Also known as: COP, Creatinol phosphate, Cardiotrophin
Performance & PowerEarly evidence
A buffering compound that resembles creatine and does something different. Sold for extending sets, on a small and largely non-English research base.
Typical dose
1.0–2.0 g per day
Before training
What it is
Creatinol-O-phosphate is a synthetic compound structurally similar to creatine, developed and studied in Italy from the 1970s onward for cardiovascular purposes.
The resemblance to creatine causes reasonable confusion, and the two work quite differently. Creatine increases phosphocreatine stores for regenerating ATP; COP acts as an intracellular buffer.
It appears in a number of pre-workout products, usually at doses well below anything studied, which is worth checking before assuming a formula contains a meaningful amount.
How it works
COP is proposed to buffer hydrogen ions inside muscle cells, delaying the drop in pH that accompanies hard efforts and contributes to fatigue.
That places it alongside beta-alanine, which raises intracellular carnosine for the same purpose, rather than alongside bicarbonate and citrate, which buffer outside the cell.
The original cardiovascular research proposed that it supports energy production under low oxygen conditions by favouring anaerobic pathways, which is where the performance interest originated.
What the evidence shows
The original Italian research from the 1970s and 1980s covered cardiovascular applications and is largely unavailable in English, which makes it difficult to assess properly.
Modern trials in exercise are very few. One reported improved training volume when COP was combined with beta-alanine and creatine, which makes the individual contribution impossible to separate.
The mechanism is coherent and the human exercise evidence is close to absent. Beta-alanine does the same job intracellularly with a far larger evidence base and at lower cost.
Dosing
Products typically use 1 to 2 g before training, though these figures come from convention rather than from dose-finding research in exercise.
Check the amount in any pre-workout containing it. Inclusion at 250 or 500 mg is common and is well below anything that has been examined.
If buffering is the goal, beta-alanine at 3.2 to 6.4 g daily is the better-supported route, with sodium bicarbonate or citrate covering the extracellular side. COP is worth treating as speculative rather than as an established addition.
At a glance
Common forms
Creatinol-O-phosphate powder, Within pre-workout blends, Beta-alanine (better-evidenced alternative)
Half-life / duration
Not characterised in exercise contexts
Timing
Before training
Competition status
Permitted — not on the WADA Prohibited List
Category
Performance & Power
Safety and side effects
COP has a long history of use in Italy without major safety concerns emerging, and reported effects at supplemental doses are mild.
Modern safety data in healthy exercising adults is limited, and long-term data at supplemental doses does not exist.
Speak to your doctor before use if your heart rhythm is being managed, or if you take regular medication.
Who should avoid it
Speak to your doctor before use if your heart rhythm is being managed, or if you take regular medication. Modern safety data in healthy adults is limited and long-term data does not exist. Not established in pregnancy or breastfeeding. Not suitable for under-18s.
This entry is provided for information only. Food supplements should not be used as a substitute for a varied and balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle. Consult a qualified healthcare professional before use if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, taking medication or under medical supervision.
