Your body relies on a variety of nutrients to facilitate basic movements and functions. One of those nutrients is creatine.
Creatine is a naturally occurring substance found in your muscles and brain, and is made from amino acids in your liver, kidneys, and pancreas. Its main function is to transport energy within the body’s cells, says Dr. Michael Roberts, a professor in the Department of Kinesiology at Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama. Creatine works by helping your body produce more adenosine triphosphate (ATP), a molecule that acts as your main source of energy.
According to the Mayo Clinic, the human body can produce about 1 gram (g) of creatine per day, with the rest provided through certain foods (particularly seafood and red meat) and supplements.
The benefits of creatine are probably best seen during exercise. According to research, creatine is used to generate the ATP needed to provide energy for the first 6 to 8 seconds of a workout. After that, you will need to create a new ATP to continue. Increasing creatine levels with dietary supplements can increase your body’s stores of phosphocreatine, an organic compound of creatine and phosphate that is used to generate new ATP during high-intensity exercise.
But creatine may have benefits beyond physical performance. It is important to consult your doctor before taking any dietary supplements. If you think creatine might be helpful, here’s an overview of what research shows how this supplement can affect your body and brain.
1. Creatine may improve strength, muscle size, and athletic performance
“Creatine may increase muscle strength, but [muscle size]”It improves performance, especially in high-intensity intermittent activities such as sprinting, weightlifting, and team sports,” says Heidi, a fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine and a sports nutritionist at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City.・Mr. Skolnik says.
The sport-specific benefits of creatine supplements aren’t limited to bodybuilders and power athletes. “What we’re finding is that creatine also has aerobic benefits,” says Kelly Jones, M.D., a board-certified specialist in sports nutrition based in Philadelphia. In particular, she says, creatine may increase your aerobic threshold, increasing “how long and hard you can move during long events.”
Supplementing with creatine can give you an extra boost, so you may be able to work out a few extra reps, lift a little heavier, or work out a little longer in the gym, which can help you recover after your recovery. Your muscles can come back bigger and stronger, Jones says. .
There is ample research to support these benefits.
According to a magazine review Latest Sports Medicine ReportA study published by the American College of Sports Medicine found that creatine supplements increase athletic performance and lean muscle mass, especially during short periods of exercise such as weightlifting and track and field events such as sprinting, jumping, and throwing. It has been shown that it is possible.
In another review, International Journal of Sports Nutrition, Creatine has been found to have the potential to improve endurance and performance in training that requires repeated low-intensity activities followed by high-intensity activities, such as mountain biking and triathlons.
Reviews have also shown that creatine supplementation promotes muscle growth in healthy young adults, but the effect is less clear in other groups such as older adults and people with existing health conditions. .
2. Creatine may enhance post-exercise recovery and rehabilitation
When it comes to the question of whether creatine can help with post-workout pain and injury recovery, the evidence is mixed. Latest Sports Medicine Report review. Some studies have shown that creatine may help with recovery and rehabilitation after injury, while other studies have found that creatine has no effect.
This review concludes that while there is not yet enough conclusive evidence that creatine supplements reduce muscle soreness or improve performance after high-intensity exercise, creatine may speed up recovery time in young people. They point out that a small number of studies have found evidence that this is the case. healthy people and athletes.
of International Journal of Sports Nutrition A review found that creatine has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties in the body and may speed post-exercise recovery after endurance training. Several animal and human studies have also shown that creatine may promote recovery after aerobic exercise.
Conclusion: Although there is no conclusive data that creatine helps with post-exercise recovery or injury rehabilitation, there is enough promising evidence to encourage further research in this area.
3. Creatine may prevent muscle loss
In addition to solid research showing that creatine may help build muscle mass, creatine may also help prevent muscle loss and, in some cases, recovery (due to reduced physical activity due to injury or chronic conditions such as arthritis). There’s also evidence that it may be a facilitator, Jones says.
Researchers theorize that creatine supplementation may lead to beneficial changes in muscle proteins and muscle cells that play a role in growth activity, although it is still not fully understood how this occurs. Not. These changes may simultaneously have a protective effect on the muscles and help prevent muscle breakdown.
According to a review, creatine may also reduce the risk of muscle mass loss and obesity, which increases with age. Latest Sports Medicine Report. The authors say that although more research is needed, there is some evidence that creatine helps maintain or increase the body’s muscle mass, strength, and bone density, especially when resistance training is involved.
4. Creatine may help women manage hormonal changes and improve mood
Skolnik says women are more likely to benefit from creatine supplementation than men. This may be due in part to the fact that women store 70 to 80 percent less creatine in their bodies than men, according to a review article examining creatine use in women from young adulthood to old age. It is said that there is.
Hormonal changes that women experience during menstruation, pregnancy, postpartum, and around menopause can also affect creatine levels, so supplementation is especially important during these times. However, “it’s important for pregnant women to consult their doctor before taking supplements,” notes Jones.
In addition to the typical strength and athletic performance benefits seen with creatine supplementation, women may also experience positive effects on mood. This may be particularly important because women are more likely to experience a major depressive episode (approximately 10%) than men (approximately 6%).
According to a review article, creatine may work by promoting energy utilization in the brain, which is essential for cell survival and mood. Research also shows that women have lower creatine levels in the frontal lobe, the part of the brain that controls mood, cognition, memory, and emotion, so supplements can increase these stores, leading to improved mood. There is a possibility.
5. Creatine may benefit cognition and brain health
Creatine may also benefit cognitive function.A review of creatine supplementation and brain health published in the same journal found that creatine supplements reduce mental fatigue, which can affect performance in sports that require motor control, decision-making, coordination, and reaction time. Some research suggests that it may be possible to nutrients.
For example, one study of rugby players found that creatine supplementation reduced the effects of sleep deprivation on pitching accuracy.
Another review that looked at creatine’s possible effects on health and disease found that creatine supplements can help increase the amount of creatine in the brain, which may help improve cognition, especially as we age. . According to this review, several studies have found that taking creatine supplements may reduce mental fatigue and improve cognition, executive function, and memory.
For example, in one study, participants who took 8 grams (g) of creatine for 5 days had increased brain oxygen utilization and reduced mental fatigue when performing repetitive mathematical calculations. I understand that. Another study found that taking 5g of creatine for six weeks improved memory and processing speed.
The review also found that long-term memory tasks improved significantly in older study participants who took creatine supplements.
In short, while there is still not enough evidence to say that creatine conclusively leads to improvements in cognitive function in everyone, studies have shown that creatine is particularly effective in people recovering from brain injuries, concussions, and hypoxia (low oxygen levels). , suggesting that creatine supplementation may have some benefits on cognitive function. (in body tissues). Creatine levels in the brain of people with brain injury are reduced, so supplements may help restore creatine levels. This may improve the brain’s energy expenditure and promote recovery. nutrients review.
6. Creatine may help improve blood sugar control
According to a review of creatine’s possible effects on health and disease, research shows that creatine supplements may help manage blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes, especially when combined with an exercise program.
In one study cited in the review, researchers gave participants either a placebo or a creatine supplement and had them participate in an exercise training program. Researchers found that creatine supplementation improved blood sugar control and led to significant reductions in A1C levels.
Another review found that studies comparing creatine supplementation with placebo and diabetes medications showed that creatine supplementation was as effective as drugs in lowering blood sugar levels (although , the researchers note that larger and more extensive studies need to be conducted before these initial findings can be confirmed).
7. Creatine may help heart health
There’s a lot of evidence to suggest that creatine may also benefit heart health. According to a review on its role in heart health and disease, creatine helps us synthesize ATP and increase levels when needed, such as during ischemia (a condition in which there is a lack of blood flow and oxygen). It is the fastest biochemical system used by cells. It decreases in some parts of the body, such as the heart).
Researchers found that creatine supplements increase energy availability when the body needs it most, such as during intense exercise or when there is not enough ATP due to reduced blood flow or cardiac ischemia. They theorize that it may play a role.
And, according to the review, several studies have shown improvements in muscle function and strength in heart failure patients who took creatine as part of their treatment.
The review points out that heart failure is caused by a decrease in available energy and that one of the ways to treat it is to increase phosphocreatine levels in the failing heart. The review also notes that studies have shown that creatine supplements may partially improve heart function in heart failure patients, but an even bigger benefit is that creatine improves muscle endurance and strength in the body. They concluded that this may have something to do with the fact that patients with heart failure can improve their cardiac function. Overall health and quality of life in heart failure patients.
Creatine also helps lower high triglycerides, a type of fat found in the blood. High levels of triglycerides can increase your risk of heart disease. A small study of adults in their late 50s found that four weeks of creatine supplementation significantly improved triglyceride levels.
