![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.newscientist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/21122143\/SEI_230410937.jpg\")
<\/div>Creatine supplements are commonly available in powder form<\/p>\n
Shutterstock\/RHJPhtotos<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n
Creatine is one of the most widely studied performance-enhancing substances in the world. Once dismissed as just a bodybuilding supplement, its public popularity has grown hand-in-hand with interest from scientists.<\/p>\n
The supplement is generally associated with improved strength and muscle mass, but evidence suggests that it actually has a role in everything from growth in children<\/a> and adolescents to brain health<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cAfter 20 [to] 30 years of research on physical performance, we\u2019ve noticed a lot of health benefits,\u201d says Richard Kreider<\/a> at Texas A&M University. \u201cIt\u2019s a remarkable nutrient, which helps our cells in a variety of ways, not only for exercise performance.\u201d<\/p>\n It is a compound that is produced naturally in our bodies and those of other vertebrates. Primarily found in muscles, it also shows up in the brain<\/a>, blood, testicles and other tissues and organs.<\/p>\n Our bodies synthesise creatine, with 1 to 2 grams created each day by the liver, kidneys, pancreas and the brain. People who eat protein-rich animal products get roughly the same amount from their diet.<\/p>\n \u201cAny time you consume protein, those proteins are made up of amino acids, and if you put three particular amino acids together, it forms this molecule called creatine,\u201d says Scott Forbes<\/a> at Brandon University in Canada.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n It plays a critical role in the complicated way that our bodies produce energy at the cellular level, says Forbes. \u201cIt\u2019s converted and stored into a molecule called phosphocreatine, which can then be broken down into energy rapidly.\u201d<\/p>\n Like carbohydrates, creatine is used to produce adenosine triphosphate (ATP)<\/a>, which stores and supplies energy to our cells. It also seems to protect the structure and function of mitochondria<\/a>, the energy powerhouses inside cells.<\/p>\n Forbes says creatine is particularly useful when you are stressed or if your tissues are lacking oxygen, which can be brought on by conditions such as asthma or anaemia. \u201cAny situation when you might require more energy,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n Creatine has been available as a sports supplement since the early 1990s<\/a>, and has long been credited for helping athletes increase their strength and speed.<\/p>\n There are thousands of studies to support this, says Kreider. \u201cAn athlete that has higher creatine stores will sprint faster, recover faster, do more total work \u2013 a 10 to 15 per cent improvement in performance and training adaptation. It\u2019s not modest at all.\u201d<\/p>\n Supplementing with creatine also leads to rapid increases in muscle mass<\/a>, which is why it is popular among bodybuilders. \u201cWe have shown that trained athletes can have as high as a 3.5-kilogram increase in muscle mass within a 5 to 10 week period,\u201d says Kreider. \u201cThat is profound. Compare it to a control, where somebody is just training and having a normal diet, you may gain half a kilogram per month.\u201d<\/p>\n Creatine supplements may also be particularly beneficial later in life. \u201cWe recommend creatine for active ageing to reduce the decline in muscle [and] to maintain muscle performance,\u201d says Kreider.<\/p>\n But researchers stress that this isn\u2019t an elixir that can replace a healthy lifestyle. \u201cYou only really get the benefits, particularly from a muscle-growth perspective, if you combine it with exercise or resistance training,\u201d says Forbes.<\/p>\n A number of papers have shown that creatine supplementation can improve aspects of cognitive performance. One small study published earlier this year found that a single dose of creatine improves memory<\/a> and processing speed within 3 hours in sleep-deprived people, compared with a placebo.<\/p>\n But not all research has produced consistent results. In 2023, the largest randomised placebo-controlled study of creatine\u2019s effects on cognition to date found only a small beneficial effect<\/a>, equivalent to a 1 to 2.5 point increase in intelligence quotient (IQ) .<\/p>\n \u201cMost of the research shows that it might impact your brain, but in young, healthy individuals, it doesn\u2019t seem to play a big, big role unless your brain is stressed with sleep deprivation or mental fatigue,\u201d says Forbes.<\/p>\n And while the research on this is still in its infancy, there may also be a protective effect against neurodegenerative conditions \u2013 for instance, people with Alzheimer\u2019s have lower amounts of creatine<\/a> in their brains \u2013 or even physical brain damage.<\/p>\n \u201cFor example, if you get a concussion, you basically have an ischemic event: lack of oxygen to an area of the brain that limits its ability to function and causes swelling and inflammation,\u201d says Kreider. \u201cWe know, at least in animals fed on creatine, the concussion damage is reduced by about half.\u201d<\/p>\n Creatine works at the cellular level, so researchers believe that its positive effects could be widespread in the body. \u201cWe\u2019re finding that increasing the energy availability in the cell is critical, especially when there\u2019s a lot of limitations in providing energy,\u201d says Kreider. \u201cIf you have a heart attack or stroke, for example, [creatine] reduces the size of the damage because it\u2019s protecting those cells.\u201d<\/p>\n An analysis of data from the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey also suggests that creatine could be beneficial for children<\/a>. \u201cKids that grow up with less creatine in their diet have less muscle, they\u2019re shorter and they have a higher body fat,\u201d says Kreider. \u201cAdolescent girls who have higher creatine have fewer menstrual cycle issues.\u201d<\/p>\n He also points to studies that support the effects of creatine in strengthening bones<\/a>, reducing levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol<\/a> and managing blood glucose<\/a>, although reviews of multiple studies on the latter show inconsistent results for people with diabetes<\/a>.<\/p>\n An emerging consensus among scientists is that creatine supplementation is beneficial for pretty much everyone. Kreider predicts that, in time, this will be recommended for certain groups, including older or pregnant people, and anyone who doesn\u2019t eat meat, fish or dairy.<\/p>\nWhat is creatine?<\/h2>\n
What does creatine do in the body?<\/h2>\n
How does it affect physical performance?<\/h2>\n
How does creatine affect the brain?<\/h2>\n
How does creatine impact our wider health?<\/h2>\n
Who should take it?<\/h2>\n