Amino Acids vs Creatine
Short answer: Overall, Creatine gets more positive reports (72% vs 65%).
Amino Acids has 672 meta-analyses and 1,846 randomized trials on PubMed; Creatine has 763 and 2,794.
Based on 15 reports about Amino Acids and 2,279 about Creatine. Not medical advice.
| Amino Acids Supplement | Creatine Supplement | |
|---|---|---|
| Users say it helped | 65%helped3 reports · few reports | 72%helped1,048 reports · high confidence |
| Verdict | Mostly positive | Mostly positive |
| Research | AResearch: Strong | AResearch: Strong |
| Meta-analyses / RCTs | 672 / 1,846 | 763 / 2,794 |
| Mainly used for | ||
| Performance % reporting improvement | — | 98% (542) |
| Energy % reporting improvement | — | 97% (268) |
| Focus % reporting improvement | — | 93% (249) |
| Mood % reporting improvement | — | 87% (125) |
| Recovery % reporting improvement | — | 98% (95) |
| Common side effects | anxiety, suppression, fatigue | stomach issues, hair loss, insomnia, water retention |
| Typical dose reported | — | 5 g / daily |
β-alanine had a significant overall effect while subgroup analyses revealed a number of modifying factors. These data allow individuals to make informed decisions as to the likelihood of an ergogenic effect with β-alanine supplementation based on their chosen exercise modality.
Br J Sports Med, 2017 ↗“I’ve also found a host of supplements like Bacopa, gotu kola, phosphatidylserine, krill oil, alcar/nac an a host of other amino acids to be enormously useful.”
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