The Surprising Benefits of Creatine

Creatine – It’s Not Just for Muscles!

If you’re interested in fitness, there’s no doubt you have heard of creatine. Maybe you’ve been supplementing with creatine for years, or you’re considering starting but are constantly being bombarded with conflicting reports of its safety and effectiveness; from ‘creatine is essential for muscle gain‘ to ‘creatine will destroy your kidneys‘ to ‘creatine will help your muscles to recover faster’ to ‘creatine is bad for women‘–I’ve heard it all. A sales associate at a nutrition store once likened the bloating caused by supplementing with creatine to “being on a month-long period”!

One fact about creatine of which you may not be aware: creatine is the most researched supplement in the world. There is an absolutely astounding body of information and scientific research out there dedicated to the investigation and analysis of creatine and its effects on the human body. Creatine is not only beneficial for our muscles and athletic performance; some amazing research has shown that creatine can improve our cognitive function, our bone density, our mental health—this is just the beginning of what creatine can do for you! 

What is Creatine?

So, what is creatine? Creatine is a nitrogenous organic acid that is produced naturally in vertebrates. The liver and kidneys produce creatine and most of it (around 95%) is stored in skeletal muscle—the muscles that move our bones. Creatine is primarily responsible for the recycling of ATP—adenosine triphosphate—which is the energy substance used by our cells. When a cell is depleted of ATP, the cell can no longer contract—which means that the muscle can no longer contract and it fails. One of the quickest ways that a muscle can restore its ATP is through creatine. The most common creatine supplement on the market is creatine monohydrate–and this form is also the most thoroughly researched and studied. It’s also widely available and inexpensive in comparison to most other ‘fitness’ supplements on the market–you can likely find it in your local grocery store!

Why Should I Take Creatine?

So, why supplement with creatine? While much of the creatine in our bodies is produced endogenously (meaning, in our bodies and by our bodies), much of our creatine content comes from the food we eat—specifically, from animal products. Most commonly, creatine is used to optimise muscle growth and repair and to provoke greater strength gains—which is why so many body-builders and athletes love creatine. It is commonly believed that creatine can provide that extra ‘oomph’ to one’s resistance program, helping to generate greater gains in muscular strength, and leading to improved and faster recovery. 

But what about the more ‘surprising’ benefits of creatine? Spoiler alert: it’s not just good for your gains! There is also some scientific evidence to suggest that creatine may have benefits such as cancer prevention, improving the efficacy of medication for major depression, improving memory and cognitive function, and even helping to slow the progression of Huntington’s disease. 

Below, I go into the science of creatine and its many benefits–in and outside of the gym! 

Benefit #1: Creatine Will Make You Stronger

Here’s where we get to the meat of the issue (pun definitely intended): muscle gain. Just how effective is creatine in promoting muscle hypertrophy and strength gains? Is the power of creatine more myth than fact? As it turns out, creatine lives up to its hype! One study performed on older adults (mean age of 57-70) found that a regular strength-training program in conjunction with creatine supplementation will produce greater gains in both muscle size and strength. Another study performed with high-school athletes found maximal strength massively increased through the use of creatine, though it had little effect on their explosive power. Creatine has even been shown to improve the muscular strength of people with spinal cord injuries. But, remember: creatine is a supplement, not a magic elixir that will give you supernatural muscle gains; you still need to train and eat appropriate to your goals.

One very important caveat: experts conjecture that there is a small percentage of the population that will not respond to creatine. One study found that individuals who respond most markedly to creatine supplementation–those who see improvements in muscular strength and muscle fibre growth–tend to have lower pre-existing levels of creatine, but more type II muscle fibres and greater fat-free mass. That being said, the researchers concluded that the only sure-fire way to tell if an individual will respond to creatine is to actually try supplementing with creatine–and doing it consistently.

Benefit #2: Creatine Will Make You Smarter

Yep, it’s true! Creatine has been shown to have many benefits for the brain, and may be effective in improving working memory, and intelligence in general. One study found that vegetarians showed greater improvements in visual memory than meat-eaters after supplementing with creatine. And these findings have been replicated elsewhere!

Many experts would strongly recommend supplementing with creatine if you are following a meat-free diet. Plus, as mentioned above, if you’re a vegetarian, and your body’s initial creatine levels are low, you may be more sensitive to creatine supplementation and enjoy greater benefits than omnivores, especially in the initial phases of supplementation. 

Benefit #3: Creatine May Help Fight Cancer

Some fascinating recent studies have shown that creatine may play an integral role in defending the body against cancer. One study, conducted in mice, is the first to show that “creatine uptake is critical to the antitumor activities of the CD8 cells, also known as killer T cells, the foot soldiers of the immune system.” The study found that these cancer-fighting cells actually need creatine in order to do their job properly and keep the body healthy. The study also found that creatine supplementation can improve the efficacy of existing immunotherapies.

Benefit #4: Creatine Wards Off Sarcopenia in Older Adults

While we know that creatine is an effective muscle-building supplement, one study looked specifically at the impact of creatine supplementation on adults over 65, and found that creatine is effective in repairing and rejuvenating ageing muscles and helping to ward off sarcopenia, an age-related deterioration of muscle mass and strength. It’s important to note that participants were also put on a strength training program for the duration of the study (12 weeks), but the researchers found that those supplementing with creatine experienced greater muscle growth than those who trained without supplementation. 

Benefit #5: Creatine Helps with Depression

In one large study performed in the U.S., over 20 000 participants surveys were reviewed to determine links between creatine consumption and major depressive disorder (MDD). Researchers found that individuals with higher dietary creatine intake had lower rates of depression. The association between dietary creatine and reduced depression risk was particularly strong in women, younger adults (ages 20-39), and those not using antidepressant or anxiolytic medications. In another study, a group of 52 women with major depressive disorder (MDD) were divided into two groups: for eight weeks, both groups were given Lexapro, an antidepressant medication. Half of the women were given creatine at the same time, while the other group received a placebo. The group taking the Lexapro in combination with creatine saw markedly greater improvements in their disorder much more quickly than the other group. 

Benefit #6: Creatine Improves Skin Wrinkling

Some studies have found that topical treatments with creatine can improve skin firmness and reduce wrinkles by promoting collagen production. One study found that when combined with folic acid, creatine as a topical treatment helped to counteract “age dependent” reduction in collagen.  

Are There Downsides to Creatine?

So, now you’re convinced—you want to try creatine! But what about its negative effects? 

One belief that constantly emerges in fields of fitness and bodybuilding is that creatine will make you retain water—and that this water-retention will provoke adverse side effects, such as bloating, cramping, and heat exhaustion. This is only partly true: creatine does cause water-retention, specifically in skeletal muscles. But researchers have investigated the claim that creatine will create shifts in fluid distribution (leading to bloating, cramping, etc), and have largely found this belief to be baseless. Creatine will oftentimes lead to weight gain, due to water retention—but which quickly dissipates, usually after the first couple days of creatine loading, and immediately after you cease supplementation. You may have also heard that post-supplementation with creatine, all muscle gains will be lost. This is simply not true; any weight or muscle size that you lose post-supplementation is likely water-weight. Which leads into the other commonly-held belief: creatine is bad for your kidneys. 

One study investigated the effects of creatine on renal function in healthy men and women over both short and long-term and found virtually no difference in kidney function between the control group, the short-term creatine group, and the long-term (over five years). That being said, most experts would not recommend supplementing with creatine if you have a history of renal failure or dysfunction.

As a final disclaimer, I would warn that creatine has been shown to increase dihydrotestosterone (DHT) in some individuals, a hormone that can cause acne and baldness. And though the link between gastrointestinal issues and creatine supplementation hasn’t been conclusively proven–some people do experience stomach cramping, especially in the initial phases of creatine supplementation. As always, please speak to your physician or medical professional before supplementing! 

So, if you, alongside countless other athletes and body-builders, are ready to take the plunge with creatine, where do you start? 

Creatine Loading

In the first few days or weeks, most experts would recommend saturating the muscles with creatine, or ‘loading’. This typically means a daily supplement dose of 20 grams—though this will vary, depending on your weight, sex, and age. One study found that by ‘loading’ their subjects’ muscles with a 20 gram daily dose of creatine for the first 6 days—and then tapering down to just 2 grams a day for the remainder of the cycle—maintained their muscles’ elevated creatine levels. An increase of just one gram—from two to three—increased their muscles’ creatine levels. I would recommend using a creatine calculator (that you can find online) and which will help you to determine your ideal creatine supplementation. 

Caffeine and Creatine: A Bad Mix?

One study found that the strength-gaining benefits that typically result from a creatine supplementation protocol are completely eliminated by caffeine intake–that being said, successive studies have largely been unable to reproduce these results. If you want to play it safe, consider taking your creatine supplement at a different time from your caffeine. 

Written by Theresa Faulder, Master’s in English, Certified Personal Trainer (completing), and Infofit fitness blog writer.

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