Does Creatine Break a Fast? The Science Behind Intermittent Fasting, Creatine, and Performance
Updated: Oct 8
Intermittent fasting has become one of the most popular nutrition strategies for improving body composition, simplifying meal planning, and supporting overall health.
At the same time, creatine monohydrate remains one of the most researched and effective supplements for improving strength, power, lean muscle mass, and high-intensity exercise performance.
It's only natural that people eventually ask, "Does creatine break a fast?"
The answer is more nuanced than a simple yes or no. If your goal is intermittent fasting for calorie control or weight loss, plain creatine monohydrate is unlikely to meaningfully break your fast because it contains essentially no nutritional calories and does not provide meaningful amounts of protein, carbohydrates, or fat.
However, if you're fasting for:
Medical procedures
Blood work
Religious observance
Research purposes
The strictest interpretation of fasting-induced autophagy
the answer becomes more individualized because the purpose of the fast changes.
As a Human Performance expert, I think too many people become obsessed with technical questions like whether five grams of creatine "breaks" a fast while overlooking the habits that have a much larger impact on long-term results.
Questions like:
Are you eating enough protein?
Are you resistance training consistently?
Are you sleeping enough?
Are you staying hydrated?
Are you maintaining an appropriate calorie intake?
Those variables influence your health and body composition far more than whether you consumed a serving of plain creatine during your fasting window. That doesn't mean the question isn't important. It simply means the answer depends on why you're fasting in the first place.
In this guide, you'll learn:
Does creatine break intermittent fasting?
Does creatine contain calories?
Does creatine spike insulin?
Can you take creatine before a fasted workout?
Does creatine stop fat burning?
Does creatine interfere with autophagy?
Can you take creatine on an empty stomach?
Should you take creatine during or after your fasting window?
Let's separate evidence from internet myths.
Quick Answer
Does Creatine Break a Fast?
For most people practicing intermittent fasting for weight loss or calorie control, plain creatine monohydrate is unlikely to meaningfully break a fast.
Here's why:
Pure creatine contains essentially no nutritional calories.
It is not a meaningful source of protein, carbohydrate, or fat.
It does not function like a meal replacement.
It does not provide dietary energy in the way food does.
Instead, creatine supports the body's phosphocreatine energy system, helping regenerate ATP during repeated high-intensity exercise.
However, not every creatine product is the same.
Products containing:
Sugar
Fruit juice
Protein
Gummies
Carbohydrates
Amino acid blends
Meal replacement ingredients
may interrupt a fast depending on both their ingredients and your reason for fasting.
The NIH Office of Dietary Supplements identifies creatine as an evidence-based performance supplement but does not classify plain creatine as a meaningful source of dietary calories or macronutrients.
🎯 Fasting for Weight Loss? Calculate What Actually Matters
Whether you follow intermittent fasting, time-restricted eating, or a traditional eating schedule, sustainable fat loss still comes down to your overall nutrition.
Use the FREE Human Performance HQ Macro Calculator below to calculate your personalized:
Daily calorie target
Protein intake
Carbohydrate goal
Fat intake
Calorie deficit
Weight-loss target
Understanding your daily nutrition will have a much greater impact on your long-term results than worrying about whether plain creatine technically interrupts your fasting window.
What Does "Breaking a Fast" Actually Mean?
This is where most online discussions become confusing. People often talk about fasting as though it has one universal definition. It doesn't. The answer depends entirely on why you're fasting.
Let's look at the most common scenarios.
Intermittent Fasting for Weight Loss
This is by far the most common reason people fast. The goal is usually to:
Reduce calorie intake
Improve dietary adherence
Simplify eating
Create a sustainable calorie deficit
In this situation, the practical question becomes, "Does plain creatine meaningfully contribute calories or macronutrients?" The answer is generally no. For this type of fasting, most evidence suggests plain creatine is unlikely to interfere with your overall strategy.
Time-Restricted Eating
Some people simply prefer eating within:
An 8-hour window
A 10-hour window
A 6-hour window
The focus isn't necessarily on ketosis or autophagy. It's about organizing meals into a consistent schedule. Again, plain creatine generally contributes little to nothing in terms of calories. Consistency usually matters more than exact timing.
Fasting for Autophagy
This is where answers become much less certain. Autophagy is the body's natural process of recycling damaged cellular components. It is influenced by numerous factors including:
Energy status
Nutrient availability
Exercise
Hormonal signaling
Duration of fasting
Unfortunately, many websites oversimplify this complex process into, "This supplement stops autophagy." Current human research simply isn't strong enough to make definitive claims about whether five grams of plain creatine completely interrupts fasting-induced autophagy.
Medical Fasting
If you're fasting before: Surgery, Blood testing, Medical imaging, Anesthesia, or Medical procedures, always follow your healthcare provider's instructions. Even zero-calorie supplements may not be permitted depending on the procedure. Do not assume that because creatine contains virtually no calories it is automatically acceptable. Medical instructions always take priority.
Religious Fasting
Many religions have specific guidelines regarding fasting. Whether supplements are permitted varies depending on: Religious tradition, Timing, Interpretation, and Individual circumstances. If you're observing a religious fast, follow guidance from qualified religious leaders together with your healthcare provider when appropriate.
Does Creatine Have Calories?
One reason this question comes up so often is because people assume anything that improves performance must contain calories. That's not how creatine works.
Pure creatine monohydrate is generally considered to contain essentially zero nutritional calories because it is not a meaningful source of:
Protein
Carbohydrates
Fat
Alcohol
Those four nutrients provide nearly all of the calories found in foods. Creatine belongs to a completely different category. Instead of supplying dietary energy, creatine helps recycle ATP, the body's immediate energy molecule used during explosive exercise. That's why you may notice better performance without consuming additional calories.
If you'd like a deeper explanation, read our Human Performance HQ guide: Does Creatine Monohydrate Have Calories?
Does Creatine Count Toward Your Macros?
No.
Plain creatine should not meaningfully count toward your daily: Protein, Carbohydrates, and Fat.
That means you generally do not need to log plain creatine in: MyFitnessPal, or Other calorie-tracking apps.
The exception is mixed products.
If your creatine supplement also contains:
Sugar
Protein
Gummies
Juice powder
Recovery carbohydrates
then those ingredients should be tracked according to the product label.
Does Creatine Spike Insulin?
This is another common misconception. Because creatine influences exercise performance, some people assume it must significantly raise insulin.
Current evidence does not support that conclusion. Pure creatine is: Not sugar, not a carbohydrate, and not a significant source of dietary calories Some research has investigated whether creatine combined with exercise may improve glucose handling over time. That's very different from saying creatine produces a large insulin spike after ingestion.
A 2022 systematic review evaluating creatine supplementation and glycemic control found no significant pooled effect on fasting blood glucose, fasting insulin, or insulin resistance across the included studies.
In other words: Current evidence does not support the claim that plain creatine creates a meaningful insulin response similar to consuming carbohydrates.
Does Creatine Stop Fat Burning?
Short answer: No. One of the biggest myths surrounding intermittent fasting is the idea that almost anything consumed immediately "turns off" fat burning.
Human metabolism doesn't work like an on-off light switch.
Your body continuously shifts between using: Fat, Carbohydrates, Stored glycogen, and Amino acids, depending on: Activity, Meals, Hormones, Sleep, Training, and Overall energy balance. Plain creatine doesn't suddenly prevent fat oxidation.
More importantly: Long-term fat loss depends primarily on maintaining a calorie deficit, not on whether you consumed a serving of creatine during your fasting window.
Can You Take Creatine Before a Fasted Workout?
Yes. Many people successfully take creatine before fasted morning workouts. However, it's important to understand why. Creatine does not work like caffeine. You don't take it because you expect an immediate boost. Instead, creatine gradually increases muscle creatine stores over time.
Whether you take today's dose: Before training, after training, with breakfast, and during lunch has much less influence than simply taking it consistently. One day without creatine doesn't suddenly empty your muscles. Likewise, taking it five minutes before your workout doesn't instantly maximize performance.
Consistency wins.
Fasted Training Isn't Required for Fat Loss
One misconception I see frequently is, "If I train fasted, I'll burn more fat."
While fasted exercise may increase fat oxidation during that particular workout, that does not automatically translate into greater long-term fat loss compared with exercising after eating when total calorie intake and activity are similar.
What matters far more is:
Weekly calorie balance
Protein intake
Resistance training
Daily activity
Recovery
Long-term consistency
Choose the training schedule you can sustain, not the one that simply sounds more impressive.
Can You Take Creatine on an Empty Stomach?
Usually, yes. Many people tolerate plain creatine without any issues.
Others experience:
Mild nausea
Stomach cramping
Bloating
Diarrhea
This tends to occur more often when:
Taking large loading doses
Mixing creatine with very little water
Consuming it quickly
Having an already sensitive digestive system
If creatine bothers your stomach, consider:
Taking 3–5 grams rather than loading
Mixing it with more water
Taking it with a meal
Dividing the dose throughout the day
Improving stomach comfort does not reduce creatine's effectiveness.
The Ariel Hernandez Perspective
One thing I've learned as a Human Performance expert is that fasting often becomes far more complicated than it needs to be. People spend enormous amounts of mental energy asking, "Did this technically break my fast?" Meanwhile they overlook questions that matter much more.
Such as:
Did I eat enough protein today?
Did I complete my workout?
Did I recover well?
Am I hydrated?
Did I sleep enough?
Am I consistent week after week?
Intermittent fasting is simply one way to organize meals. It isn't metabolic magic. If fasting helps you consistently eat appropriate calories and improve adherence, that's fantastic. If it causes you to under-eat protein, skip workouts, obsess over timing, or develop unnecessary stress around food, then it's probably working against your long-term Human Performance.
That's why I encourage people to think beyond whether five grams of plain creatine technically "breaks" a fasting window.
Instead ask, "Is my entire system helping me become healthier, stronger, and more consistent?" Because that's where real results come from.
10 Facts About Creatine and Fasting
Plain creatine monohydrate contains essentially no nutritional calories.
It does not meaningfully count toward protein, carbohydrate, or fat macros.
It is unlikely to interfere with an intermittent fast used primarily for calorie control.
Flavored creatine products may contain ingredients that affect a fasting window.
Creatine does not function like sugar or dietary carbohydrates.
Consistent daily intake matters more than taking creatine immediately before a fasted workout.
Fasted training is not inherently superior for long-term fat loss.
Creatine may help support training quality while dieting or cutting.
Medical and religious fasting follow different rules than weight-loss fasting.
Your overall nutrition, recovery, and consistency have a much greater impact on results than the timing of a single creatine serving.
The Human Performance HQ F.A.S.T. Creatine Protocol
One thing I have learned as a Human Performance expert is that people often follow fasting rules without first defining what they want fasting to accomplish. Someone using intermittent fasting to simplify calorie control has a very different objective from someone fasting before surgery or following a religious practice.
That distinction changes the answer to whether creatine is appropriate. The Human Performance HQ F.A.S.T. Creatine Protocol helps place creatine into the correct context without turning fasting into an unnecessarily rigid system.
F — Define Your Fasting Goal
Before taking creatine, ask, Why am I fasting?
Common reasons include:
Weight management
Meal-schedule convenience
Time-restricted eating
Fasted exercise
Metabolic health
Autophagy
Religious observance
Blood testing
Surgery or another medical procedure
For intermittent fasting focused primarily on reducing calories, plain creatine monohydrate is unlikely to meaningfully interfere because it contributes essentially no nutritional calories.
For medical, religious, or highly strict fasting, different rules apply.
A — Audit the Entire Product
Pure creatine monohydrate and a flavored creatine product are not necessarily nutritionally identical.
Check the Supplement Facts panel and ingredient list for:
Added sugar
Dextrose
Maltodextrin
Juice concentrate
Protein
Essential amino acids
Branched-chain amino acids
Gummy ingredients
Caloric flavoring systems
A product containing creatine may break a fast because of its additional ingredients, even though plain creatine itself contributes virtually no calories.
The finished formula is what matters.
S — Support Training, Hydration, and Recovery
Fasting should not become an excuse to neglect the fundamentals of Human Performance.
Pay attention to:
Fluid intake
Electrolyte losses
Exercise intensity
Sleep
Recovery
Protein intake during your eating window
Total calorie intake
This becomes especially important if you train:
In hot weather
For long durations
While wearing tactical equipment
During endurance events
More than once per day
Creatine may support training capacity, but it cannot compensate for dehydration, inadequate protein, or an extreme calorie deficit.
T — Take Creatine Consistently
For most healthy adults who choose to supplement, a commonly researched dose is: 3–5 grams of creatine monohydrate per day.
You can take it:
During your fasting window
During your eating window
Before training
After training
With a meal
On rest days
The best timing is usually the one you can consistently maintain. If taking creatine on an empty stomach causes discomfort, move it into your eating window. That adjustment will not erase its long-term benefits.
Does Creatine Stop Autophagy?
This is one of the hardest questions to answer with certainty.
Autophagy is a cellular recycling process that helps remove or reuse damaged cellular components. It is influenced by:
Nutrient availability
Cellular energy status
Exercise
Insulin signaling
Amino-acid availability
Fasting duration
Tissue type
Online discussions often treat autophagy like a light switch:
Fasting turns it on.
One supplement turns it off.
Human physiology is not that simple.
A widely cited review in the New England Journal of Medicine explains that fasting can produce a metabolic shift away from glucose use and toward fatty acids and ketones. However, it does not provide a supplement-by-supplement rule for whether a standard serving of creatine stops autophagy. (New England Journal of Medicine)
The Most Accurate Answer
There is currently insufficient direct human evidence showing that 3–5 grams of plain creatine either completely preserves or completely interrupts fasting-related autophagy. Creatine is synthesized from amino acids, but it is not nutritionally equivalent to consuming a protein meal.
That makes broad claims difficult to defend. If autophagy is your primary objective and you want the strictest possible fasting approach, the conservative option is to take creatine during your eating window. That protects the intent of the fast without sacrificing daily creatine consistency.
Creatine During 16:8 Intermittent Fasting
The 16:8 approach generally includes:
A 16-hour fasting window
An 8-hour eating window
Most people use it to:
Limit eating opportunities
Simplify meal planning
Support calorie control
Reduce late-night snacking
For these goals, plain creatine during the fasting window is unlikely to make a meaningful difference to energy intake.
You have two practical choices.
Option 1: Take Creatine During the Fast
This may work well if:
You train early in the morning.
You tolerate creatine without food.
It helps you remain consistent.
Your fast is primarily for calorie control.
Option 2: Take Creatine During the Eating Window
This may be better if:
Creatine bothers your stomach when taken alone.
You prefer the strictest interpretation of fasting.
Your product contains additional ingredients.
You find it easier to pair creatine with a meal.
Both options can maintain muscle creatine stores when followed consistently.
Creatine During One Meal a Day
One meal a day, often called OMAD, creates a very narrow eating window. Creatine can still be used, but OMAD introduces other concerns beyond supplement timing.
It can be challenging to consume enough:
Protein
Calories
Carbohydrates
Fiber
Micronutrients
within one meal, especially for active individuals.
As a Human Performance expert, I would be more concerned about whether an athlete or active adult can consistently meet recovery needs than whether plain creatine technically breaks the fast.
Creatine can be taken with the meal or during the fasting period, depending on personal goals and tolerance. The larger nutrition plan still matters much more.
Creatine Before a Fasted Morning Workout
Creatine can be taken before a fasted workout, but it should not be viewed as an acute pre-workout supplement. Its benefits depend on increasing and maintaining creatine stores over time. That means taking creatine 15 minutes before training does not suddenly produce fully saturated muscle creatine levels.
A practical fasted-training routine might include:
Water before exercise
Electrolytes when environmental or sweat demands justify them
Creatine if that is your established daily habit
Caffeine only when appropriate and tolerated
After training, prioritize adequate nutrition during your eating window, particularly protein.
For more information about stimulant timing, read Does Creatine Have Caffeine?
Does Fasted Exercise Burn More Fat?
Fasted exercise may increase fat oxidation during the workout. That means a greater proportion of energy may come from fat during that specific session. However, increased fat use during one workout does not automatically mean greater long-term body-fat loss.
Fat loss is influenced by:
Total calorie intake
Total energy expenditure
Protein consumption
Resistance training
Daily movement
Adherence
A person can perform every workout fasted and still fail to lose fat if overall calorie intake remains too high. Likewise, someone can eat before exercise and successfully lose fat by maintaining an appropriate calorie deficit.
Fasting is a scheduling tool, not a metabolic loophole.
Creatine While Cutting or Dieting
Creatine may be particularly helpful during a calorie deficit.
Dieting can sometimes reduce:
Strength
Training volume
Recovery
High-intensity performance
Motivation
Creatine may help support repeated maximal or near-maximal efforts, which can make it easier to preserve productive resistance training during fat loss. The NIH identifies creatine as one of the better-supported supplements for strength, power, and repeated short-duration high-intensity activity. (Office of Dietary Supplements)
Creatine still does not: Burn body fat directly, eliminate hunger, create a calorie deficit, or replace adequate protein. Its value comes from supporting the training that helps preserve lean mass.
Can Creatine Preserve Muscle During Fasting?
Creatine may support training quality and muscle performance, but it should not be marketed as a complete solution for muscle preservation.
Preserving lean muscle during weight loss depends heavily on:
Resistance training
Adequate daily protein
A reasonable calorie deficit
Recovery
Sleep
If fasting causes you to consistently miss protein targets or train poorly, creatine alone will not protect you from all potential muscle loss.
Use creatine as part of the system. Do not expect it to replace the system.
Creatine and Blood Sugar While Fasting
Plain creatine is not sugar and does not provide meaningful carbohydrate. Research has examined whether creatine affects glucose regulation, particularly when combined with exercise.
A 2022 systematic review reported promising findings in certain populations but did not establish that creatine produces the same glucose or insulin response as carbohydrate intake. (PubMed)
Other research has investigated creatine as a possible aid to glucose management, especially when paired with exercise training, rather than identifying it as a cause of harmful glucose spikes. (PubMed)
The practical takeaway is straightforward: Plain creatine should not be treated like a sugary beverage during a fast. People with diabetes, hypoglycemia, or glucose-management concerns should still consult their healthcare provider before making changes to fasting, exercise, or supplementation.
Creatine During Ramadan and Religious Fasting
Religious fasting follows spiritual and community-specific rules, not merely nutrition science. During Ramadan, fasting commonly includes abstaining from oral intake between dawn and sunset. That generally means creatine would be consumed during the permitted eating period rather than during daylight fasting.
A practical approach may include taking creatine:
With the evening meal
After evening training
During the pre-dawn meal
Alongside appropriate hydration
Hydration deserves particular attention because the fasting period includes fluids. Individual medical needs and religious interpretations differ. Consult a qualified religious authority and healthcare professional when personal circumstances require guidance.
Creatine Before Blood Work
Do not assume plain creatine is acceptable before fasting laboratory tests just because it contains virtually no calories. Creatine supplementation may increase serum creatinine, a breakdown product that clinicians commonly use when evaluating kidney function.
An elevated creatinine result does not automatically indicate kidney injury in someone using creatine, but the supplement may influence interpretation.
Before blood testing:
Follow your clinician's fasting instructions.
Tell your healthcare team that you use creatine.
Avoid taking supplements when instructed to consume only water.
Do not stop prescribed medication unless directed.
Medical fasting rules are not the same as intermittent-fasting rules.
Creatine Before Surgery or Anesthesia
If you have been told to fast before surgery, follow those instructions exactly. Do not take creatine unless your surgical team specifically says it is allowed. Preoperative fasting is designed to reduce risks associated with anesthesia and stomach contents.
A zero-calorie label does not automatically make a supplement appropriate before a medical procedure. When in doubt, ask the surgical team, not social media.
Does Flavored Creatine Break a Fast?
It might. The answer depends on the formula.
A flavored product may contain:
Noncaloric sweeteners
Sugar
Dextrose
Juice powder
Amino acids
Protein
Carbohydrate blends
A product sweetened only with noncaloric ingredients may still fit within a calorie-control fasting strategy.
A product containing meaningful calories is more likely to interrupt the fast.
The safest approach is to read:
The Supplement Facts panel
The serving size
Total carbohydrate
Added sugar
The full ingredient list
Never assume that “creatine” means the entire product is calorie-free.
Creatine Gummies and Fasting
Creatine gummies commonly contain carbohydrate-based ingredients that create their texture and flavor. These may include:
Sugar
Glucose syrup
Tapioca syrup
Pectin-based mixtures
Other caloric binders
The creatine may not meaningfully contribute calories, but the gummy probably does. For a strict fasting window, plain creatine monohydrate mixed with water is a more predictable choice.
Creatine, Electrolytes, and Fasting
Some electrolyte products contain no meaningful calories. Others contain:
Sugar
Glucose
Carbohydrate powder
Amino acids
Electrolytes may be useful during:
Hot-weather fasting
Long-duration exercise
Heavy sweating
Tactical work
Endurance training
However, whether a particular product fits into a fasting window depends on the finished formula and the purpose of the fast.
For a deeper discussion, read Can You Drink Electrolytes While Fasting?
Does Creatine Cause Water Weight While Fasting?
Creatine commonly increases intracellular water storage. This means more water is held inside muscle cells.
The scale may increase by one or more pounds, particularly after:
Starting supplementation
Using a loading phase
Returning to creatine after time off
This is not the same as gaining body fat. If you start fasting and creatine at the same time, the water increase may temporarily hide fat loss on the scale.
Use other progress markers:
Weekly weight averages
Waist measurement
Clothing fit
Progress photos
Strength
Training performance
Do not let one weigh-in determine whether the strategy is working.
When Should You Take Creatine During a Fasting Schedule?
There is no universally perfect time.
Take It During the Fast When:
Your fast is primarily for calorie control.
The product is plain creatine monohydrate.
You tolerate it without food.
Morning use improves consistency.
Take It During the Eating Window When:
You are fasting for the strictest possible interpretation.
Autophagy is your primary goal.
The product contains added ingredients.
You experience digestive discomfort.
You are observing a religious fast.
You prefer taking supplements with meals.
Daily adherence matters more than the exact hour.
The Bigger Picture
The question “Does creatine break a fast?” is useful. But it should not become the center of your nutrition strategy.
As a Human Performance expert, I would rather see someone:
Meet their protein target
Resistance train consistently
Stay hydrated
Protect their sleep
Maintain a sustainable calorie deficit
Develop a healthy relationship with food
than perfectly protect a fasting window while neglecting everything else. Plain creatine monohydrate is unlikely to meaningfully disrupt intermittent fasting used for calorie control. For stricter fasting goals, take it during the eating window. Keep the strategy simple enough to sustain.
FAQs
Does creatine break a fast?
Plain creatine monohydrate is unlikely to meaningfully break a fast being used for calorie control because it provides essentially no nutritional calories or macronutrients. It supports ATP regeneration rather than supplying food energy. However, medical, religious, or strict autophagy-focused fasting may require taking creatine only during the permitted eating period.
Does creatine spike insulin while fasting?
Current evidence does not show that plain creatine produces a large insulin response comparable to sugar or carbohydrate. Creatine is not a meaningful source of glucose and has actually been studied for possible effects on glucose management when paired with exercise. People managing diabetes or another metabolic condition should discuss fasting and supplements with their healthcare provider.
Can I take creatine before a fasted workout?
Yes, most healthy adults can take plain creatine before a fasted workout if they tolerate it well. Its benefits come from maintaining muscle creatine stores over time rather than from an immediate pre-workout effect. Taking it consistently matters more than consuming it immediately before exercise.
Does creatine stop autophagy?
There is insufficient direct human evidence showing that a standard serving of plain creatine completely stops fasting-induced autophagy. Autophagy is complex and cannot be reduced to a simple on-or-off response. People fasting specifically for autophagy may choose to take creatine during their eating window as the most conservative option.
Can you take creatine on an empty stomach?
Yes, many people tolerate creatine on an empty stomach. Others may experience nausea, cramping, bloating, or diarrhea, especially with loading doses or poorly dissolved powder. Taking 3–5 grams with food or dividing the dose can improve comfort without reducing effectiveness.
Does flavored creatine break a fast?
Flavored creatine may break a fast if it contains sugar, carbohydrates, protein, amino acids, or other caloric ingredients. Noncaloric flavoring and sweeteners may be compatible with a calorie-control fast, but stricter fasting approaches may exclude them. Always read the full label rather than assuming every creatine product is the same.
Should I take creatine during or after my fasting window?
Either strategy can work. Take plain creatine during the fasting window when calorie control and convenience are the main objectives, or move it into the eating window when you prefer a stricter fast or experience digestive discomfort. Daily consistency is more important than exact timing.
Key Takeaways
Plain creatine monohydrate is unlikely to meaningfully break an intermittent fast used for calorie control.
Creatine contains essentially no nutritional calories and does not count toward normal macros.
There is insufficient evidence to say definitively whether creatine affects fasting-induced autophagy.
Medical and religious fasting require different rules than weight-loss fasting.
Flavored powders, gummies, and combination products may contain ingredients that break a fast.
Creatine may support training during weight loss, but it does not burn fat or replace protein.
The best strategy is one that supports your complete Human Performance system.
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RESEARCH BACKED CITATIONS
de Cabo R, Mattson MP. Effects of Intermittent Fasting on Health, Aging, and Disease. New England Journal of Medicine. This review describes the metabolic switch that occurs during fasting and explains the broader physiological mechanisms associated with intermittent fasting. (New England Journal of Medicine)
NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. Dietary Supplements for Exercise and Athletic Performance. The NIH summarizes creatine’s role in repeated high-intensity performance, strength, power, dosing, and safety. (Office of Dietary Supplements)
Delpino FM, Figueiredo LM, da Silva BGC, et al. Does Creatine Supplementation Improve Glycemic Control? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. This review evaluates human evidence concerning creatine, fasting glucose, insulin, and diabetes-related outcomes. (PubMed)
Solis MY, Artioli GG, Otaduy MCG, et al. Potential of Creatine in Glucose Management and Diabetes. This review discusses possible effects of creatine, particularly when combined with exercise, on glucose metabolism. (PubMed)
Gualano B, de Salles Painelli V, Roschel H, et al. Creatine in Type 2 Diabetes: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial. The trial found that creatine combined with exercise improved glycemic control in participants with type 2 diabetes. (PubMed)
Antonio J, Candow DG, Forbes SC, et al. (2021). Common Questions and Misconceptions About Creatine Supplementation. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. https://jissn.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12970-021-00412-w
Kreider RB, Kalman DS, Antonio J, et al. (2017). International Society of Sports Nutrition Position Stand: Safety and Efficacy of Creatine Supplementation in Exercise, Sport, and Medicine. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28615996/
U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Dietary Supplement Labeling Guide: Chapter IV—Nutrition Labeling. https://www.fda.gov/food/dietary-supplements-guidance-documents-regulatory-information/dietary-supplement-labeling-guide-chapter-iv-nutrition-labeling
For additional regulatory detail, this direct federal regulation can also be included:
Electronic Code of Federal Regulations. 21 CFR § 101.36—Nutrition Labeling of Dietary Supplements. https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/chapter-I/subchapter-B/part-101/subpart-C/section-101.36
