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New properties of creatine '24
A well-established remedy reveals new properties
Kos Zharoid
January 15, 2025
Did you know that a compound famous for building muscles might also build brainpower? Creatine, your brain’s natural energy booster, is now linked to sharper thinking, better memory, and even resilience against stress and trauma. Could this be the key to protecting your brain as you age?
Creatine boosts brain health and function.
Creatine isn't just for athletes building muscle – it's a natural compound your body makes on its own. Most of it (95%) is stored in your muscles, while the remaining 5% is in your brain. You can also get creatine from eating meat.
Think of creatine as your brain's battery pack. It helps maintain healthy levels of ATP (adenosine triphosphate), which is basically your body's energy currency. When your brain has enough creatine, it can work better and stay sharp, especially during challenging mental tasks.
Recent research shows that taking creatine supplements can improve your mental performance in several ways. Scientists are particularly interested in how it might help with brain injuries, depression, and anxiety. Here's what studies have found:
Better brain energy.
When you take creatine supplements, the levels in your brain increase significantly. This helps your brain maintain stable energy levels, especially when you're doing mentally demanding tasks. It's particularly helpful for older adults and people under stress, improving their memory and ability to think clearly.
Your brain uses about 20% of your body's total energy, making it one of the most energy-hungry organs. During intense mental activity – like studying for a test or solving complex problems – your brain can quickly tap into this energy reserve.
Fighting sleep deprivation.
A 2024 study found that creatine can help counter the effects of staying awake all night. When people took creatine during an all-nighter, they performed better on memory tests and reaction-time tasks compared to when they took a placebo. The benefits lasted up to nine hours, with peak effects around four hours after taking it. People didn't just perform better on tests – they also reported feeling less tired, suggesting that creatine helps you stay alert when sleep-deprived.
Help for PTSD Researchers studying veterans found that creatine might help people recover from traumatic experiences. They discovered that veterans with higher creatine levels in a specific part of their brain (the anterior cingulate cortex) showed better recovery from trauma. While about 70% of adults have experienced at least one traumatic event, only about 6% develop PTSD, suggesting that most people have natural resilience to trauma.
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Protecting brain health.
Creatine helps protect brain cells and reduce damage from oxidative stress, making it potentially valuable for people with conditions like Parkinson's disease, ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease), and multiple sclerosis. While it's not a cure, studies show it can help slow disease progression and improve quality of life. For people with multiple sclerosis, creatine shows promise by helping normalize certain chemical levels in the brain and spinal cord fluid.
Other health benefits.
Beyond brain health, creatine can:
Help muscles recover faster after exercise
Maintain muscle strength during periods of inactivity
Improve physical function in people with arthritis
Help those with heart failure by reducing inflammation
Boost strength in people with various muscle diseases
Support healthy blood sugar levels
Improve bone density
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How to get more creatine.
The best natural sources are animal products, especially grass-fed meat and milk, except conventionally raised pork and chicken, as they are high in linoleic acid (LA), the most destructive ingredient in your diet. Excessive LA intake interferes with your cellular energy production and cancels out the benefits you may be getting from creatine.
However, consider a supplement and discuss it with a specialist to get the amounts used in research studies. Creatine monohydrate is the most well-studied form, and most experts recommend taking 3-5 grams daily.
If you decide to try creatine supplements, consistency is key. Many people start with a "loading phase" of higher doses for the first week, but research shows that simply taking the regular dose daily will eventually achieve the same results. It's important to drink plenty of water when taking creatine.
Creatine is generally safe when taken as recommended. However, higher doses (10 grams or more) might cause stomach discomfort or diarrhea; very high doses (20 grams) could cause water retention. To avoid these issues, stick to the recommended amount.
Regular creatine use may have lasting benefits for brain health as you age. Since cognitive decline often involves decreased energy metabolism in the brain, maintaining adequate creatine levels could help protect against age-related mental decline.
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Warm regards,
Kos and Helen.
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