Resistance Exercise and Creatine Supplementation on Fat Mass in Adults < 50 Years of Age: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Level 1 - systematic review of randomized trials
Systematic review and meta-analysis of comparative trials
PubMed 37892421 · doi:10.3390/nu15204343
What was done
Systematic review and meta-analysis comparing resistance exercise plus creatine supplementation versus resistance exercise plus placebo on body fat percentage and absolute fat mass in adults under 50 years of age. Twelve studies involving a total of 266 participants were included.
What was found
Creatine combined with resistance exercise produced a small, statistically significant reduction in body fat percentage (-1.19%, p = 0.006). No statistically significant difference was observed in absolute fat mass (-0.18 kg, p = 0.76).
Why it matters
This meta-analysis shows that in adults under 50, creatine supplementation paired with resistance training does not actively decrease absolute fat mass, suggesting the small drop in body fat percentage is driven by increases in fat-free mass.
Limits
The total sample size was small (266 participants across 12 studies). Details regarding exercise protocols, creatine dosing strategies, participant sex breakdown, and dietary intake controls are not reported in the abstract.