What Is Creatine and How Does It Work?
Creatine is one of the most studied supplements in sports science history. Here is the complete, evidence-based picture on how it works.
The Most Researched Supplement in Sports Science
Creatine is a naturally occurring compound found in small amounts in red meat and fish, and synthesized endogenously in the liver, kidneys, and pancreas from the amino acids arginine and glycine. It has been the subject of more than 1,000 peer-reviewed studies over the past three decades, making it one of the most thoroughly investigated nutritional supplements in history.
How Your Body Uses Energy
To understand creatine, you first need to understand ATP — adenosine triphosphate. ATP is the molecule your cells use as their primary energy currency. Your cells can only store a very small amount of ATP at any given time — enough for about 1–2 seconds of maximum effort. To keep going, your body needs to rapidly regenerate ATP. This is where creatine comes in.
The Creatine-Phosphate System
About 95% of the creatine in your body is stored in your muscles as phosphocreatine (PCr), with the remaining 5% found in the brain and other tissues. When ATP is broken down during intense effort, phosphocreatine donates its phosphate group to regenerate ATP almost instantly. By supplementing with creatine, you increase the amount of phosphocreatine stored in your muscles — meaning more rapid ATP regeneration and sustained high-intensity effort.
The International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN) has concluded that creatine monohydrate is "the most effective ergogenic nutritional supplement currently available to athletes in terms of increasing high-intensity exercise capacity and lean body mass during training." [1]
What Creatine Supplementation Does
Dietary supplementation of creatine increases muscle creatine and phosphocreatine stores by approximately 20–40% above baseline. [1] A 2025 meta-analysis of 42 randomized controlled trials found that creatine supplementation significantly improved muscle strength (SMD = 0.451, 95% CI [0.032–0.871]) across the general population. [2]
| Benefit | What the Research Shows |
|---|---|
| Strength & Power | Significant increases in 1-rep max and peak power output [1, 2] |
| Muscle Growth | Greater lean mass gains with resistance training [1] |
| Exercise Capacity | More reps, shorter recovery between efforts [1] |
| Cognitive Function | Improved working memory and intelligence scores [3] |
| Recovery | Reduced muscle cell damage post-exercise [1] |
Creatine Monohydrate: The Gold Standard
Despite many forms on the market, creatine monohydrate remains the most studied, most effective, and most cost-efficient form. The ISSN position stand states: "Clinical evidence has not demonstrated that different forms of creatine such as creatine citrate, creatine serum, creatine ethyl ester, buffered forms of creatine, or creatine nitrate promote greater creatine retention than creatine monohydrate." [1]
NuKosh uses creatine monohydrate in a convenient gummy format.
Safety
NuKosh is labeled for adults 18 and older at 5 grams per serving. Consult a healthcare professional before use if you have a medical condition, take medication, are pregnant or nursing, or are under 18.
References
1. Kreider RB, Kalman DS, Antonio J, et al. International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: safety and efficacy of creatine supplementation in exercise, sport, and medicine. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2017;14:18. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12970-017-0173-z (PMC5469049)
2. Zhang H, Tong TK, Qiu W, et al. Effects of creatine supplementation on muscle strength gains in the general population: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Nutrients. 2025. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12665265/
3. Rae C, Digney AL, McEwan SR, Bates TC. Oral creatine monohydrate supplementation improves brain performance: a double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over trial. Proc Biol Sci. 2003;270(1529):2147–2150. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2003.2492 (PMC1691485)
Ready to experience creatine the right way?
NuKosh makes vegan, OU Kosher certified creatine gummies with 5g of creatine monohydrate per serving.
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