Creatine is sports' most-studied supplement, and still surrounded by myths
Creatine monohydrate is one of the most heavily studied sports supplements, backed by hundreds of clinical studies over recent decades, yet plenty of myths still cling to it. One of the most persistent is that it damages the kidneys. In people with healthy kidneys, controlled long-term studies — including tracking athletes who've taken it for years — find no meaningful negative effect on kidney function. Caution is genuinely warranted only for people with pre-existing kidney disease, who should check with a doctor first.
A second myth is that weight gain from creatine comes from fat. The real mechanism is water retention inside muscle cells (not under the skin), which can add 1–2 kg to muscle volume and the number on the scale in the first weeks of use, but has nothing to do with fat mass — and can even make muscles look slightly fuller from the added cellular volume.
A third myth is that creatine is only useful for strength sports. Beyond strength and muscle size gains, recent research has found benefits for cognitive function under sleep deprivation and stress, and in the context of recovery from head injuries — its scope turns out to be noticeably broader than just 'a supplement for lifters.'