While most diets Supplements are a waste of money. — sold at premium prices, but returning little or nothing health benefit For the consumer: there are some who buck the trend. Creatine is one of them.
The compound, commonly sold in powder form, is relatively inexpensive, fairly safe at recommended doses, and remarkably effective in delivering its marketed benefits: enhancing athletic performance, accelerating recovery and preventing injuries.
Creatine is naturally synthesized in the liver, kidneys, and pancreas at the rate of approximately one gram per day. The consumption of milk, red meat, shellfish and nuts as part of a balanced and omnivorous diet can contribute up to another two grams per day. However, one can easily and safely consume much more through powders mixed with liquids. Supplementing up to 30 grams a day in this way has been found to be safe and well tolerated long-term (at least five years).
a reward of evidence shows that taking creatine supplements raises the threshold for fatigue, which is especially helpful for explosive activities like weightlifting and sprinting. Creatine does this by fast replenishment adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the main source of energy for muscle cells.
But what once caught the attention of gym rats and competitive athletes has in the last two decades piqued the interest of health experts. Researchers have found significant stores of creatine not only in the skeletal musclesbut also in the brain, suggesting that consuming more of the compound could lead to unforeseen benefits.
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Animal studies have shown promise, so scientists have more recently begun conducting experiments on humans. Taking five grams of creatine per day for six weeks was found to dramatically improve both working memory and intelligence in a double-blind, placebo-controlled study. to study of 45 vegetarian young adults. A systematic review from other human trials supported this finding. There’s also evidence that taking creatine by mouth may shorten concussion symptoms. When used in conjunction with exercise, creatine gets better metabolism of blood sugar more effectively than exercise alone. Very preliminary investigation tips that the compound could decrease the severity of cardiovascular disease.
Could creatine treat depression?
By far the most compelling potential use of creatine outside of exercise is for the treatment of depression. a decade ago, a small eight-week study conducted in South Korea, 52 women took an antidepressant or the same antidepressant with creatine. At the end of the study, half of the women in the creatine group were free of depression, a success rate twice that of the group that received the antidepressant alone.
Two years ago, researchers at the University of Utah analyzed data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey of 22,692 people over the age of 20, finding that “after controlling for demographic and lifestyle variables, the risk of testing positive for depression was 31% lower among adults in the highest compared to the lowest quartile of creatine intake.” Consumers in the highest quartile got about a gram of creatine per day from their diet, while consumers in the lowest quartile only got 0.15 grams. They hypothesized that creatine might increase the metabolism and energy capacity of the brain.
More studies coming soontesting creatine as both an additive treatment along with more conventional depression medications and as a stand-alone treatment in higher doses, about 20 to 40 grams per day. While it’s too early to conclusively promote creatine as a treatment for depression, a trifecta of factors (low risk, high reward, affordable cost) make it really promising.
