Benefits
Bench press strength and lifting volume with training
In a 28-day trial of 48 active men, 3 g a day of creatine nitrate after a loading week raised bench press lifting volume more than placebo, while 3 g of monohydrate and 1.5 g of creatine nitrate did not differ from placebo. In a 6-day crossover of 28 adults, 6 g a day raised bench press 1RM, while 3 g and placebo did not. Cycling sprint and time trial results did not improve. Both were funded by Nutrabolt, which supplied the products.
Muscle creatine levels compared with monohydrate
In the 28-day trial, muscle biopsies showed creatine rose after the loading week with 3 g of creatine nitrate (4.6 mmol/kg) and with monohydrate (7.1 mmol/kg), but by day 28 only monohydrate stayed raised. A 5-day crossover in 10 men, partly funded by supplier ThermoLife, reported a larger rise with creatine nitrate (8.0% vs 2.1%), but its 7-day washouts may have been too short.
Nitrate delivery and blood nitrate levels
Because creatine nitrate is about one third nitrate by weight, 3 g supplies roughly 1 g of nitrate. In the 28-day trial, plasma nitrate rose in both creatine nitrate groups by day 7 and fell back by day 28. An expert review noted that it is unclear whether the strength effects seen come from the creatine, the nitrate, or both.
Blood pressure and heart rate at studied doses
Single doses of 1.5 or 3 g did not change heart rate or blood pressure differently from placebo or monohydrate over 5 hours in 13 men. Taking up to 6 g a day for 6 days did not alter responses to a standing test, and 5 g a day for 7 days did not change hemodynamics. Pooled trials of other nitrate sources, such as beetroot juice, found lower systolic pressure.
Exercise performance and focus when taken with caffeine
In a 7-day crossover of 12 resistance-trained men, 5 g a day of creatine nitrate alone did not improve lifting or sprint cycling measures versus placebo. Taken with 400 mg of caffeine, it scored higher on a Stroop attention test than creatine nitrate alone and improved that score more than caffeine alone. The university funded the trial.
Blood safety markers over up to 4 weeks of use
Across trials of 1 to 6 g a day for 5 to 28 days, liver, kidney and blood cell markers showed no consistent harmful changes, and side effects were similar to placebo. In one unblinded 28-day study of a multi-ingredient product, blood urea values rose slightly above the reference range at 2 g a day at one of two sites.
Mechanism of action
Creatine and nitrate in one salt
Nitrate bonds ionically to creatine to form a salt that is about 67.5% creatine by weight. Gram for gram it therefore supplies less creatine than monohydrate (about 88%), and 3 g provides roughly 2 g of creatine and 1 g of nitrate. The creatine it releases is the same molecule found in other forms.
Nitrate as a second active part
Dietary nitrate from beetroot juice or nitrate salts has been studied on its own: pooled trials found lower systolic blood pressure and, in endurance studies, small gains in power output and time to exhaustion. Creatine nitrate trials raised plasma nitrate but did not lower blood pressure, and have not tested whether the nitrate adds anything beyond creatine.
Muscle creatine uptake
In the largest trial, strength gains with creatine nitrate did not track muscle creatine, which rose during loading but was not maintained at 3 g a day, so reviewers suggested the effect may come mainly from nitrate. Expert reviews conclude that no other form, including creatine nitrate, has been shown to raise muscle creatine more than equal amounts of monohydrate.
Clinical trials
Two randomized studies: a crossover of single doses (1.5 or 3 g creatine nitrate, 5 g monohydrate or placebo) and a double-blind 28-day trial of 1.5 or 3 g creatine nitrate, 3 g monohydrate or placebo, taken four times a day for 7 days then once daily; funded by Nutrabolt through an unrestricted grant (Galvan et al. 2016, J Int Soc Sports Nutr)
13 men in the single-dose study; 48 healthy, recreationally active men in the 28-day study.
Blood markers, heart rate and blood pressure showed no consistent harmful changes, and side effects were minimal and similar across groups. Plasma nitrate rose with creatine nitrate by day 7, then fell by day 28. Muscle creatine rose by day 7 with monohydrate and 3 g creatine nitrate, but only monohydrate kept it raised at day 28. Bench press lifting volume rose more than placebo only with 3 g creatine nitrate; cycling sprint power did not improve. The authors found no evidence it works better than monohydrate.
Double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized crossover trial of placebo, 3 g or 6 g of creatine nitrate a day for 6 days with 7-day washouts; funded by Nutrabolt, with supplements packaged by ThermoLife (Dalton et al. 2017, Nutrients)
28 healthy men and women.
No differences among treatments in blood pressure and heart rate responses to a postural challenge, clinical blood markers or self-reported side effects. After 5 days, bench press 1RM rose with 6 g (6.1 kg) but not with 3 g or placebo, and leg press 1RM rose only with 6 g. A 4 km cycling time trial was not affected.
Randomized, unblinded study of 1 or 2 g a day of creatine nitrate in a multi-ingredient product (with vitamin C, vitamin E, taurine, glutamine and other ingredients) or no supplement, run at two laboratories; funded by MusclePharm, which employed six authors (Joy et al. 2014, J Int Soc Sports Nutr)
58 healthy young men and women.
Most blood safety markers stayed within normal ranges. A few markers differed between groups or labs, and at one lab blood urea and the urea to creatinine ratio rose above the reference range with 2 g a day, though the urea change was not statistically significant. The authors judged the changes of minor clinical significance. The study did not include any fitness testing.
Randomized, double-blind crossover trial of single doses and 5 days of 3 g creatine nitrate, 3 g creatine nitrate plus 3 g creatinine, or 3 g monohydrate; creatine nitrate supplied by ThermoLife, which partly funded the study (Ostojic et al. 2019, Food Sci Nutr)
10 healthy young men.
After one dose, serum creatine rose more with creatine nitrate than monohydrate, and most with the creatinine blend. After 5 days, intramuscular creatine rose 8.0% with creatine nitrate, 2.1% with monohydrate and 9.6% with the blend. The blend lowered estimated kidney filtration by about 15%, without any value falling to a clinically relevant level. Most participants found the creatine nitrate products had an unpleasant odor. A later review noted that the 7-day washouts may have been too short for creatine stores to return to baseline, so treatment order could have affected results.
Double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized crossover trial of 5 g a day of creatine nitrate, 400 mg a day of caffeine, both, or placebo for 7 days; funded by Jacksonville State University (Mabrey et al. 2024, Nutrients)
12 resistance-trained men.
Creatine nitrate alone did not improve bench press, leg press or Wingate sprint measures versus placebo. The combination improved bench press repetitions to failure versus placebo, as caffeine did, and scored higher on the Stroop interference test than creatine nitrate alone. Heart rate and blood pressure did not change, and no adverse events were reported.
Double-blind randomized trial of a multi-ingredient pre-workout supplement (creatine nitrate 2 g plus beta-alanine, caffeine, arginine alpha-ketoglutarate and other ingredients), with or without synephrine, or placebo, for 8 weeks of training; funded by Nutrabolt through an unrestricted grant (Jung et al. 2017, J Int Soc Sports Nutr)
80 resistance-trained men.
No overall group differences in body composition, resting heart rate and blood pressure, 1RM strength, sprint capacity or blood chemistry; some measures of strength and cognition improved more than placebo at 4 weeks but not at 8 weeks. Side effects did not increase. Because the product had many active ingredients, no result can be credited to creatine nitrate.