Association between dietary creatine intake and serum biomarkers of spermatogenesis in males aged 12 years and older.

Graphical abstract:

Lay summary: Creatine is a nutrient that helps provide energy to different parts of the body, including the testes. Since making sperm takes a lot of energy, creatine might play a role in supporting sperm health. Some studies suggest it could help, while others raise concerns. However, it is still unclear what effect, if any, creatine from food has on sperm. To learn more, we looked at data from over 1,300 males in the US, aged 12 and older. We compared how much creatine they got from their diet with levels of two hormones in the blood that are related to sperm production. We found no strong link between dietary creatine and these hormone levels. This suggests that creatine from food probably does not have a major effect - good or bad - on male reproductive health. Since this study used existing data and did not test creatine directly in an experiment, we cannot say for sure if creatine causes any changes. More research, especially studies that look directly at sperm, is needed to better understand how creatine might affect fertility.