Creatine monohydrate is one of the most widely studied and popular supplements used by people looking to improve their fitness and physical performance. It is a compound naturally found in muscle cells that helps produce energy during high-intensity, short-duration exercise. Despite its well-documented benefits for strength and muscle volume, a question persists in fitness circles about whether taking creatine can cause the voice to become deeper. This article will provide a science-based examination of creatine’s primary function, the true causes of voice deepening, and evaluate the evidence connecting the two.
Understanding Creatine’s Primary Function
Creatine’s main role is centered on the body’s immediate energy system, known as the adenosine triphosphate-phosphocreatine (ATP-PCr) system. When muscle cells contract intensely, they rapidly deplete their supply of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the body’s primary energy currency. Creatine is stored in muscles as phosphocreatine, which acts as a readily available reserve.
The phosphocreatine quickly donates a phosphate group to adenosine diphosphate (ADP), effectively regenerating ATP so that the muscle can sustain the short burst of activity. This regeneration allows for a few extra repetitions during a set or a slightly longer sprint, leading to greater muscle adaptation over time. About 95% of the body’s creatine is stored in skeletal muscle.
Another physical effect of creatine supplementation is the increase in muscle water retention. Creatine has osmotic properties, meaning it draws water into the muscle cells, a process called cell volumization. This increased intracellular hydration is a factor in muscle growth and contributes to the initial weight gain often experienced when starting the supplement.
What Causes Voice Deepening
The pitch of a person’s voice is structurally determined by the size and thickness of their vocal cords, which are housed within the larynx, or voice box. When these cords are longer and thicker, they vibrate more slowly, producing a lower frequency sound that is perceived as a deeper voice.
The most significant and permanent voice deepening, particularly in males during puberty, occurs due to the action of androgenic hormones, such as testosterone. A surge in these hormones stimulates the growth of the larynx, causing the vocal cords to lengthen and thicken substantially. This structural change is what results in the adult male voice, which is about an octave lower than the adult female voice.
Voice deepening in adulthood can also be triggered by changes in hormone levels or direct physical alterations to the vocal cords. Conditions like hypothyroidism or the use of anabolic steroids can cause the vocal cords to swell or thicken, lowering the voice pitch. Any structural change to the larynx that increases the mass or length of the vocal cords will result in a measurable drop in vocal frequency.
Evaluating the Link Between Creatine and Voice Changes
The widespread idea that creatine can deepen the voice is rooted in a single 2009 study that examined hormonal changes in male rugby players using the supplement. This research found that a loading phase of creatine increased levels of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) by 56% after seven days, with levels remaining elevated by 40% after a maintenance period. Since DHT, a potent androgen derived from testosterone, is directly involved in voice deepening and other male secondary sex characteristics, this finding became the basis for the anecdotal claim.
However, this initial finding must be viewed within the context of the broader scientific literature. Subsequent, larger, and longer-term studies have failed to replicate a clinically significant increase in androgenic hormones like testosterone or DHT. Critically, the temporary DHT increase observed in the original study kept the hormone levels within the normal, healthy range for adult males.
For creatine to cause a permanent voice change, it would need to induce structural, irreversible thickening of the vocal cords, similar to the effects of puberty or high-dose anabolic steroid use. There is no scientific evidence or clinical data suggesting that creatine supplementation, which is primarily an energy substrate, causes this type of structural growth in the larynx. While temporary water retention from creatine might affect vocal cord tissues slightly, any effect would be minor and not a true, permanent deepening of the voice.