ALCAR vs Creatine for energy
Short answer: For energy, users rate them about the same: 95% report improvement with ALCAR (234 reports) and 97% with Creatine (268 reports).
ALCAR has 46 meta-analyses and 86 randomized trials on PubMed; Creatine has 763 and 2,794.
Based on 1,190 reports about ALCAR and 2,279 about Creatine. Not medical advice.
| ALCAR Supplement | Creatine Supplement | |
|---|---|---|
| Users say it helped | 64%helped428 reports · high confidence | 72%helped1,048 reports · high confidence |
| Verdict | Mostly positive | Mostly positive |
| Research | AResearch: Strong | AResearch: Strong |
| Meta-analyses / RCTs | 46 / 86 | 763 / 2,794 |
| Mainly used for | ||
| Performance % reporting improvement | 89% (19) | 98% (542) |
| Energy % reporting improvement | 95% (234) | 97% (268) |
| Focus % reporting improvement | 91% (155) | 93% (249) |
| Mood % reporting improvement | 78% (89) | 87% (125) |
| Memory % reporting improvement | 90% (30) | 93% (85) |
| Common side effects | anxiety, insomnia, irritability, stomach issues | stomach issues, hair loss, insomnia, water retention |
| Typical dose reported | 1000 mg | 5 g / daily |
There is evidence for benefit of ALC on clinical global impression, but there was no evidence using objective assessments in any other area of outcome. Given the large number of comparisons made, the statistically significant result may be due to chance. At present there is no evidence to recommend its routine use in clinical practice. Although the intention of the review was to access ALC for the treatment of all dementias, the included trials had confined themselves to participants with Alzheimer's disease. Individual patient data may add to the findings, as would trials including other type
Cochrane Database Syst Rev, 2003 ↗“ALCAR is great. Great energy burst. I find it takes a few hours to kick in though.”
The results of the meta-analysis suggest that creatine supplementation did not significantly alter serum creatinine levels (standardized mean difference = 0.48, 95% confidence interval 0.24-0.73, P = .001, I2 = 22%), and did not alter plasma urea values (standardized mean difference = 1.10, 95% confidence interval 0.34-1.85, P = .004, I2 = 28%). The findings indicate that creatine supplementation does not induce renal damage in the studied amounts and durations.
J Ren Nutr, 2019 ↗“I actually feel a lot better. Mentally clearer and more balanced, like I have my brain back.”
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Percentages come from first-hand user reports and are not clinical outcomes. Talk to a doctor before starting, stopping or combining anything. How we rate