Once the preserve of bodybuilders and sprinters, creatine is now being touted as a brain booster and healthy-ageing essential. But does everyone need it? Not quite, says sports nutritionist Bethan Crouse from Loughborough University. "There's really substantial evidence of creatine being effective," she notes. "From a sport perspective, it's probably one of the more well-researched supplements in terms of actually having a performance impact." The supplement is a proven sports performance enhancer, but research is ongoing, and for most people it's an optional extra, not an essential.
"There's really substantial evidence of creatine being effective." — Bethan Crouse