Is Creatine Better With Water or Juice? (The Inside Scoop on Creatine Consumption)

Rest assured, you are not the only one pondering, “Should Creatine be taken with water or juice?”

Creatine is without doubt the most frequently taken supplement.

It also happens to be one of the most studied and researched supplements too.

So, we are aware that creatine is completely safe and healthy, plus the impact it can have on our training and physique.

However, I know for a fact that not everyone enjoys the taste of creatine, even once it has been dissolved in liquid.

Probably the two most common liquids are water and juice.

But, is one better than the other?

Allow me to reveal all.

Is Creatine Better With Water or Juice?

Creatine is fine to take with water or juice, but water will always be the better alternative. Creatine supplementation requires you to consume more water on a daily basis anyway, so mixing it with water is a great option. However, drinking juice will typically cause an insulin spike, and insulin release can speed up creatine accumulation in the muscles. With that being said, a spike in insulin can often leave you feeling tired or sick. Furthermore, additional sugar consumption should be avoided if you’re trying to lose weight or body fat.

Creatine & Water

Firstly, I will say whether you choose to mix creatine with water or juice, there are positives and negatives to both.

However, personally I believe that there is a clear better option, and I shall get to that in a moment.

Okay, so let’s get to the advantages of mixing creatine with water.

Water is clearly the easiest and most convenient way to consume creatine.

Well, that is of course unless you’re someone who prefers to dry scoop creatine, although I definitely would advise against this.

One of the main advantages of mixing with water is that you should increase your water intake anyway when supplementing with creatine.

So, what better way to start off than mixing creatine with water in the first place.

Creatine will draw water in the muscle cells, which in turn means that there is less water for various vital organs in the body to function properly.

This is often why some people complain that creatine makes them feel ill or that they potentially have some type of allergy to creatine.

Basically, you need to top up your reserves of water to counteract what creatine does inside the body.

So, as long as you’re drinking plenty of water, you shouldn’t experience the side effects that some people complain about.

What About Creatine Water Retention?

You’ve probably also heard about creatine causing water retention and water weight gain in some individuals.

However, in truth, this is few and far between, and the vast majority of people supplement with creatine with absolutely no ill-effects.

Now, that doesn’t mean that water retention doesn’t occur for some of you.

This is also why certain individuals experience dehydration, muscle cramps, and even heat illness.

But, the remedy for all these things is to simply consume more water.

So, I hope you’re beginning to understand just how important water is when you’re taking creatine.

If there is one downside to mixing creatine with water, it’s the taste.

Personally, I usually just grin and bear it, but I know that some of you simply can’t stand the taste.

However, you can just dilute the creatine further by adding more water, which should eventually make it tasteless.

Creatine & Juice

Okay, I’ve spoken about the taste factor, and I would hazard a guess this is why many people choose to mix creatine with juice.

Basically, even though creatine is supposed to be tasteless and odourless, I think we all know that it does have a certain “twang” to it.

So, it makes perfect sense to dissolve your creatine in a sweet tasting glass of juice.

I know many gym-goers who choose to mix with apple, grape, or orange juice.

In fact, there are those who choose to mix it with certain energy drinks such as Gatorade or Powerade.

In effect, you’re getting all the goodness of creatine without the taste.

However, there is another advantage to taking creatine with juice that you may not be aware of.

The vast majority of juices contain sugar, which when consumed will spike your insulin levels.

There is scientific evidence to prove that insulin can enhance creatine accumulation in the muscles.

In effect, an insulin spike will literally send creatine straight to the muscles.

Does Insulin Really Matter?

Now, this initially sounds like a great reason to mix creatine with juice, but there is another train of thought.

Realistically, the whole point in taking creatine is to saturate the muscle cells with creatine.

This is typically also why it is often recommended that you have a loading phase with creatine.

The aim here is to flood the muscles with creatine as quickly as possible.

With that being said, even if you don’t go through a loading phase, the muscles will eventually become saturated with creatine anyway, but it will just take a little bit longer.

Therefore, once you’ve been taking creatine for a while there really is no need to “send creatine straight to the muscles”.

Basically, it’s already there.

Furthermore, many of us need to avoid sugar for a variety of reasons.

Perhaps, you’re looking to lose weight or body fat.

Maybe, due to health reasons you need to restrict your intake of sugar.

If this is the case, then mixing creatine with juice on a daily basis defeats the object, and may end up doing you more harm than good.

Additionally, you can get your “insulin spike” by simply eating carbs at the same time as you take creatine.

Plus, there are new scientific studies which prove that ingesting creatine alongside an equal amount of protein and carbs will have the same effect.

However, I still stand firm on the fact that you don’t need to speed up the process of creatine accumulation in the muscles once you’ve been taking it for a few weeks.

What Does Creatine Do & Which Form is Best?

The Water vs. Juice Creatine Verdict

I would hazard a guess that you’re already aware of which liquid I believe is better.

For me, the clear winner is water.

The simple fact that you have to increase your water intake when supplementing with creatine makes this an easy decision.

Plus, I believe that the sugar content of juice does more harm than good in terms of your physique and overall health.

And as I’ve mentioned, once you’ve been supplementing with creatine for a few weeks, there really is no need to speed up the muscle accumulation process.

Granted, creatine may not taste great when mixed with water, but the solution is to simply dilute it even more until your drink becomes tasteless.

Final Thoughts

So, I hope you understand that creatine can be mixed safely with either water or juice.

In effect, it does come down to a matter of personal preference.

However, for me, mixing with water is clearly the better option.

In fact, the only potential downside to mixing creatine with water is the taste.

But, I would much rather swallow down a tasteless supplement than experience spikes in insulin levels from consuming more sugar than I need to.

So, my advice would always be to mix creatine with water.

Next, you may also be interested to read what I have to say about Creatine HCL tasting sour.