Tier 2 — strong

Creatine but not betaine supplementation increases muscle phosphorylcreatine content and strength performance

Serena del Favero, Hamilton Roschel, Guilherme Artioli, Carlos Ugrinowitsch, Valmor Tricoli, André Costa, Renato Barroso, Ana Lua Negrelli, Maria Concepción Otaduy, Cláudia da Costa Leite, Antonio Herbert Lancha-Junior, Bruno Gualano
Amino acids 2012 42(6):2299-2305

Bibliography

PubMed
PMID 21744011
DOI
10.1007/s00726-011-0972-5
Funding
Funding was not specified in the indexed record or accessible funding metadata.
Competing interests
A competing-interest declaration was not available in the indexed record or accessible disclosure metadata.

Study snapshot

DesignRandomized controlled trial
ModelHuman participants
SampleUntrained adults; total sample not stated in the indexed abstract
InterventionBetaine 2 g/day, creatine 20 g/day, their combination or placebo
Duration10 days
EndpointsMuscle phosphocreatine; Strength; Power

What the study showed, in plain terms

Published in 2012, this source examined exercise performance and body composition. Design: Randomized controlled trial. Sample/model: Untrained adults; total sample not stated in the indexed abstract. The exposure or intervention was Betaine 2 g/day, creatine 20 g/day, their combination or placebo. Follow-up or treatment period: 10 days.

Creatine increased muscle phosphocreatine and selected strength/power measures. Betaine alone did not, and adding it to creatine did not provide a clear extra benefit.

Short loading study in untrained participants; no evidence here that betaine reproduces creatine's effects.

Continue with TMG Data Center

Continue with Betaine Anhydrous Pre-Workout: Performance, Dose and Evidence

Key findings

  • Creatine increased muscle phosphocreatine and selected strength/power measures.
  • Betaine alone did not, and adding it to creatine did not provide a clear extra benefit.
  • The recorded outcome domains were Muscle phosphocreatine; Strength; Power.
  • The result applies to the tested exposure: Betaine 2 g/day, creatine 20 g/day, their combination or placebo; 10 days.

What this study can and cannot tell us

  • Short loading study in untrained participants; no evidence here that betaine reproduces creatine's effects.
  • An individual controlled trial must be interpreted alongside its comparator, sample size, endpoint selection and independent replication. It does not validate a different commercial formulation or a general longevity claim.
  • Source basis: Indexed abstract and bibliographic data. Missing method details, funding information or participant denominators are not inferred.

Related papers in the corpus

Tier 2
Effects of chronic betaine supplementation on exercise performance: Systematic review and meta-analysis
Emilia Zawieja et al. · Journal of sports sciences · 2024
Tier 2
Effects of betaine supplementation on endurance exercise performance: a systematic review
Marie Stella Louise Perreras et al. · Physical activity and nutrition · 2025
Tier 1
Betaine supplementation fails to improve body composition: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Damoon Ashtary-Larky et al. · The British journal of nutrition · 2022
Tier 2
Betaine Supplementation Improves 60 km Cycling Time Trial Performance and One-Carbon Metabolism in Cyclists During Recovery
David C Nieman et al. · Nutrients · 2025
Tier 2
Betaine Supplementation Does Not Improve Muscle Hypertrophy or Strength Following 6 Weeks of Cross-Fit Training
Tatiana Moro et al. · Nutrients · 2020

Citation network

Articles citing this research paper

2 articles

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

Editorial review

Reviewed by the Biohack Blueprint research team

Last verified

Dr. Khaled Mahmoud, MBBChCritical Care Medicine, Longevity Science & Editorial Direction Dr. Amr Yasser, PhDCardiometabolic, Musculoskeletal, Gut & Bioavailability Dr. Abdulla Mostafa, PhDCellular Senescence, Neurological, Mitochondrial & Brain-Ageing Biology