Creatine is the most popular strength sports supplement. And rightly so: it is the only supplement whose effect — better performance — has been amply scientifically proven. The most commonly used form of creatine is monohydrate. But there are also coaches and manufacturers who recommend creatine hydrochloride (HCL). Which of the two is best?
WHY CREATINBE SUPPLEMENTATION?
By taking creatine supplements, you significantly increase the creatine supply in your body. This leads to more strength and power, better anaerobic capacity, less fatigue, and less muscle damage and muscle pain after training. See also our extensive FAQ on creatine supplementation.
WHY CREATINE MONOHYDRATE?
Creatine usually refers to creatine monohydrate. It is, so to speak, the standard form of creatine. In creatine monohydrate, the creatine molecule is bound to a water molecule (mono = one; hydro = water). It is by far the most researched type of creatine available. At Examine.com you can find a selection of all the scientific research that has been done on creatine, mainly monohydrate.
About creatine monohydrate Examine.com reports:
There are many different forms of creatine available on the market, but creatine monohydrate has been the most extensively researched and is generally the least expensive form.
Does creatine monohydrate also have disadvantages? Well, the most frequently mentioned side effects are fluid retention and weight gain. But in this article you can read that these are not serious side effects: creatine may cause temporary weight gain because your muscles retain more fluid. This increase has nothing to do with an increase in fat and/or muscle mass. In addition, the fluid retention as a result of creatine supplementation is mainly intracellular. This means that the fluid is retained in the muscle. As a result, your muscles swell slightly, which in principle makes you look fuller, that is to say ‘fuller’ as in more muscular!
WHY CREATINE HCL?
According to research (PDF), creatine HCL works just as well as creatine monohydrate. However, scientists have developed creatine HCL primarily to circumvent the most common side effects of monohydrate: fluid retention and weight gain. However, there is no human research to substantiate this. In addition, we have already seen that the side effects of monohydrate are not too bad.
Another potential benefit lies in the dosages you take. Creatine HCL consists of a creatine molecule with hydrochloride attached to it. The hydrochloride significantly improves water solubility and absorption. Because creatine HCL has greater solubility, you may be able to take a smaller dose than you would with creatine monohydrate to see the same results. It is also possible that HCL works faster. However, neither of these claims has been conclusively proven. Finally, greater solubility may be beneficial for those who experience stomach upset when taking creatine monohydrate.
In a systematic review from the University of Colorado, researchers found that most forms of creatine improve performance to similar degrees, but creatine monohydrate is significantly cheaper. According to their analysis, the average cost of a 5-gram serving of HCL is $1.10, compared to $0.29 for monohydrate. So even if you can get by with smaller servings of HCL, monohydrate is still considerably cheaper, as Examine.com also reported.
CONCLUSION
Despite some marketing claims, creatine HCL has no clear advantage over creatine monohydrate. Both forms of creatine may offer similar strength and muscle mass benefits. However, monohydrate has been studied much more than HCL.
You may be able to get by with smaller doses of HCL, but even then the product is still a lot more expensive than monohydrate.
So in general we recommend choosing monohydrate over HCL. Only if you experience stomach problems when consuming creatine monohydrate you should try HCL.