Protocol
Creatine monohydrate supplementation
creatine · creatine monohydrate
Creatine has one of the largest human trial literatures of any supplement, and the muscle-related findings are genuine clinical evidence: randomised trials consistently show increases in lean mass and strength when creatine is combined with resistance training, including in older adults, which is directly relevant to sarcopenia and healthspan. Cognitive effects are far weaker and inconsistent, largely confined to sleep-deprived or stressed states rather than healthy rested adults. Critically, no trial shows creatine extends lifespan or slows biological ageing in humans; the longevity framing is mechanistic extrapolation from its role in cellular energy metabolism, not an outcome that has been measured. Claims about mitochondrial output and metabolic health are mechanism-level. A caveat on this profile specifically: I was unable to run live literature searches in this session, and the clinical characterisation above rests on one retrieved clinic-authored source plus prior established knowledge, not on primary trial documents I opened. Treat the strength and lean-mass claim as well-supported but independently unverified here.
At a glance
- Evidence
- Clinical
- Singapore (HSA)
- Regulated as a health supplement, not as a medicine. HSA states health supplements are "not subject to approvals and licensing by HSA for their importation, manufacture and sales", and the permitted ingredient categories explicitly include amino acids and other bioactive substances, which covers creatine. There is no HSA pre-market approval, registration number, or approved indication; responsibility for safety and compliance sits with the dealer under a post-market framework. Creatine is freely retailed in Singapore, but that is consumer availability, not a regulated clinical indication.
- Australia (TGA)
- No TGA position on file
- Offered at
- 1 clinic
Singapore
Health Sciences Authority
- HSA status
- Regulated as a health supplement, not as a medicine. HSA states health supplements are "not subject to approvals and licensing by HSA for their importation, manufacture and sales", and the permitted ingredient categories explicitly include amino acids and other bioactive substances, which covers creatine. There is no HSA pre-market approval, registration number, or approved indication; responsibility for safety and compliance sits with the dealer under a post-market framework. Creatine is freely retailed in Singapore, but that is consumer availability, not a regulated clinical indication.
- In our SG set
- Tracked in Singapore
- SG clinics
- None on file
Australia
Therapeutic Goods Administration
- TGA status
- No position on file
- In our AU set
- Tracked in Australia
- AU clinics
- 1
Evidence is not approvalAn evidence grade describes how strong the science is. A regulatory status describes whether a body has approved the intervention for an indication. They are different questions, answered separately above.
What it is
Plain-language explainer
Creatine monohydrate is a synthetically produced form of creatine, a compound the body also makes from amino acids and stores mainly in skeletal muscle, where it buffers ATP regeneration during short, high-intensity effort. In longevity practice it is used as a daily oral supplement, typically alongside resistance training, with the aim of preserving muscle mass and strength with age. It is also claimed to support cognitive performance and mitochondrial energetics, claims that rest on a much thinner evidence base than the muscle endpoints.
Categories
Protocol
Keep reading
Related coverage from the newsroom.
Sources
What this profile is built on
- Regulatory overview of health supplements · Health Sciences Authority (HSA), Singapore
- 10 Best Longevity Supplements · Everlab (Australia)
Every entity profile on variis is sourced. Not medical advice.