What are the effects of creatine supplementation on indices of aging muscle and bone, and can it be justified for treating frailty and cachexia in older adults?
Creatine Monohydrate, a review (Bone 2022, PMID 35688360) — the review indicates that creatine monohydrate supplementation, particularly when combined with resistance training, shows favorable effects on markers of aging muscle and bone. No numeric effect size is reported for Creatine Monohydrate in the source abstract.
Source: Bone 2022, PMID 35688360 ↗ · Research map · How Magellan grades evidence · evidence confidence: low
Bone · 2022 · PMID 35688360 · DOI 10.1016/j.bone.2022.116467
Creatine supplementation combined with resistance training may help improve muscle and bone health in older adults and could be a treatment for frailty and cachexia.
The question
What are the effects of creatine supplementation on indices of aging muscle and bone, and can it be justified for treating frailty and cachexia in older adults?
What they tested
Creatine monohydrate supplementation, especially with resistance training, may have favorable effects on aging muscle and bone, potentially making it a viable intervention for frailty and cachexia.
How they did it
This is a narrative review that updates existing research on creatine supplementation's effects on aging muscle and bone, including bone turnover markers. It also presents a rationale for its use in treating frailty and cachexia in older adults.
What they found
The review indicates that creatine monohydrate supplementation, particularly when combined with resistance training, shows favorable effects on markers of aging muscle and bone. These musculoskeletal benefits suggest a potential role for creatine in addressing frailty and cachexia.
What it means
Creatine supplementation, especially with resistance training, appears to have beneficial effects on aging muscle and bone, providing a possible justification for its use in treating frailty and cachexia in older adults.
Limitations
This is a narrative review, which synthesizes existing literature but does not present new experimental data. The specific details of the 'evidence' are not quantified within this abstract.
The paper at a glance
| Magellan’s evidence label | ATP/phosphocreatine energy buffer (our label for this citation — see PubMed for the paper’s own title and authors) |
|---|---|
| Journal | Bone |
| Year | 2022 |
| PMID | 35688360 ↗ |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.bone.2022.116467 ↗ |
| Topic | Muscle, strength & physical function |
Read the source: PubMed record (authors, abstract, full citation) ↗ · Publisher via doi.org ↗
Where Magellan uses this paper
This citation sits behind the evidence grade on the pages below. Grades are set from the research and are independent of affiliate commissions.
Creatine Monohydrate
Across meta-analyses and randomized trials, creatine monohydrate combined with resistance training modestly increases lean/muscle mass (about +1.4 kg in older-adult trials) and upper- and lower-body strength, including in older adults.
Creatine is a nitrogen-containing compound that the body synthesizes from the amino acids arginine…
Research describes the compound or intervention studied. It is not a claim about any specific product.
Molecules & mechanisms in this paper
Each of these is named in the paper’s own words above. Open the monograph for the full mechanism and its other citations.
Cite this page
These citations point at this summary. To cite the original paper with its full author list, use the PubMed record or doi.org.
Magellan Longevity. (2026). What are the effects of creatine supplementation on indices of aging muscle and bone, and can it be justified for treating frailty and cachexia in older adults? [Plain-English summary of Bone 2022, PMID 35688360, DOI 10.1016/j.bone.2022.116467]. Magellan Longevity. https://magellanlongevity.com/study/s123.html@misc{magellan_s123,
title = {What are the effects of creatine supplementation on indices of aging muscle and bone, and can it be justified for treating frailty and cachexia in older adults?},
author = {{Magellan Longevity}},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {\url{https://magellanlongevity.com/study/s123.html}},
note = {Plain-English summary of PubMed PMID 35688360; DOI 10.1016/j.bone.2022.116467; Bone 2022. Reviewed by Gabriel Radu, DO},
urldate = {2026-08-11}
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