Creatine studies in combat athletes reported strength and body-mass increases
A review reported increased strength, power and body mass with creatine. It reported no improvements in sport-specific endurance, recovery or fatigue, leaving questions about competitive relevance.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
In combat sport athletes, the review reported increases in body mass, fat-free mass, strength and power with creatine supplementation. It reported no improvements in sport-specific endurance, recovery or fatigue, which does not establish absence of effects. The abstract does not quantify these findings or show how they affected weight-class eligibility or competitive results.
The abstract omits comparison details, effect sizes and study-quality results. No serious adverse effects were reported, but this does not establish absence of harm across all athletes or supplementation periods.
Body mass was an outcome
Fat-free mass means body mass excluding fat. Body-mass increases were especially noted during longer interventions or alongside structured resistance training. The abstract does not explain whether these changes helped or hindered athletes meeting weight-class requirements.
Interpreting the performance tests
Strength and power improvements were particularly reported with brief, high-intensity exercise tests. Endurance, recovery and fatigue measures had no reported improvements. Without effect estimates and uncertainty ranges, these results do not establish equivalence between comparison groups.
The original publication
Creatine Supplementation in Combat Sport Athletes: A Narrative Systematic Review.
Ashtary-Larky D, Candow DG, Forbes SC et al.
J Diet Suppl · 2025
- PubMed ID
- 40755023
- Record checked
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