Creatine isn’t Just for Muscle, it’s also Great for Brain Health!
Supplementing weight-training with creatine is a tried-and-true weapon in the war against age-related muscle loss. [1]
But sarcopenia ain’t the only reason to add creatine to your life if you haven’t already (and if not, why not?!).
Creatine is a compound that contains nitrogen and can be synthesized by the liver and brain using the amino acids arginine, glycine and methionine. It helps maintain the levels of your body’s energy currency, ATP. ATP is needed for anything that requires the brain to utilize energy — which adds up to around 20% of your body’s total energy consumption.
That big brain of yours is an energy hog, and to function optimally, it needs creatine.
Low brain creatine is associated with neurodegenerative disorders, the severity of which typically correspond with the size of the creatine shortfall. And in people born with errors of creatine metabolism that interrupt its formation or transportation, the result is often developmental delays, intellectual disability, seizures, autism-like behaviors, and movement disorders.
To maintain a supply of creatine that is steady and reliable, the brain relies on two sources:
1. the supply produced by the liver and brain cells;
2. dietary intake: seafood, red meat, and these days, supplementing with creatine monohydrate.
Creatine supplementation has been shown to improve memory, cognition, and sleep quality in older adults. Traumatic brain injuries, such as concussion, respond well to creatine. There’s even emerging research showing that creatine helps treat the symptoms of depression and anxiety. And while animal-research should be approached with caution when extrapolating to humans, when female mice with Alzheimer’s disease were fed creatine for just over two months, it improved their spatial cognition. [2]
But is creatine safe?
I pity poor creatine. It can’t seem to get a break reputation’wise….despite the fact that there are now well over 1,000 peer-refereed, published papers that all attest to the efficacy and safety of supplementing with creatine. [3]
The recommended daily dose is 5g daily.
Note that some of the links below are affiliate links. I only recommend products & brands I love, and think you would love, too!
Optimum Nutrition Micronized Creatine Monohydrate Powder (Unflavored) 60 5g-servings
SOURCES:
[1] Creatine in Health and Disease, Nutrients (2021) https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/13/2/447
[2] “Heads Up” for Creatine Supplementation and its Potential Applications for Brain Health and Function, Sports Medicine (2023) PMID: 37368234 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10721691/
[3] Common Questions and Misconceptions about Creatine Supplementation: What Does The Scientific Evidence Really Show? Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition (2021) PMID: 33557850 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33557850/
