Creatine and Taurine: What the Evidence Actually Supports

CREATREN is creatine monohydrate with taurine. People ask us what the taurine is doing there, so this is the short answer, including where the evidence stops. The full study-by-study review is Creatine and taurine together in one small trial of 12 students.

Creatine monohydrate: the part with the research

Creatine is among the most replicated supplements in sports science. It works by increasing phosphocreatine stores in muscle, which lets your body regenerate ATP faster during short, hard efforts: the fifth rep of a heavy set, the last twenty metres of a sprint.

The European Food Safety Authority has authorised one health claim for it: creatine increases physical performance in successive bursts of short-term, high-intensity exercise. That claim applies at a daily intake of 3g. It is the only authorised claim, and it is deliberately narrow.

Daily intake

CREATREN is a food supplement. Follow the daily portion stated on the label and do not exceed it. The authorised health claim for creatine may only be used for a food that provides 3 g of creatine a day; CREATREN's label gives 2,000 mg of creatine and taurine together per 3-capsule serving, so we do not make that claim for it. We publish no loading schedule, no bodyweight-based amount and no timing advice; see our page on daily intake and authorised claims.

What to expect, honestly

Individual responses vary and no brand of creatine changes that.

Taurine: the part with less research

Taurine is a conditionally essential amino acid. It is involved in cell volume regulation and acts as an osmolyte: it helps move water into cells. That is the mechanistic reason it gets paired with creatine, which also draws water into muscle.

Here is the honest part: the evidence that taurine and creatine work better together than creatine alone is thin. Taurine has its own modest literature around exercise, and creatine has a very large one. What does not exist is a body of human trials showing a specific synergy between the two.

So we are not going to tell you the combination is more than the sum of its parts. Taurine is in CREATREN because it is a reasonable, well-tolerated addition with a plausible mechanism. Not because a study says the stack beats plain creatine.

Two named ingredients, in capsules

Creatine monohydrate and taurine, in capsules: 90 per pot, with 2,000 mg in a labelled serving of 3 capsules.

Capsules mean there is nothing to measure or mix: a serving is counted, not scooped. The format changes convenience, not what the creatine is.

Who should speak to a doctor first

Taurine is generally well tolerated at the intakes found in supplements and energy drinks.

That said: if you have existing kidney disease, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or are under 18, speak to a doctor before taking either. Well tolerated in healthy adults is not the same as appropriate for everyone.

What we verify

Every batch of CREATREN is assayed by Janoshik Analytical, an independent laboratory we neither own nor control. The batch number is printed on the pot. Email it to us and we will send that batch's Certificate of Analysis. You do not need to have bought anything to ask.

We can evidence what is in the pot. We are not going to make claims about your results that we have not measured.

CREATREN: creatine monohydrate with taurine, 90 capsules · Daily intake and authorised claims · How we test

Common questions

What is in CREATREN?

Creatine monohydrate and taurine, in capsules: 90 per pot, with 2,000 mg in a labelled serving of 3 capsules.

Does Free Muscle use the authorised creatine claim for CREATREN?

No. The authorised health claim for creatine may only be used for a food that provides 3 g of creatine a day; CREATREN's label gives 2,000 mg of creatine and taurine together per 3-capsule serving, so we do not make that claim for it.

How can I get the certificate for my batch of CREATREN?

Every batch of CREATREN is assayed by Janoshik Analytical, an independent laboratory we neither own nor control. The batch number is printed on the pot. Email it to us and we will send that batch's Certificate of Analysis.

Related reading

• Full study-by-study review: Creatine and taurine together in one small trial of 12 students

Food supplement. Not a substitute for a varied, balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle. Do not exceed the recommended daily dose. Nothing on this page is medical advice.