Creatine vs Exercise for mood
Short answer: For mood, more users report improvement with Exercise — 95% of 187 reports, versus 85% of 103 for Creatine.
Creatine has 763 meta-analyses and 2,794 randomized trials on PubMed; the other has not been graded.
Based on 1,564 reports about Creatine and 738 about Exercise. Not medical advice.
| Creatine Supplement | Exercise Lifestyle | |
|---|---|---|
| User score | 53 | 63 |
| Verdict | Mostly positive | Mostly positive |
| Positive of reports that state an outcome | 67% | 89% |
| Reports | 1,564 | 738 |
| Research | AResearch: Strong | Research pending |
| Meta-analyses / RCTs | 763 / 2,794 | — |
| Mainly used for | ||
| Weight loss % reporting improvement | 82% (11) | 100% (10) |
| Appetite % reporting improvement | 67% (3) | 100% (3) |
| Focus % reporting improvement | 92% (211) | 95% (66) |
| Energy % reporting improvement | 97% (205) | 90% (88) |
| Sleep % reporting improvement | 27% (73) | 96% (51) |
| Anxiety % reporting improvement | 62% (24) | 95% (93) |
| Mood % reporting improvement | 85% (103) | 95% (187) |
| Memory % reporting improvement | 91% (70) | 100% (8) |
| Performance % reporting improvement | 97% (320) | 100% (28) |
| Recovery % reporting improvement | 98% (62) | 100% (3) |
| Pain & inflammation % reporting improvement | 50% (4) | 100% (3) |
| Digestion % reporting improvement | 0% (6) | 100% (2) |
| Libido % reporting improvement | 82% (11) | 94% (18) |
| Hormones % reporting improvement | 75% (12) | 100% (14) |
| Blood sugar % reporting improvement | 100% (3) | 100% (2) |
| Heart & lipids % reporting improvement | 67% (6) | 85% (13) |
| Skin & hair % reporting improvement | 17% (12) | 100% (3) |
| Immunity % reporting improvement | — | 100% (6) |
| Longevity % reporting improvement | 100% (4) | 100% (9) |
| Common side effects | hair loss, stomach issues, insomnia, water retention | fatigue, insomnia, initial fatigue |
| Typical dose reported | daily | multiple times a week |
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.”
“nothing has improved my mental health like daily and difficult physical exercise has.”
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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