribute outcomes directly to either creatine or certain genetics. And we also recognize creatine primarily

[03:36] as a performance-enhancing supplement, yet this study only really looked at body composition. So, there’s still a lot of questions needing answers. is that it’s still always great to have studies that simply open the door

[03:52] And this study does just that for the topic of creatine non-responders. In the end, we just wanna make the most informed decisions with our supplement

[04:04] nor am I saying we should, but at least it will help us temper a bit of our expectations. That said, if future research follows a similar pattern as this study, then

[04:17] we can say genetics may very well play a role in the benefits of creatine. we definitely want to wait for more research. And when that does happen, make sure you come back ‘cause I’ll be sure to cover that as well.

[04:30] and share it with your creatine-loving friends. Subscribe for more and let me know what you think in the comments. As always,