Rogerson explains that creatine has a modest benefit that varies from individual to individual, it will not result in some “life-changing, massive improvement.”

Beyond the muscle-building and endurance effects, emerging data suggests creatine could also have neuroprotective effects — helping mitigate the devastating and deadly risks of concussions, traumatic brain injuries, and spinal cord injuries. Evidence is preliminary, Antonio says, but if the results confirm the early findings, that could be game-changing for sports that are rattled by CTE.

“When you’re dealing with healthy people, there’s not a downside to taking creatine for your brain,” Antonio says. “And there might be an upside.”

Creatine is especially helpful for power and strength activities that require short bursts of energy — like deadlifts or sprints.

“Any sport that involves muscular power of strength — it will help,” sports medicine professor Antonio says.