Caffeine and creatine together for high-intensity exercise performance
What it found
Taking caffeine may reduce the strength and sprint benefits of creatine in people.
Caffeine alone improves endurance but gives mixed results for short, intense efforts.
What they found
Studies in people
Creatine for short bursts
Hundreds of studies show creatine consistently improves strength and power during short, intense efforts lasting 30 seconds or less.
Caffeine for endurance
Caffeine improves endurance exercise performance in people. However, results are mixed for strength and sprint activities.
Coffee versus pure caffeine
Studies comparing regular coffee with pure caffeine supplements give conflicting results about their effects on performance.
Taking both together
Some research suggests that taking caffeine may reduce the strength and sprint benefits of creatine. This is unlikely to be caused by the two substances interfering with each other in the bloodstream.
Other findings
Possible reasons for interference
Researchers suggest caffeine might oppose creatine by affecting how fast muscles relax. Gut side effects from taking both at once could also play a role.
What the authors conclude
- They set out to evaluate how well creatine and caffeine work for high-intensity exercise when taken together.
- They note that while research is scarce, caffeine may blunt the performance benefits of creatine.
- They point to opposing effects on muscle relaxation time or gut side effects as possible explanations.
How it was done
Athletes often take both creatine and caffeine to boost performance. Scientists wanted to understand how these two ingredients work when taken at the same time.
The authors looked at hundreds of past studies on creatine and caffeine in people doing high-intensity exercise. They also compared research on regular coffee versus pure caffeine supplements, and studies where both ingredients were taken together.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- This work gathers past studies rather than running a new trial, so it cannot prove cause and effect.
- Research directly testing both ingredients together is scarce, so scientists do not yet know exactly how they interact.
The paper
- Title
- Creatine and Caffeine: Considerations for Concurrent Supplementation
- Type
- ReviewThe authors read earlier studies and describe what they found. It isn’t a new study.
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Trexler ET, Smith-Ryan AE (2015). Creatine and Caffeine: Considerations for Concurrent Supplementation. International journal of sport nutrition and exercise metabolism. doi:10.1123/ijsnem.2014-0193PubMed 26219105DOI
Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error