How Exercise & Creatine Protect Muscle & Metabolic Health As You Age
Blood sugar is influenced by more than just diet. It’s also shaped by stress, sleep, and lifestyle habits. All of these can either help or hurt your blood sugar response, affecting your risk for metabolic dysfunction and type 2 diabetes.
But an underrated player in managing your blood sugar levels is muscle mass. A new research review highlights a two-way relationship between muscle health and blood sugar1, and how preserving muscle—specifically through exercise combined with creatine supplementation—are key habits for metabolic health.
Here’s what you need to know.
The link between muscles and blood sugar
Skeletal muscle is actually the main site where sugar from the bloodstream gets stored or used.
When muscle mass and quality decline (which can happen with age and inactivity), there’s less tissue available to absorb glucose, making it harder for the body to maintain steady blood sugar levels.
The situation is further complicated by insulin resistance, a condition in which your muscle cells become less responsive to insulin, the hormone that signals them to take in glucose.
When insulin resistance develops, muscles struggle to absorb sugar effectively.
This leads to higher blood sugar levels, which can eventually worsen metabolic health and accelerate muscle loss. It’s a vicious cycle. But it’s one that you can break, especially with the help of exercise and creatine.
How exercise helps
Exercise has long been known to improve blood sugar control, and it does so through two powerful pathways.
- Insulin-dependent uptake: Regular movement makes cells more responsive to insulin, so the body doesn’t have to release as much to get glucose into muscles.
- Insulin-independent uptake: Muscle contractions themselves can drive glucose into cells through a transporter called GLUT4, even when insulin sensitivity is low.
This means that every time you move (especially with resistance or moderate-intensity aerobic training), you’re clearing glucose from your bloodstream. That’s why you’ll often hear the advice of going for a quick walk after a meal.
Over time, that translates to steadier energy, lower fasting glucose, and more resilient metabolic health.
How creatine helps
So where does creatine come in? Creatine has long been used by fitness enthusiasts to build muscle, and it works. Plus, research continually shows it helps anyone (no matter your current fitness level) build more muscle than exercise alone.
Creatine helps regenerate ATP, your body’s main energy currency, during high-intensity efforts. It also supports muscle hydration, glycogen storage, and protein synthesis, all of which contribute to healthier, more metabolically active muscle tissue.
Why creatine & exercise work better together
The new review pulled together decades of research examining creatine and exercise together. Results overwhelmingly showed that creatine supplementation plus regular training produced greater improvements in glucose control and muscle health than either intervention alone.
In one randomized controlled trial, adults with type 2 diabetes2 who took creatine while participating in an aerobic and resistance exercise program three times a week saw significant reductions in HbA1c (a marker of long-term blood sugar control) and post-meal glucose levels. Those who exercised without creatine didn’t experience the same degree of improvement.
And, newer research suggests creatine can enhance the muscle’s ability to use glucose . It appears to increase GLUT4 activity and glycogen storage, and may even activate AMPK, a cellular energy sensor that helps the body pull sugar out of the bloodstream more efficiently.
Adding these habits to your routine
If strength training isn’t a regular part of your routine currently, take this as a sign that it should be! It’s recommended that everyone strength train all major muscle groups (like your core, back, chest, legs, etc) at least two days a week. And we have this great 4-week, at-home strength training guide to help get you started.
As for creatine, research shows that taking 3 to 5 grams of creatine monohydrate every day (not just on days you work out) is effective and increases muscle mass. Considering bumping up that dose to 10 grams a day if you want to target creatine’s brain health benefits.
There are hundreds (if not thousands) of creatine supplements out there, so it can be confusing to know which one is actually worth your time and money. We did the research for you and rounded up our 5 favorite creatine monohydrate supplements here.
The takeaway
Muscle mass plays an outsized role in your body’s blood sugar regulation. And losing muscle (which you can lose up to 8% of your muscle mass each decade after you turn 30), can hurt your metabolic health.
Exercise (especially strength training) and creatine supplements are effective habits to build muscle and balance blood sugar.
