Verdict
Leaning for
Creatine monohydrate works as well as any pricier form of creatine.
3 sources: 3 positive
By Arun AgrahriLast reviewed
Short answer
Creatine monohydrate. Layne Norton, a guest on Peter Attia's show, calls it "the gold standard" and says the pricier forms add nothing. Buy a third-party-tested monohydrate powder, and skip gummies, which often fall short of their labeled dose.
Creatine is worth taking.
The verdict on Creatine overall. 11 sources: 8 positive, 2 partly, 1 neutral
positive partly neutral negative Each researcher and each study counts once per claim, however often they come up.
Creatine monohydrate works as well as any pricier form of creatine.
3 sources: 3 positive.
Researchers say
3 positive
Darren Candow, on FoundMyFitness, at 1:19:17
Positive Video · Opinion
Open the tape at 1:19:17 →“so I'm in the camp of 100% monohydrate based on the mechanisms the structure of the molecule and the efficacy behind it”
Layne Norton, 3 mentions on this claim
Positive Video
on The Drive, at 3:07:41 · positive
“do not get caught up in the hype of these other forms of creatin creatin monohydrate has been known to saturate the muscle cell 100%”
on The Drive, at 09:26 · positive
“the other forms of creatine are simply in existence to remove more money from your wallet”
on The Diary Of A CEO, at 1:15:11 · positive
“creatin monohydrate don't waste your money on anything else”
Dr. Lauren Colenso-Semple, on Huberman Lab, at 1:44:33
Positive Video · Opinion
Open the tape at 1:44:33 →“I've seen that particularly marketed to women, but it doesn't really end up working that way”
Studies show
No study counted yet.
Darren Candow, on FoundMyFitness, at 1:19:17 Video · positive · Opinion
“so I'm in the camp of 100% monohydrate based on the mechanisms the structure of the molecule and the efficacy behind it”
Layne Norton Video · positive · 3 mentions
on The Drive, at 3:07:41 · positive · Opinion
“do not get caught up in the hype of these other forms of creatin creatin monohydrate has been known to saturate the muscle cell 100%”
on The Drive, at 09:26 · positive · Opinion
“the other forms of creatine are simply in existence to remove more money from your wallet”
on The Diary Of A CEO, at 1:15:11 · positive · Opinion
“creatin monohydrate don't waste your money on anything else”
Dr. Lauren Colenso-Semple, on Huberman Lab, at 1:44:33 Video · positive · Opinion
“I've seen that particularly marketed to women, but it doesn't really end up working that way”
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The best form of creatine is monohydrate, and the fancier forms waste your money. This is one of the least contested questions in supplements.
Layne Norton, a guest on Peter Attia's show, calls creatine monohydrate "the gold standard" for strength, muscle growth and possible brain benefits. He says the pricier alternative forms add no benefit and that 5g is enough to saturate muscle. Andrew Huberman specifies creatine monohydrate at 5g/day on his own show, and discusses higher doses of monohydrate for brain and TBI (traumatic brain injury) work.
Monohydrate also has the safety record, and it is recommended for women, who make less creatine on their own.
With a commodity ingredient like monohydrate, you are paying for verified purity, so buy a third-party-tested powder. Lauren Colenso-Semple, a guest on Huberman's show, says gummy supplements often don't contain the dose they claim, and she would pick monohydrate powder over a gummy. She also says forms marketed as causing less bloating, especially to women, don't end up working that way.
The sources say expensive alternatives add nothing, but they do not name-check HCl, ethyl ester or buffered creatine. Read those as examples of the pricier forms to skip.
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