Does creatine help with running? Understand the role of meat and supplementation

Often associated with bodybuilding and explosive sports, creatine has been gaining visibility in the running world. A study published by the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN) indicates that the compound, derived from three amino acids (arginine, glycine and methionine), plays vital roles in energy metabolism that may benefit high-intensity training, strategic accelerations and recovery in road runners.

Its main metabolic function is to contribute to the rapid regeneration of ATP (adenosine triphosphate), a molecule that supplies energy to cells. This mechanism is particularly important during short-duration, high-intensity anaerobic efforts, such as sprints, bursts, uphill sections and accelerations during a run.

Although it has become popular as a powdered supplement, creatine is naturally produced by the body in the liver, kidneys and pancreas. Once synthesized, approximately 95% is stored in the skeletal muscles, mainly in the form of phosphocreatine.

What is the difference between creatine from food and creatine from supplements?

Creatine is also naturally present in foods, especially red meat, poultry and fish, because it is stored in the muscle tissues of animals. For this reason, some publications classify it as a carninutrient, a term used to describe compounds found predominantly in foods of animal origin.

Creatine obtained through the diet helps replenish the amount the body loses every day through its spontaneous conversion into creatinine. According to the International Society of Sports Nutrition, a diet that includes meat and fish provides an average of 1 to 2 grams of creatine per day. Combined with internal production, this intake helps maintain the body’s muscle stores of the compound.

Studies involving vegetarians reinforce the influence of diet on this process. An article from the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health indicates that people who do not consume meat or fish generally have lower dietary intake and lower muscle concentrations of creatine than omnivores, although the body continues to produce the compound. 

The main difference, therefore, is not in the creatine molecule, which is the same in food and supplements, but in the amount and manner of consumption. In foods, it is part of a broader nutritional matrix. In beef, for example, it is accompanied by high-biological-value proteins, essential amino acids, heme iron (which has greater bioavailability, meaning it is more easily absorbed by the body than non-heme iron, which is common in plants), zinc and vitamin B12—nutrients that contribute to muscle maintenance, blood cell formation, oxygen transport and energy metabolism.

Supplements, on the other hand, provide creatine in a concentrated, standardized dose, without requiring the consumption of large quantities of food. In other words, they do not replace the nutrients supplied by meat, but they may be used to increase muscle stores of the compound when there is a specific sporting goal.

Ergogenic creatine dose: when supplementation makes a difference

It is precisely at this point, when there is a greater demand for effort, that the so-called ergogenic dose is recommended. The term refers to the amount used with the aim of improving some aspect of physical performance, such as force production, power, the ability to repeat intense efforts or recovery between stimuli.

In the case of creatine, the goal is not merely to replace the amount used by the body each day, but to raise muscle stores of creatine and phosphocreatine above the level normally maintained by a regular diet.

According to the International Society of Sports Nutrition, supplementation can increase these stores by approximately 20% to 40%, although the response varies among individuals. This increase expands the availability of the compound used to rapidly regenerate energy during short, intense efforts.

The range of 3 to 5 grams per day, frequently used in sports protocols, corresponds to an ergogenic dose. It should not be confused with a mandatory nutritional requirement, nor does it mean that everyone needs to consume this amount daily.

When and why might creatine supplementation be necessary?

One kilogram of raw beef or salmon contains, on average, 3.5 to 5 grams of creatine. This concentration varies depending on the source and cut of meat. In addition, heat preparation—in other words, cooking the meat—degrades part of this compound into creatinine, as demonstrated by this study.

To obtain exclusively from food an amount similar to that used in ergogenic protocols, it would be necessary to consume large portions of meat or fish every day. This does not mean, however, that creatine from food is of little importance. It contributes to the body’s physiological stores and is consumed together with other relevant nutrients.

Supplementation serves a different purpose: providing a concentrated, known and standardized amount to produce a possible effect on performance. For this reason, it may be considered when there is a specific sporting goal and individualized guidance from a nutritionist or physician.

Creatine monohydrate—the form consisting of creatine associated with a water molecule—is the most extensively studied version and the one with the strongest scientific support for increasing muscle stores of the compound. The protocols studied include continuous use of approximately 3 to 5 grams per day and an initial loading phase, consisting of higher doses, generally divided throughout the day over a short period, to raise muscle creatine stores more rapidly. This is followed by the daily maintenance dose. Loading, however, is not mandatory, as explained by a review published in Current Sports Medicine Reports: continuous use of smaller doses achieves a similar result, but more gradually. 

Creatine and running: in which situations can it help runners?

Creatine found in meat and fish contributes, together with the body’s own production, to maintaining the body’s stores of the compound. In running, the benefits tend to be more relevant in situations that require strength, power or repeated intense efforts than in continuous activities performed at a predominantly aerobic pace.

Sprints, hills and accelerations

When a runner performs track sprints, uphill repetitions or accelerations, the phosphocreatine system is one of the first energy sources used to rapidly regenerate ATP, the molecule responsible for the immediate supply of energy to cells.

Increasing muscle stores of creatine and phosphocreatine may help sustain power for several seconds and preserve the quality of repeated intense efforts. In practice, this may benefit interval training, bursts, steep climbs and changes of pace.

The benefit does not mean that creatine makes a runner faster without training. Its role is to increase the availability of energy for certain sessions, allowing the athlete to better handle high-intensity stimuli and develop, over time, adaptations related to strength and power.

Muscle strengthening and running economy

Weight training and other strength exercises are part of runners’ preparation because they help improve the ability to produce force, movement stability and running economy—the amount of energy required to maintain a given pace.

When combined with resistance training, creatine supplementation may enhance strength gains and promote increases in or preservation of muscle mass. For runners, this effect may contribute to performing exercises such as squats, lunges, jumps and movements designed to strengthen the calves, hips and core.

The benefits, therefore, are not limited to the moment of running. Part of creatine’s contribution occurs during physical preparation, by supporting the quality of training that underpins performance and tolerance to training loads.

Creatine in long-distance races

In 10K races, half-marathons and marathons, most energy is produced through aerobic metabolism. For this reason, creatine’s effects on continuous, long-duration performance are less consistent than those observed in activities involving strength, power and repeated sprints.

Even so, long races are not necessarily run at a constant pace. Hills, overtaking, changes in pace and acceleration over the final meters temporarily increase the contribution of anaerobic systems, in which phosphocreatine plays a more significant role.

In these situations, greater muscle availability of creatine may help runners respond to changes in intensity, as noted by a narrative review on creatine and endurance events. This does not mean, however, that the supplement directly increases aerobic capacity or allows a faster pace to be sustained throughout the entire race.

Recovery between training sessions

Some studies indicate that creatine may support glycogen replenishment when consumed with carbohydrates and influence certain markers related to muscle damage, inflammation and oxidative stress after intense exercise. In this regard, creatine optimizes strength gains and functional hypertrophy in resistance training, as documented in the study on creatine and sports performance published in the journal Nutrients.

The results, however, vary according to the type of exercise, the dose used and the participants’ profiles. For this reason, creatine should be treated as a complementary strategy, not as the primary factor responsible for recovery.

Creatine as part of a runner’s strategy

Creatine may be particularly useful for runners who combine running and weight training, perform interval workouts, tackle hilly courses or need to repeat high-intensity accelerations, as in cross-training, combat sports, soccer, cycling and other activities. For those who practice only continuous, long-duration activities, the benefits tend to be less direct.

This does not diminish the importance of creatine obtained from food. Meat and fish contribute to the physiological maintenance of the compound’s stores while also providing other nutrients necessary for performance and recovery. However, the final decision on whether to supplement should consider dietary patterns, type of training, race distance, individual response and each person’s stage of preparation.