Each infrequently, Vice decides to touch upon health and diet, and their conclusion is normally misguided.
In Early 2025, they revealed an article the place they advised that creatine is a placebo as a result of a single examine advised it won’t be as efficient for constructing muscle as as soon as thought.
We determined to take a look at the examine, have a look at Vice’s conclusion, and speak to the blokes over on the Worldwide Society of Sports activities Diet for his or her opinion.
Key Factors You Want To Know!
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What Is Creatine?
Now we have a ton of extra in-depth articles on creatine that you can check out here.
However here is a rundown.
Creatine is a compound that’s primarily saved inside our muscle tissue and is chargeable for the regeneration of ATP. ATP is a high-energy phosphate compound and is our physique’s “vitality foreign money“ and powers an array of processes, together with muscle contractions.
Naturally, our our bodies’ creatine shops are replenished by consuming creatine by way of our food plan (present in meat merchandise) or by synthesizing it internally from varied amino acids.
Relying in your way of life, genetics, and food plan, most individuals’s creatine shops are solely 60-80% full (Antonio et. al, 2021). Subsequently, by taking a creatine complement, an individual can fill their creatine shops to 100%. In flip, this permits extra ATP manufacturing throughout high-intensity actions.
When it comes to constructing muscle, extra ATP throughout high-intensity exercise offers a trainee extra vitality to carry out a couple of extra reps, improve power manufacturing, and improve their whole work quantity. Over time, this leads to;
- Enhance in muscle development
- Higher energy positive factors
- Improved restoration (Kreider et. al, 2017)
It is essential to appreciate that there is not any debate about whether or not supplementation will increase inside shops, as quite a few research present this happens (Antonio et. al, 2021).
Vice Claims Creatine Is Simply A Placebo
In a brand new article from Desai et. al (2025), it is advised that creatine supplementation could not really improve muscle positive factors from resistance coaching – we’ll focus on that beneath.
Vice takes this and basically calls creatine nothing greater than a placebo. They briefly and poorly describe the examine whereas including some questionable language.
The writer means that creatine is at all times marketed with a “ripped muscle monster sprinkling it right into a thick post-workout shake.“
Moreover the truth that you scoop creatine, its advantages have been discovered to achieve far past simply constructing muscle. Even non-ripped muscle monsters can profit from creatine. The truth is, taking new analysis into consideration, it is protected to say actually everybody can profit from creatine supplementation (Kreider et. al, 2017)
Regardless, that sentence illustrates their view perspective in direction of the health neighborhood. It is in stark distinction to different matters, resembling when their host, Jenna Suffern, meets with efficiency artist, booty manipulator, and fats activist, Demon Derriere.“
Creatine = dangerous. Booty manipulation = good.
Apparently, they do not even hyperlink to the examine; as an alternative, they hyperlink to Fortune Effectively, one other authority on sports activities dietary supplements (sarcasm), however a minimum of they hyperlink to the precise examine.
Fast word, additionally they unfold a number of widespread myths about creatine, primarily that creatine causes swelling and even muscle cramps. This has been defined and debunked completely. (Antonio et. ak, 2021).
The Impact of Creatine Supplementation on Lean Physique Mass with and With out Resistance Coaching (2025)
So this examine was performed originally of 2025 and had an attention-grabbing premise. They believed that the majority creatine research had been defective as they began the supplementation on the identical day as resistance coaching.
Because of this, they recommend this makes it laborious to show if the creatine with resistance coaching is chargeable for the advantages or just taking the creatine. Principally, they believed you’ll get advantages from creatine earlier than the coaching started.
To check this, they took two teams of people, a creatine group and a placebo group.
The creatine group took 5g of creatine for per week. Throughout this week, neither group was concerned in resistance coaching.
After per week, each teams adopted the identical resistance coaching program for 12 weeks, with muscle development being measured.
The examine concluded that whereas each teams gained muscle, there was no important distinction between the 2.
Issues With Concluding Creatine Is A Placebo
It is an attention-grabbing examine, however utilizing it to conclude that creatine is a placebo has some issues.
To know this, acknowledge that the examine took 3 measurements of lean muscle mass.
- Baseline to Wash-In. This was the preliminary 7 days with no coaching.
- Wash-In to Submit Coaching. This was by way of the 12-week coaching program, and on the finish of the examine.
- Baseline to Submit Coaching. This was 13 weeks from baseline to the top of the examine.
What Vice determined to give attention to was measurement 2, from after the wash-in interval to the top of the examine. On this time interval;
- The creatine group gained 2.24 ± 1.79 kg
- The management group gained 2.11 ± 1.71kg
So, taking simply this measurement, you would possibly conclude that creatine had no impact. Nonetheless, if we dig additional, we notice it is not that clear.
The Creatine Group Did Enhance Muscle Mass
The examine itself concludes that creatine did improve muscle mass, but it surely was executed with out a resistance coaching stimulus.
“…5 g/day of CrM for seven days led to a major distinction in LBM between teams within the absence of a RT stimulus”
From baseline to the top of the examine, the creatine group did in truth achieve 40% extra muscle mass than the management group.
- Creatine group gained: 2.78 ± 1.89 kg
- Management group gained: 2.04 ± 2.70 kg
How might you conclude that creatine is a placebo when it, in truth, did improve muscle mass? Whether or not with or with out resistance coaching is irrelevant.
Ladies Noticed Higher Will increase In Muscle Mass
Along with solely mentioning the 2nd measurement, Vice determined to solely point out readings that included all of the members. It is a quite common subject in research with a number of variables.
Once we have a look at ladies particularly, they gained considerably extra muscle mass of their legs.
- Creatine group gained: 1.08 ± 0.74 kg
- Management group gained: 0.66 ± 0.72 kg
Plus, after we have a look at their muscle improve from baseline to the top of the coaching program, they gained considerably extra muscle.
- Creatine group gained: 2.60 ± 1.64 kg
- Management group gained: 1.40 ± 1.59 kg
That is virtually twice as a lot.
Apparently, that is in contradiction to the vast majority of different research that present males typically see higher outcomes (Pashayee-Khamene et. al, 2024).
The Members Have been Untrained And Inactive
This is not a difficulty with the examine, however it’s one thing to think about when assessing the findings.
On this examine, members had been untrained and had not participated in any resistance coaching up to now 12 months.
Additional, they had been inactive as they didn’t meet the present bodily exercise tips of a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity train.
It additionally appears the common BMI was round 25 kg/m2, proper on the cusp of regular weight and chubby.
Whereas BMI has issues, on condition that they had been inactive and untrained, we won’t assume any of them had important muscle mass.
All this comes into play as we all know that untrained people see advantages extra simply than skilled people.
Once more, this is not an issue with the examine; it is simply an essential variable to think about when decoding outcomes.
The Creatine Solely Took 5g A Day.
Whereas the examine acknowledges that the creatine loading part typically entails taking 20-25g a day for 7 days, they select to solely use 5g.
Not an enormous subject, but it surely’s attention-grabbing that they acknowledge the everyday suggestion however then do not use it.
They justify this resolution by saying that analysis exhibits taking 5g/day can improve creatine shops over an extended period. That is true.
That in itself admits that creatine supplementation is not a “placebo“ because it has measurable outcomes.
Once more, not an issue with the examine, however essential to think about.
The Members Ate Round Simply 1,600 Energy And 70g Of Protein
We needed to go to the supplementary materials for this.
Whereas the exercise program seemed stable, the common participant was solely consuming round 1,600 energy and 70g of protein at a mean weight of 70kg.
That is hardly a standard muscle-building food plan. We’d count on a 70kg particular person coaching 3x per week to be consuming round 2,500 energy in the event that they had been making an attempt to construct muscle.
Plus, the common muscle-building food plan will encompass a minimum of 1.6g/kg or 112g for a 70kg particular person.
This Examine Ignores The Tons of Of Different Research
Whereas the examine has an attention-grabbing premise, Vice ignores all the opposite research on creatine and attracts some epic conclusions, even when creatine did, in truth, present helpful outcomes.
Listed below are simply a few meta-analyses to think about;
1. In 2022, a meta-analysis from Wu and associates checked out 16 completely different randomized managed research. They concluded that whereas there may be some variance,
“Creatine is an environment friendly supplementation for growing muscle energy, muscle mass, and athletic efficiency within the wholesome younger inhabitants with enough coaching in a wide range of dosage methods and athletic actions.”
This overview additionally recognized creatine mixed with resistance coaching as a attainable remedy for the aged with sarcopenia, in addition to sufferers with most cancers, end-stage renal failure, and coronary heart illness.
2. In 2017, a meta-analysis consisted of twenty-two research taking a look at creatine effectiveness in constructing mass in older adults.. It additionally discovered that creatine will increase lean mass.
“In abstract, our meta-analyses present that creatine supplementation throughout resistance coaching is efficient for growing lean tissue mass and higher and decrease physique energy in older adults.”
Additional, it notes that creatine supplementation will increase intramuscular creatine ranges. This positively occurs, so Vice must say that growing these has no physiological impact.
We requested Dr. Jose Antonio, founding father of the Worldwide Society for Sports activities Diet, his ideas on the article and the concept that creatine is a placebo. He merely stated;
| “with over 600 research on creatine, the proof is overwhelming that it’s an efficient ergogenic help.“ |
Creatine Has Extra Goal Than Simply Constructing Muscle
One other subject is that Vice appears to assume the one cause you’ll take creatine is to extend muscle mass. It isn’t.
1. Creatine Will increase Muscle Power. The truth is, there’s cause to imagine that energy positive factors will be extra pronounced than muscle development. Plus, when taking a look at issues resembling elevated muscle mass, we see that creatine is having real-world results; it is not a placebo.
2. Creatine Improves Restoration. Creatine supplementation has been proven to enhance post-exercise energy output and reduce markers of muscle injury. One systematic overview of 9 research from Jiaming & Rahimi (2021) acknowledged;
The present knowledge point out that creatine supplementation is superior to relaxation after various types of damaging and exhaustive train or passive restoration.
3. Creatine Improves Cognition. Current analysis has examined the consequences of creatine supplementation on Cognition. Present analysis exhibits promising outcomes, so check out our article on it right here if you happen to’re .
There are literally many extra, however you get the concept. Researchers now acknowledge that creatine is helpful for extra than simply muscle monsters.
Creatine, Muscle Progress and Efficiency: Closing Say
Earlier than we conclude, there’s yet one more factor to think about throughout this whole subject. Within the article, Vice says that creatine might be only a big waste of cash.
The truth is that creatine monohydrate is ridiculously low-cost. It is just about the most cost effective complement available on the market, and nobody goes broke shopping for it.
You should buy 100-200 servings of high-quality creatine monohydrate on-line for $30-$40. That is about $6-$10 a month or 20-30 cents a day. You’ll be able to stay away from other variations, as lots of these are a waste of cash.
With that in thoughts, folks will get varied outcomes, and it is not going so as to add 50lbs of mass on you, however creatine is the simplest complement available on the market. It is easy and works by immediately growing creatine shops, which has an array of advantages that go previous simply constructing muscle.
It is merely essential to maintain expectations in verify.
When contemplating all of this, it actually is senseless why Vice would take one examine and twist its findings to conclude that creatine is a placebo and nugatory.
Now, you do not have to take it. Simply know the reality when deciding if you wish to give it a shot.
References
- Antonio, J., Candow, D. G., Forbes, S. C., Gualano, B., Jagim, A. R., Kreider, R. B., Rawson, E. S., Smith-Ryan, A. E., VanDusseldorp, T. A., Willoughby, D. S., & Ziegenfuss, T. N. (2021). Frequent questions and misconceptions about creatine supplementation: what does the scientific proof actually present?. Journal of the Worldwide Society of Sports activities Diet, 18(1), 13. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12970-021-00412-w
- Chilibeck, P. D., Kaviani, M., Candow, D. G., & Zello, G. A. (2017). Impact of creatine supplementation throughout resistance coaching on lean tissue mass and muscular energy in older adults: a meta-analysis. Open entry journal of sports activities medication, 8, 213–226. https://doi.org/10.2147/OAJSM.S123529
- Desai, I., Pandit, A., Smith-Ryan, A. E., Simar, D., Candow, D. G., Kaakoush, N. O., & Hagstrom, A. D. (2025). The Impact of Creatine Supplementation on Lean Physique Mass with and With out Resistance Coaching. Vitamins, 17(6), 1081. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu17061081
- Jiaming, Y., & Rahimi, M. H. (2021). Creatine supplementation impact on restoration following exercise-induced muscle injury: A scientific overview and meta-analysis of randomized managed trials. Journal of meals biochemistry, 45(10), e13916. https://doi.org/10.1111/jfbc.13916
- Kreider, R. B., Kalman, D. S., Antonio, J., Ziegenfuss, T. N., Wildman, R., Collins, R., … Lopez, H. L. (2017). Worldwide Society of Sports activities Diet place stand: security and efficacy of creatine supplementation in train, sport, and medication. Journal of the Worldwide Society of Sports activities Diet, 14(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12970-017-0173-z
- Pashayee-Khamene, F., Heidari, Z., Asbaghi, O., Ashtary-Larky, D., Goudarzi, Okay., Forbes, S. C., Candow, D. G., Bagheri, R., Ghanavati, M., & Dutheil, F. (2024). Creatine supplementation protocols with or with out coaching interventions on physique composition: a GRADE-assessed systematic overview and dose-response meta-analysis. Journal of the Worldwide Society of Sports activities Diet, 21(1), 2380058. https://doi.org/10.1080/15502783.2024.2380058
- Prada, L. (2025, March 25). The creatine you are taking to get large is likely to be ineffective. VICE. https://www.vice.com/en/article/creatine-get-big-might-be-useless/
- Wu, S. H., Chen, Okay. L., Hsu, C., Chen, H. C., Chen, J. Y., Yu, S. Y., & Shiu, Y. J. (2022). Creatine Supplementation for Muscle Progress: A Scoping Evaluation of Randomized Medical Trials from 2012 to 2021. Vitamins, 14(6), 1255. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14061255
