Creatine is a naturally occurring nitrogenous organic acid that plays a fundamental role in providing energy to muscle and nerve cells. It is synthesized primarily in the liver and kidneys and stored predominantly in skeletal muscle tissue. This compound is also found in dietary sources, particularly meat and fish. The history of creatine begins with its initial discovery as a simple chemical component and culminates in its modern status as one of the most studied performance supplements globally.
The Initial Isolation and Identification
The first true identification of creatine occurred in 1832, when French chemist Michel Eugène Chevreul successfully isolated the substance from the skeletal muscle of an animal. Chevreul named his discovery “creatine,” deriving the designation from the ancient Greek word for meat, kreas. This finding established creatine as a distinct chemical entity present in muscle. In 1847, German scientist Justus von Liebig confirmed the presence of creatine in the muscle of various mammals, further solidifying its association with animal tissue.
Decades of Scientific Understanding
Following its isolation, the scientific community spent the next century piecing together creatine’s physiological function. Early in 1912, Harvard University researchers Otto Folin and Willey Glover Denis demonstrated that ingesting creatine could significantly increase the creatine content stored within muscle tissue. This observation suggested the body could retain and utilize creatine consumed through the diet.
The most profound breakthrough came in 1927 with the independent discovery of phosphocreatine, also known as creatine phosphate. Grace and Philip Eggleton at the University of Cambridge initially called the compound “phosphagen,” while Cyrus Fiske and Yellapragada Subbarow at Harvard made a similar finding almost simultaneously. This phosphorylated form was revealed to be a rapidly mobilizable reserve of high-energy phosphates in muscle cells.
The discovery of phosphocreatine revolutionized the understanding of muscle bioenergetics, placing creatine at the center of the cell’s energy production system. It was later determined that phosphocreatine donates a phosphate group to adenosine diphosphate (ADP), quickly regenerating adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the primary energy currency for muscle contraction. This mechanism, facilitated by the enzyme creatine kinase, explained how muscles could sustain short bursts of high-intensity activity.
The Transition to Performance Supplementation
For decades after the 1920s, creatine remained primarily a subject of academic scientific research rather than a commercial product. The shift into the public consciousness and the athletic world began in the early 1990s, gaining significant mainstream attention following the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. Reports circulated that several medal-winning athletes, including British sprinters, had used creatine to enhance their training and performance.
Capitalizing on the sudden demand, a company known as Experimental and Applied Sciences (EAS) introduced the first commercially available creatine monohydrate supplement in 1993. The product was marketed under the brand name Phosphagen, a direct nod to the Eggletons’ original scientific term for phosphocreatine. The rapid success of this and subsequent products, fueled by further scientific studies confirming its benefits for strength and muscle mass, officially launched the modern sports nutrition market.