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Effects of creatine and caffeine ingestion in combination on exercise performance: A systematic review

Alisson H Marinho, Jaqueline S Gonçalves, Palloma K Araújo, Adriano E Lima-Silva, Thays Ataide-Silva, Gustavo G de Araujo

Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr 2023 63(20):4785-4798

Bibliography

PubMed: PMID 34845944
DOI: 10.1080/10408398.2021.2007470
Funding: The article acknowledgements state that the study was financed in part by CAPES (Brazil), Finance Code 001. The publisher's separate funding field reports no funding associated with the work; both statements are preserved here without attempting to reconcile them.
Competing interests: The authors reported no conflict of interest.

Study snapshot

Design	Systematic review with methodological-quality assessment
Model	Human
Sample	10 included studies
Intervention	Creatine loading combined with acute caffeine after loading or repeated caffeine during loading
Duration	Varied by included study
Endpoints	Exercise performance; Creatine loading; Acute caffeine; Chronic caffeine

What the study showed, in plain terms

Systematic review asking whether caffeine adds to or interferes with the exercise effects of creatine depending on whether caffeine is used acutely after loading or repeatedly during the loading phase.

Key findings

Among five studies using acute caffeine after creatine loading, three found an additional ergogenic effect compared with creatine alone. Among five studies using caffeine during creatine loading, only one found an additive benefit. The authors concluded that acute caffeine after loading may add performance benefit, while repeated caffeine during loading showed no apparent additional benefit.

What this study can and cannot tell us

The evidence base contained only 10 studies with different performance tests, doses and protocols, and methodological quality ranged from strong to weak.

Citation network

Articles citing this research paper

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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

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Last verified 02 October 2026

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