Study Overview
Candow et al. (2015) published a randomized controlled trial in Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism examining whether creatine supplementation combined with resistance training could combat sarcopenia — the age-related loss of muscle mass and strength.
The study followed 47 healthy older adults over 32 weeks, comparing creatine timing strategies (pre-exercise vs. post-exercise) against placebo (Candow et al., 2015) .
Key Findings
- Creatine enhanced muscle mass gains: Older adults who supplemented with creatine during resistance training gained significantly more lean body mass than those on placebo
- Strength improvements were greater: The creatine groups showed superior increases in muscular strength compared to resistance training alone
- Post-exercise timing was slightly superior: Taking creatine after exercise produced greater lean mass gains than taking it before exercise, suggesting nutrient timing may matter for older adults
- Supports creatine for sarcopenia prevention: The 32-week duration provides strong evidence that long-term creatine use is both effective and safe in elderly populations
Practical Implications
Sarcopenia affects millions of older adults worldwide and is a major contributor to falls, fractures, loss of independence, and reduced quality of life.
This study demonstrates that adding creatine to a resistance training program provides meaningful additional benefit beyond exercise alone.
For older adults, taking 3 to 5g of creatine monohydrate daily — ideally after training sessions — represents a simple, affordable, and evidence-based strategy to preserve muscle mass and strength with aging.
The 32-week study duration also confirms that long-term creatine use is well-tolerated in this population.
Study Limitations
- The sample size of 47 participants, while adequate for detecting group differences, is relatively small
- Participants were healthy older adults, so results may not apply to frail or clinically compromised elderly
- Only two timing strategies (pre- and post-exercise) were compared — the effect of taking creatine at other times of day was not examined
- The study did not include a creatine-only group (without exercise), so the independent effects of creatine cannot be isolated
Where This Fits in the Evidence
What distinguishes Candow and colleagues’ trial is its length: 32 weeks of creatine plus resistance training in older adults is long enough to show that the muscle and strength advantages over training alone are durable, not a short-lived loading artefact. The study also probes a practical question most trials skip — timing — and finds a modest edge for taking creatine after training rather than before. Its honest limit is that it omits a creatine-only arm, so it cannot isolate the supplement from the exercise; the take-home is that the two work best together against sarcopenia. For the wider evidence base, see our research library.
Sources & References
This page summarizes Candow et al. (2015). Full citation: Candow DG, Vogt E, Johannsmeyer S, Forbes SC, Farthing JP.
Strategic creatine supplementation and resistance training in healthy older adults. Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism. 2014;39(12):1369-1374. doi:10.1139/apnm-2014-0092
What This Means for You
If you are an older adult using creatine to hold on to muscle, this trial offers one concrete tip beyond “take it daily”: over its 32 weeks, taking the dose after a training session edged out taking it beforehand. The effect is small, so do not agonise over timing — but if you train, post-workout is the marginally better default. As with the rest of the ageing research, the dose only earns its keep when it sits on top of regular resistance training.