Creatine: What is It, What Does It Do & Should You Take It?

Creatine has recently gone mainstream. So in this episode we dive into the surprising benefits of creatine—not just for athletes, but for anyone looking to boost cognitive performance, energy, and longevity. Often associated with gym-goers and muscle building, creatine is actually one of the most researched and effective supplements out there, with growing evidence that it supports brain health, mental clarity, and even protects against age-related cognitive decline.

We explore how creatine works in the body and why it might be especially helpful for older adults, vegetarians, and those looking to stay mentally sharp. Plus, I look at how to supplement safely and effectively.

Research Sources

Creatine in Health and Disease

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7910963/

Creatine for Exercise and Sports Performance, with Recovery Considerations for Healthy Populations

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8228369/

Single dose creatine improves cognitive performance and induces changes in cerebral high energy phosphates during sleep deprivation

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-54249-9

Creatine: The bodybuilding supplement that boosts brainpower

https://www.bbc.co.uk/future/article/20250523-the-surprising-health-benefits-of-taking-creatine-powder

Creatine as a food supplement for the general population

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1756464621002176

Show Transcript

Creatine Overview

In this episode I dive deep, researching a powerful supplement. And the results this supplement deliver are that good it might be the closest thing to a legitimate "secret weapon" you can get. It’s a supplement that's been around for over 30 years and is widely used by athletes and bodybuilders around the world. It’s been studied in more than 500 peer-reviewed scientific papers, and continues to deliver results that few other supplements can match.

It's been shown to increase muscle strength by up to 15%, improve high-intensity exercise performance by 10-20%, enhance brain function under stress, speed up recovery after intense workouts, and even help preserve muscle mass as we age.

So what is this wonder supplement I’m talking about?

It’s creatine! 

And unlike many supplements that make big promises but deliver very little, creatine has decades of studies and anecdotal evidence to back it up.

Now if we rewind 25 years to when I was weight training in my early 20’s I remember creatine making waves back then and I used it for a while and saw some phenomenal results in strength and it helped me pack on noticeable lean mass over just a few months. But there’s a history of kidney disease in my family so I’ve always been very cautious about taking a supplement long-term if there isn’t a boatload of evidence to demonstrate that it’s safe. And back then creatine supplementation was really in its infancy, and while it was generally thought to be safe there were concerns about potential strain on your kidneys with long-term usage. And because creatine is a substance that our bodies produce naturally, some scientists were also concerned that sustained usage over a longer period of time could impair our bodies ability to make it naturally.

But that was 25 years ago and since then study after study has confirmed that it's incredibly safe for most people. And we're now talking about a supplement that everyone from elite athletes to weekend warriors have relied on for decades.

So whether you're looking to push through plateaus in the gym, recover faster between workouts, retain and build lean mass as you age or even support your brain health, today's deep dive into creatine might be one of the most valuable 20 minutes you'll spend on your health and wellness journey.

So, shall we dive in?

Creatine Basics: What is it and How Does it Work?

So let's start with the basics. What exactly is creatine? Well, contrary to what some might believe, creatine isn't some artificial chemical concocted in a lab. As I just mentioned, it's actually something your body produces naturally every single day.

Your liver, kidneys, and pancreas team up to create about 1-2 grams of creatine daily by combining three amino acids: and those are glycine, methionine, and arginine. Think of these amino acids as building blocks that your body assembles to make creatine.

But we also get creatine from our diet, particularly from animal products like meat and fish. A nice juicy steak? That's got about 2 grams of creatine per pound. Love salmon? You're getting about 1.5 grams per pound there.

But here's where it gets fascinating. Your body can only store so much creatine - about 120-140 grams total, with the vast majority of it - around 95% - stored directly in your muscles. The remaining 5% hangs out in your brain, liver, and kidneys.

The ATP Energy System

Now, I want you to imagine your muscles as a kind of biological battery. These batteries need energy to function, especially during intense activity. And that energy comes in a form called ATP - adenosine triphosphate.

Let me break that down a bit. ATP is essentially your body's energy currency. The "tri" in triphosphate means it has three phosphate groups attached to it. When your muscles need energy, ATP breaks off one of those phosphate groups, releasing energy in the process. This turns ATP into ADP - adenosine diphosphate. The "di" means it now has just two phosphate groups.

Think of it like this: ATP is like a fully charged battery, and ADP is like a partially drained battery. To recharge that battery - to turn ADP back into ATP - your body needs to attach another phosphate group.

And this is where creatine comes into play. In your muscles, creatine exists as phosphocreatine - essentially creatine with a phosphate group attached. When your muscles use up ATP and need to regenerate it quickly, phosphocreatine donates its phosphate group to ADP, turning it back into ATP.

It's like having a backup generator that kicks in when your main power source runs low! This process happens incredibly fast, which is why creatine is so effective for short, intense bursts of activity like lifting weights or sprinting.

Without this system, your muscles would only have enough ATP for about 8-10 seconds of all-out effort. The creatine phosphate system extends that to around 10-15 seconds. That might not sound like much, but those extra seconds can make a huge difference in performance.

How Creatine Supplementation Affects ATP

Now, let's talk about what happens when we supplement with creatine. Essentially, we're topping up our natural creatine stores to optimize this energy recycling system.

When your muscle cells are saturated with creatine, they can recycle ATP more efficiently during high-intensity exercise. This translates to real-world benefits that you can feel and measure.

Let me paint a picture for you. Imagine you're at the gym, doing your final set of squats. Without creatine supplementation, your muscles might fatigue after 8 reps. But with creatine-saturated muscles, you might be able to push out 10 or 11 reps with the same weight. Over time, those extra reps add up to greater strength gains and muscle growth.

I remember when I first started taking creatine years ago. I was skeptical, to be honest. But within a couple of weeks, I noticed I could push harder in my workouts. That final set wasn't quite as brutal, and I recovered faster between sets. It wasn't a dramatic, overnight transformation - and anyone who promises that is probably trying to sell you something - but the difference was noticeable and consistent.

The Research Backing Up Creatine

Let's talk about the research behind creatine, because this is where things get really interesting. Creatine isn't just some fly-by-night supplement with shaky evidence. It's been studied extensively for decades, with over 500 peer-reviewed studies examining its effects.

What's remarkable is how consistent the findings are. Study after study shows that creatine supplementation can increase maximal strength by about 5-15% and power output by a similar margin. That might not sound like much, but in athletic performance, those margins can be the difference between winning and losing.

But it's not just about raw strength. Creatine has been shown to increase lean body mass too. Now, to be clear, this isn't just about growing bigger muscles - though that's part of it. Creatine works through multiple mechanisms.

First, it draws water into your muscle cells through a process called cell volumization. Imagine your muscle cells as water balloons. When they're filled with more water, they're larger and more rigid. This increased cell volume can trigger protein synthesis - the process by which your body builds new muscle tissue.

Second, creatine appears to increase satellite cell activity. Satellite cells are like the construction workers of your muscles. When activated, they help repair and build new muscle tissue.

And third, creatine might reduce muscle protein breakdown. Think of your muscles as constantly being built up and broken down. If you can slow down the breakdown while maintaining or increasing the build-up, you end up with net muscle growth.

But wait, there's more! The benefits of creatine extend beyond just muscles and strength. Some research suggests it mi