How much creatine per day: 3 to 5 g, loading, body weight and safety

The short answer: 3 to 5 g a day

Creatine works by raising the amount of creatine and phosphocreatine stored in your muscles. A daily dose of 3 g raises stores gradually and reaches the same saturation as a loading protocol in about 28 days. ^[2] Most studies use 3 to 5 g a day for maintenance, and the ISSN position stand describes 3 to 5 g a day as sufficient for most people. ^[1]

The authorised GB health claim for creatine, that it increases physical performance in successive bursts of short-term, high intensity exercise, applies to products that provide 3 g a day. ^[3][4] So 3 g is the evidence-based minimum and 5 g is the common round number; one 5 g serving a day covers everyone in the normal range.

The body also makes about 1 g of creatine a day, and a mixed diet with meat and fish provides roughly another 1 to 2 g. Vegetarians and vegans start with lower muscle stores and tend to respond more to supplementation. ^[1]

Loading: optional, not required

The classic loading protocol is 20 g a day, in four 5 g doses, for five to seven days, then 3 to 5 g a day to maintain. ^[1][5] Loading fills muscle stores in about a week rather than three to four, which is why it was used in the early studies.

Hultman and colleagues showed in 1996 that 3 g a day for 28 days reached the same muscle creatine as six days of loading followed by 2 g a day. ^[2] If you are not in a hurry, skip loading: it uses more product, is more likely to cause stomach discomfort and bloating in the first week, and ends at the same place. ^[1]

Dose by body weight

Research has used a weight-based maintenance dose of about 0.03 g per kilogram of body weight a day, and a loading dose of about 0.3 g per kilogram a day. ^[1][2] On that basis:

In practice the weight-based figures land below 3 g for most people, so the authorised 3 g minimum is the floor, and 5 g is a sensible dose for anyone over about 80 kg or carrying a lot of muscle. ^[1][3] Taking more than 5 g a day as a maintenance dose has not been shown to add anything once muscles are saturated; the excess is excreted as creatinine. ^[1][2]

How much creatine per day for women

The same: 3 to 5 g a day. A 2021 review of creatine across the female lifespan concluded that women have lower resting creatine stores than men, respond to supplementation, and that 3 to 5 g a day is appropriate. There is no evidence women need a lower dose. ^[6]

Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding should speak to a GP or midwife before taking any supplement, because the evidence in those groups is limited. ^[6]

Is creatine safe for your kidneys?

This is the most common safety question, and the research is reassuring for healthy adults. Creatine supplementation raises blood creatinine, which is a breakdown product of creatine and is also used as a marker of kidney function, so a routine blood test can look abnormal when kidney function is normal. ^[1][7]

A systematic review and meta-analysis published in 2019 pooled randomised controlled trials of creatine supplementation and found no significant effect on measures of kidney function in healthy adults. ^[7] A study of athletes who had taken creatine for up to five years found no impairment of kidney function. ^[8] The ISSN position stand concludes that creatine monohydrate is safe at recommended doses in healthy people and that concerns about kidney damage are not supported by the evidence. ^[1]

Two important limits. The evidence is in people with healthy kidneys, and the doses studied are the ones above. If you have kidney disease, diabetes, high blood pressure or any condition that affects your kidneys, or you take medication that does, talk to your GP before using creatine. If you are having a blood test, tell the clinician you take creatine. ^[1][7]

Can you take too much creatine?

Taking more than your muscles can store does not increase the effect; the surplus is converted to creatinine and excreted. ^[1][2] Large single doses, above about 10 g at once, are more likely to cause diarrhoea and stomach discomfort, which is why loading doses are split. ^[1]

Long-term studies have used up to 30 g a day for several years in clinical populations without serious adverse effects, but there is no reason for a healthy adult to go above 5 g a day for maintenance. ^[1]

Measuring your dose

Use the scoop supplied with your product and check what it holds. Scoops differ between products, and a scoop of a blend is not all creatine. AMPD Creatine+ uses a 10 g scoop that contains 5 g of creatine monohydrate alongside electrolytes, vitamin B5, BCAAs and mushroom extracts. ^[9]

Take it at whatever time you will remember, with a meal if you can. See when to take creatine for the timing evidence, and our best creatine UK guide if you are still choosing a product.