- Creatine is the most well-researched ergogenic supplement, hands down.
- Your body can make creatine from amino acids or get it from animal protein, but it's limited.
- Supplementing creatine can boost athletic performance, cognitive health, and daily energy levels.
- 5 grams a day is the typical recommendation (with some variations).
I’ve been taking creatine for 5 years now, and I'm glad to see it becoming more mainstream. But there's still a lot of confusion around it, especially since many people still associate creatine with just 'bodybuilding.'
In reality, it offers a lot more benefits beyond muscle strength.
Even everyone's favorite health influencers—like Andrew Huberman—are now talking about creatine.
Honestly, you’d be crazy not to take creatine if you're interested in everyday health and performance.
All life relies on ATP (adenosine triphosphate) as the energy currency. ATP's repeating cycle of releasing and replenishing phosphate groups fuels nearly every function in our cells.
It’s a great dinner party topic if you ask me—life’s energy source at the molecular level!
Creatine (specifically phosphocreatine or PC) is key in this cycle.
Under high energy demands, creatine phosphate helps regenerate ATP [1] allowing us to keep going until other energy systems (like anaerobic and aerobic) kick in.
This process happens not just during peak exercise but also throughout our daily activities, making creatine much more than just a supplement for athletes.
Our bodies do make creatine (using amino acids like arginine, glycine, and methionine) and absorb it from animal protein, but even for those who eat lots of meat, this production is limited.
That's why supplementation is beneficial.
⬆️ Athletic Performance: increased strength during resistance training (see here) - this study showed an average ~5% increase for max bench press and squat which equates to 6.85kg and 9.76kg respectively (see here) - which translates to more power and faster gains
⬆️Lean Mass: creatine is on one of the few legal (and safe) compounds that help you gain muscle! (see here, here, here) - this meta-analysis showed an average 2.2% increase in lean body mass (see here) - but it's not just about lean mass.
⬆️Body Fat: in trained athletes, creatine has been reported to reduce body fat (see here) - this meta-analysis showed an average 3.2% decrease in body fat (see here) - but don't worry about the initial weight gain as creatine pulls water into muscle cells (see here)
⬆️ Cognitive Performance: ATP is a universal source of energy in every part of our body but the research is only catching-up on improved cognitive performance (see here) and reduced mental fatigue when stressed, sleep deprived or physically exhausted (see here)
❓ Cardiovascular Health: evidence is building on improved cardiac function, arterial stiffness and integrity (see here, here, here) but it's unlikely your cardiologist has suggested it, even if you're on a statin (see here)
❓Metabolic Health: potential benefits on glucose tolerance and other metabolic health parameters but this is less conclusive (see here, here)
❓Mental Health: early evidence suggests that creatine may reduce symptoms of depression in those with depression or bipolar (see here) and improve SSRI treatment efficacy (see here). It's an increasing interest area for Alzheimer's too (see here, here). This all makes sense within an emerging theory that metabolic disorders drive mental illness (see here for a book on this).
❓Sexual Health: our sperm uses creatine as an energy source so supplementation may even have interesting benefits for fertility (see here) despite mixed evidence on any benefits to sex hormones (see here).
For me, the cognitive benefits are the biggest driver now, but the overall breadth of benefits—from physical to mental health—is incredibly compelling.
We should all put our attention into diet before supplementation more generally but everyone can benefit from taking creatine:
- Type: creatine monohydrate has the most scientific evidence behind it to support its efficacy and safety (see here)
- Manufacturer: CreaPure, a German manufacturer (of course), is the global leader in micronised creatine monohydrate so keep an eye out for it on the label and then just choose a brand on price
- Dose: the rule of thumb is 5g per day for the average male but depends on lean mass (see here) and max-ROI dosage is still considered tbc (see here)
- Loading: if you’re keen to more rapidly increase your creatine stores you do a 'loading phase' at 0.3 g/kg/day for 5-7 days then pull back to the recommended 3-5g (see here) but I personally don't bother with this if I ever have a break (travelling, etc.)
- Timing: creatine absoption rates will be higher with insulin shuttling and so many promote taking it with carbs pre/post workout but some studies showed no material difference in body comp or strength outcomes (see here, here).
- Side effects: these are mainly limited to gastrointestinal distress (then skip the loading dose, halve into two doses morning and night, etc.) the loading protocol) but there are no kidney/liver risks, despite the elevation in creatinine levels (a blood marker of kidney function). If you have a clinical health issue then talk to your GP/specialist before adjusting diet/supplementation/exercise/etc.
I get everyone around me to take creatine—the first step into longevity, and performance.
If you're not taking it yet, I'd love to hear why.
Thanks for reading Zero Members!
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