Creatine is made up of the amino acids arginine, methionine, and glycine. Most of us get about half of our creatine from food (meat and fish) and our bodies synthesize the rest. Creatine is stored in skeletal muscle tissue where it helps provide energy for the cells.

Supplementing with creatine can increase muscle mass and improve muscle strength in people with neuromuscular diseases such as Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig’s disease), and some studies suggest that it may enhance athletic performance in certain sports.

“The main finding of our investigation was that muscle strength remained higher in men who received a creatine supplement before and during recovery from a damaging exercise session,” said study co-author Dr. Alan Hayes of Victoria University in Melbourne, Australia. “This may be due in part to a faster muscle growth during the recovery period, but the lower levels of the enzyme, creatine kinase, noted in the days after the damaging exercise in the men who used creatine, indicates that they experienced less muscle damage.”