IMPACTO DA SUPLEMENTAÇÃO COM CREATINA NO DESEMPENHO FÍSICO E NA RECUPERAÇÃO MUSCULAR: UMA REVISÃO NARRATIVA

Creatine is one of the most studied and used ergogenic supplements by athletes and those who practice physical activity to improve sports performance and accelerate muscle recovery. Creatine supplementation is widely used in sports to increase muscle strength, hypertrophy and improve post-exercise muscle recovery. This article reviewed the physiology involved in muscle creatine metabolism, analyzing the main physiological mechanisms associated with the observed benefits. Creatine acts predominantly by increasing muscle phosphocreatine stores, allowing rapid resynthesis of ATP during high-intensity exercise. Studies have shown significant increases in muscle strength and power due to greater immediate energy availability. Additionally, creatine activates anabolic mechanisms such as the mTOR pathway, stimulating muscle hypertrophy. Muscle fatigue is reduced by lower lactate levels and rapid recovery of energy stores. Despite the transient increase in serum creatinine levels, evidence shows renal safety in healthy individuals. This narrative review aimed to analyze the effects of creatine supplementation on physical performance and muscle recovery in athletes, based on recent scientific evidence. National and international articles published between 2013 and 2024, obtained from databases such as PubMed, SciELO and Google Scholar, were used. The results indicate that creatine favors the improvement of strength, power and muscular endurance, in addition to reducing markers of muscle damage and recovery time after high-intensity exercises. Supplementation has a high safety profile when administered correctly, being effective both in high-performance athletes and in non-professional practitioners, who experience an improvement in their quality of life during exercise. Therefore, it is observed that creatine is a valuable tool in the context of sports training, contributing to the optimization of performance and recovery.