Why Creatine Sales Are Booming Among GLP-1 Users

By GLPeak Team · 2026-08-25

As GLP-1 users shift focus from weight loss to muscle preservation, creatine sales are skyrocketing. Discover why this gym staple is the new must-have supplement.

Something interesting is happening in the supplement aisle. Creatine sales on Amazon grew 90% year over year to roughly $720 million annually, with protein powder climbing alongside it, while searches for the medications themselves have declined.

That pattern suggests something about what people on GLP-1 medications are thinking about. The weight loss piece is underway. What many are looking for now is a way to protect what they don't want to lose.

Weight loss from any source tends to include some lean mass, and during caloric restriction a meaningful portion of what comes off can be muscle rather than fat. Appetite suppression compounds this, since eating enough protein to offset muscle loss becomes harder when you aren't hungry. Because losing muscle can affect strength, physical function, and metabolic rate over time, protein targets and resistance training now commonly appear alongside GLP-1 therapy in clinical guidance.

The instinct to reach for creatine makes sense. The question is whether it does what people are hoping it will do.

What Creatine Actually Does

Creatine is a compound your body produces on its own and also absorbs from meat and fish. It's stored in skeletal muscle as phosphocreatine, where it functions as a rapid energy reserve for short, high-intensity efforts. Muscle has a fixed ceiling for how much creatine it can hold, and most people eating a typical diet sit somewhat below that ceiling. Supplementation fills those stores closer to capacity rather than expanding it, and the fuller reserve may allow you to train harder, complete more quality repetitions, and recover better between sets.

That sequence explains a lot about how creatine should be used, because the muscle benefit appears to come from what creatine allows you to do in training rather than from the supplement itself.

A randomized controlled trial published in Sports Med tested this directly. Thirty healthy young men received either creatine loading or a placebo, then had one leg immobilized in a full cast for seven days. Creatine did not attenuate the loss of muscle mass or strength during immobilization. Without the stimulus of training, the supplement appeared to have little to work with.

The implication for anyone on a GLP-1 medication is fairly practical. Creatine does not seem to function as insurance against muscle loss on its own, and it may not compensate for a routine that doesn't include resistance training.

When It Does Work

Paired with training, the picture looks considerably better. A 2024 meta-analysis in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research pooled 12 randomized controlled trials in adults under 50 and found that those taking creatine alongside resistance training gained an average of 1.14 kg more lean body mass than those training alone. Effects were similar whether participants were experienced lifters or beginners.

A 2025 systematic review looked specifically at postmenopausal women, a group facing accelerated muscle loss and one that overlaps meaningfully with the GLP-1 population. Across seven randomized placebo-controlled trials totaling 608 participants, creatine favored lean mass by 0.37 kg and improved leg press strength by 7.5 kg. The authors noted they were most apparent in studies combining at least 5g daily with resistance training, while lower doses without training showed little measurable benefit. Both dose and training seemed to matter.

How to Take It

The International Society of Sports Nutrition's position stand on creatine, which draws on over 500 peer-reviewed publications, describes two approaches. You can take 3 to 5 grams daily and reach full muscle saturation in roughly four weeks, or front-load with about 20 grams daily split into four doses for five to seven days before dropping to a 3 to 5 gram maintenance dose.

For most people on a GLP-1 medication, the slower approach is probably the better fit. Gastric emptying is already slowed by the medication, and loading adds a meaningful GI burden for a benefit that amounts to arriving at the same place a few weeks sooner. Splitting doses is recommended even during loading, since larger single doses are more likely to cause discomfort.

Creatine monohydrate remains the form with the deepest evidence base. Newer formulations have not outperformed it in direct comparisons, and monohydrate is typically the least expensive option available. Adding carbohydrate to enhance uptake has not been shown to change outcomes.

A Note on Kidney Function

Creatine has been studied extensively in healthy adults without evidence of harm to kidney function. That said, anyone with existing kidney disease should talk with their provider before starting. Creatine also raises serum creatinine independent of any effect on the kidneys themselves, which can complicate interpretation of routine bloodwork, so it's worth mentioning to whoever reviews your labs.

Where That Leaves You

If you're on a GLP-1 medication and already doing resistance training, creatine monohydrate at 3 to 5 grams daily is among the better-supported supplements you could add. It's inexpensive, heavily researched, and the effects, while modest, are consistent across a fairly large body of literature.

If you're not training yet, that's the more important place to start. The training appears to be what produces the result, and creatine seems to help you get somewhat more from it. Either way, mention it to your provider before beginning, particularly if you have kidney disease or take other medications.

References:

1. Kreider RB, Kalman DS, Antonio J, et al. International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: safety and efficacy of creatine supplementation in exercise, sport, and medicine. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2017;14:18. doi:10.1186/s12970-017-0173-z

2. Backx EMP, Hangelbroek R, Snijders T, et al. Creatine loading does not preserve muscle mass or strength during leg immobilization in healthy, young males: a randomized controlled trial. Sports Med. 2017;47(8):1661-1671. doi:10.1007/s40279-016-0670-2

3. Desai I, Wewege MA, Jones MD, et al. The effect of creatine supplementation on resistance training-based changes to body composition: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Strength Cond Res. 2024;38(10):1813-1821. doi:10.1519/JSC.0000000000004862

4. Naddafha S, Antonio J, Kreider RB, Stout JR. Creatine monohydrate for lean mass, strength, and bone density in postmenopausal women: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2025. PMID: 42141930

5. Market data: SmartScout analysis of US Amazon marketplace, distributed by Stacker, August 2026.

This blog is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider before starting any supplement, particularly if you have kidney disease or take other medications.