Creatine is loved by all types of athletes, from bodybuilders to Premier League footballers. Even Hollywood stars like Ryan Reynolds and Mark Wahlberg have been known to incorporate it into their ‘shredded for the camera’ regimes.
Thanks to the muscle-building benefits it is said to provide, creatine is one of the most widely used supplements on the market.
but why? What does creatine actually do? How does it work and what is one of the few supplements that seems to make a real difference when so many others give you nothing you’re already getting from your diet?
More interestingly, why is this supplement that is so strongly associated with physical enhancements suddenly claiming benefits for your brain as well?
Undefined
What does creatine do?
Creatine is nothing new; It has been used by athletes for decades. Footballer Ian Wright once described it as his ‘wonder drug’ and British sprinters and hurdlers Linford Christie and Sally Gunnell were also fans of the supplement.
Its benefits are down to basic exercise physiology.
Creatine is found naturally in your muscles and brain. It increases the storage of phosphocreatine which helps in the formation of adenosine triphosphate (ATP). ATP provides the energy your muscles need to contract. Creatine is produced in your body (you get about 1-2 grams of it per day) and consumed in your diet, but not in significant amounts.
“Muscle phosphocreatine stores are limited to 5-10 second maximal efforts. [very short, intense bursts of activity]says Dr Mark Fell, nutritionist and scientific officer for the Ineos Grenadiers pro cycling team. Therefore, increasing creatine intake through supplementation allows your body to start a workout with full stores of phosphocreatine and keep them topped up during exercise.
“Creatine is commonly found in red meat and shellfish, but only in small amounts. That’s why creatine supplementation is so popular—it’s the easiest way to increase muscle stores in a relatively quick time frame.
A 2003 review found that 500 studies had been conducted on creatine. 70 percent of them reported statistically significant results, while the remaining studies reported “non-significant gains in performance.” But what exactly is this ‘profit’?
“Because creatine engages the more immediate energy system, it is of particular benefit to athletes who do sprints and weight training. It helps them build muscle mass and strength,” Fell says.
How much increase? A study from 1999 showed a 32 percent increase in weight lifting compared to a placebo group during a 12-week training period. Meanwhile, a 2017 study showed that muscle mass increased by 7.2 percent over an eight-week period.
Sounds great right? But not everyone can expect to get the same results. “For endurance athletes [who perform less intense efforts over longer periods]”The benefits of creatine are less, but they still have benefits if they incorporate repeated short, high-intensity efforts into their training,” says Fell.
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How does it help your brain?
But what if setting new personal bests in the gym or on the athletics track isn’t your goal? Is creatine of any use to the ‘normal’ population? Accumulating evidence suggests that creatine supplementation may benefit your brain, too. In a similar way to how it benefits your body – by enabling you to produce more energy when the demand is greater.
That’s important because, despite making up only two percent of your body mass, the brain is a fuel-guzzling machine that burns 20 percent of your resting energy.
“Research in this area is in its early stages so it is difficult to draw conclusions. However, high doses of daily creatine supplementation can improve cognitive functions such as memory, processing speed, executive and sports performance,” says Fell.
“Additionally, preliminary data also suggest that creatine may have some potential for recovery after concussion in young adults.”
Julia Fabienne Sandkühler is a PhD candidate at the University of Bonn in Germany and co-author of the 2023 study examining the effects of creatine supplementation on cognitive function. While small improvements in cognition are generally measured, she suggests there are larger benefits for specific demographics.
“For people with cerebral creatine deficiency syndrome, the effects of creatine supplementation have large and well-supported cognitive benefits. Conditions that cause creatine deficiency in the brain lead to profound intellectual disability, which can be reversed by creatine supplementation,” she says.
“There is also evidence that creatine levels in the brain can decrease with age. This happens with muscle creatine levels, and it is unclear whether this is a consequence of aging or other causes such as dietary choices or less physical activity.
Should you take creatine?
There are hundreds of studies showing that creatine can increase your strength and power, and there’s a growing evidence base that it can benefit your brain, but how much should you be taking? “There are different options [if you’re looking for physical improvements] It depends on how quickly you want to increase your creatine stores,” Fell says.
“One option is to start with a ‘loading’ dose of 20g of creatine per day for five days (divided into 4 x 5g doses), followed by a daily maintenance dose of 3-5g. Or take a longer maintenance dose of 5 grams per day. The main thing is that it is consistent on a daily basis. “
Due to the difficulty of crossing the blood-brain barrier, that figure rises to 10 grams per day for potential cognitive benefits. If you decide to try it, use creatine monohydrate, which is the most proven, and take it with water.
When used correctly, creatine provides benefits. So, what’s the catch?
“[It] There are some side effects,” Fell says. “The most common is weight gain, which happens because creatine causes muscle water retention, which can reach 1-2kg (2-4lbs) depending on the dose. This is different and it’s for everyone. Not experienced, and this often resolves very quickly.
Water retention is not the only adverse effect associated with creatine. Being so widely used means that it is associated with many other things. But, after caffeine, creatine is the most studied supplement on the planet, and a 2021 review looked at common beliefs about the potential side effects of creatine supplementation.
For example: creatine damages the kidneys. According to the review: “When taken in recommended doses, it does not.” Creatine causes hair loss; “Current evidence does not show that creatine supplementation causes hair loss or baldness.” Does Creatine Cause Cramps? “No.” Does it increase fat mass? “No.” And so on, but all with the caveat, “when taken in the recommended dosage.”
Then creatine has some merit, especially if you’re looking to improve your running speed or ability to lift heavy weights. When it comes to your brain, evidence is building that it helps you think more clearly and remember things faster, even when you’re under a lot of stress or you’re getting older.
However, all come with the “taken at recommended dosage” caveat, since creatine is a supplement — a substance you probably already get enough of if you’re healthy and eat a balanced diet.
Remember to consult your doctor before adding supplements to your diet or starting a new exercise program..
About our experts
Dr. Mark Fell A nutritionist and scientific officer for the Ineos Grenadiers pro cycling team.
Julia Fabienne Sandcooler PhD in Experimental Psychology from the University of Bonn, Germany. Her work has been published medRxiv, BMC MedicineAnd Scientific data.
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