Five grams of creatine a day has been gospel in gyms for decades — but new research says that old advice might be selling your body short.
A narrative review published in the Advanced Exercise and Health Science journal has revealed that the long-standing 5g-a-day recommendation could be outdated, suggesting bigger doses could bring not just better workouts, but sharper brains and stronger bones too.
It comes as creatine’s popularity hits an all-time high, with more people than ever shaking it into their gym routines, alongside protein powder, bars, and electrolytes. The supplement is already famous for helping muscles fire for longer and recover faster — that tingly, fired-up feeling regular users know all too well. But it seems the science behind how much we actually need has moved on.
Where Did The 5g Rule Come From?
Back in 1992, researchers based the standard recommendation on muscle saturation in young men who trained with weights, Men’s Health reports. Participants took 5g per day, and the number stuck. But that research only looked at muscular performance.
Women, older adults, and vegans — who typically have lower baseline creatine levels — weren’t part of the picture.
READ MORE: The Top Foods That Are Naturally High In Creatine
Now, a deeper look suggests that focusing purely on muscle might have missed the bigger picture entirely.
Dr Darren Candow, who authored the narrative review, told the FoundMyFitness podcast: “Five grams per day is a great start, but it’s optimised for skeletal muscle only. If you want full-body benefits – bone, brain, immune, anti-inflammatory – you’ll need more.”
He added that studies exploring creatine’s impact on the brain, oxidative stress, and neuroplasticity have all used higher daily doses.
So How Much Creatine Should You Take?
According to Candow, the best rule of thumb is to dose relative to body weight: “You should take at least 0.1g of creatine for every kilogram you weigh, each day, to experience the best skeletal muscle benefits.”
For someone who weighs 70kg, that works out at about 7g a day — already more than the standard scoop. The review even suggests this could rise to 0.14g per kilo when bone health is factored in, particularly for older adults.
“At 10 grams per day, you’re not just topping off muscle creatine: you’re potentially reaching the bone, brain, and other tissues that are often overlooked,” Candow said.
And if you’re hoping to keep your bones strong — especially around the hips — you may need to go even higher. “The lowest effective dose for bone strength was 8g daily; 5g didn’t move the needle. If you want to preserve skeletal strength, especially around the hips, higher daily doses are required – and always in combination with weight-bearing exercise.”
There’s no single “optimal” dose, though. The review notes that factors like age, sex, diet, and baseline creatine levels can all affect how much your body actually needs. “Confounding variables such as baseline (pre-supplementation) tissue creatine levels, muscle fibre morphology, bone remodelling/repair processes, brain bioenergetics, habitual dietary intake of creatine, biological sex, age, and physical activity likely dictate the dose of creatine required to produce a meaningful tissue response,” it concludes.
What Happened When ‘Super-Dosing’?
Ryan Dabbs, a senior writer at Men’s Health, decided to put the theory to the test. Coming off a holiday and preparing for a marathon, he took a hefty 25g of creatine every day for 28 days.
He reported an “increase in gym performance almost immediately,” saying his delayed-onset muscle soreness had less of an impact and recovery felt noticeably easier. Mentally, he claimed it boosted his motivation to train more consistently.
It wasn’t all smooth sailing, though. Dabbs said taking 25g at once was “overwhelming” for his body, and he noticed feeling more dehydrated throughout the trial.
The Bottom Line
Creatine remains one of the most well-researched supplements in the fitness world — but the science around dosage is clearly evolving.
Five grams a day might still do the trick for your muscles. But if you’re chasing full-body benefits like better brain function, bone strength, and long-term resilience, experts now suggest you may need to scoop up a little more.
As always, please consult with your doctor or a medical expert before introducing creatine into your diet.
Featured image credit: Pexels/Gupta Sahil/Tima Miroshnichenko
