Tier 1 — highest

Interaction Between Caffeine and Creatine When Used as Concurrent Ergogenic Supplements: A Systematic Review

Sara Elosegui, Jaime López-Seoane, María Martínez-Ferrán, Helios Pareja-Galeano

Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab 2022 32(4):285-295

Bibliography

PubMed: PMID 35016154
DOI: 10.1123/ijsnem.2021-0262
Funding: No explicit funding statement was located in the accessible PubMed or publisher records during Biohack Blueprint's 2026-10-02 audit. This is an audit-status statement, not confirmation that the study received no funding.
Competing interests: No explicit competing-interests statement was located in the accessible PubMed or publisher records during Biohack Blueprint's 2026-10-02 audit. This is an audit-status statement, not confirmation that no competing interests existed.

Study snapshot

Design	Systematic review with narrative synthesis
Model	Human
Sample	10 included studies
Intervention	Creatine supplementation with acute or chronic caffeine co-ingestion
Duration	Varied by included study
Endpoints	Exercise performance; Creatine-caffeine interaction; Gastrointestinal tolerance

What the study showed, in plain terms

Systematic review examining whether caffeine interferes with, has no effect on, or adds to the ergogenic effects of creatine under different timing and loading protocols.

Key findings

Results were mixed rather than showing a universal cancellation effect. Creatine loading generally did not blunt an acute caffeine effect, while chronic caffeine intake during creatine loading produced inconsistent results ranging from interference to no interaction and one report of synergy.

What this study can and cannot tell us

Only 10 heterogeneous studies were included, with varied doses, timing strategies, exercise tests and outcomes; the review therefore cannot establish one universal rule for all caffeine and creatine use.

Citation network

Articles citing this research paper

1 article

Biohack Blueprint analyses that reference this study in their evidence base.

Oct 2, 2026 Creatine and Caffeine: Can You Take Them Together? Coffee, Pre-Workout and EvidenceCan you take creatine with caffeine or coffee? See what the original 1996 trial, a later randomized coffee study and two systematic...Read analysis

Editorial review

Reviewed by the Biohack Blueprint research team

Last verified 02 October 2026

Dr. Khaled Mahmoud, MBBChCritical Care Medicine, Longevity Science & Editorial Direction