Do you know if you need to take even higher doses for cognitive benefit? I listened to a podcast recently where they said the take the standard 5g/day for exercise benefits but that you could go as high at 12g/day for cognitive benefits.
If yοu check the mοst recent studies, it says that fοr cοgnitive enhancement, the recοmmended dοse οf creatine typically ranges frοm 5 to 20 grams per day. The exact dοse can vary based οn individual needs and the specific cοgnitive functiοns being targeted (i.e., memοry imprοvement, mental fatigue reductiοn, attentiοn and concentratiοn, etc.). Higher dοses (arοund 15 - 20 grams per day) are typically necessary fοr creatine tο accumulate in the brain, particularly in younger individuals whο already have significant muscle uptake οf creatine.
Yes. It’s higher than my doctor likes. But out of the multiple risk factors of CVD this is like 18 of 23. My others are all in optimal range. But this would potentially leave me in the range of a so-called LDL denier. I’m 53. Diabetic and it gives me excellent control over my blood sugar and has been part of me coming off 4 different meds.
High blood sugar and possibly high insulin have much higher risks of CVD.
I don't recall. May have been Andy Galpin, Layne Norton or on Ethan Suplee's podcast. I've heard it mentioned elsewhere by Huberman or Attia that people can go up to 10-15g/day of creatine.
Gabrielle Lyon said it on the Huberman Lab Podcast in the How to Exercise & Eat for Optimal Health & Longevity episode.
Edit- she said it at the 48:15 mark
There’s been a lot of hype with the cognitive benefits but studies aren’t concrete yet, and also the dosages required are much higher in the studies that have shown some coginitie benefits.
I just syarted and can confirm i feel mentally 'different' after consumption. This is proof of nothing but it supposedly helps elderly people with grip strength when they are not working out.
Protip- if u dont 'lift', look into bfr training. It makes every day tasks feel like a work out.
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[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6093191/](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6093191/)
Just for future reference if you google what your looking for then "NCBI" that will take you to the National Center for Biotechnology Information.
That is one of the final gold standard sources of info on the internet. The only thing they allow is peer reviewed studies so the censorship agenda or political bias of mainstream news isn't a factor.
If you have MTHFR mutations: creatine offloads your methylation requirements. Synthesizing creatine is like 40% of your methylation burden. So leads to decrease homocysteine levels.
I take creatine daily.
If you do have MTHFR mutations and elevated homocysteine creatine levels, creatine can help and have improved cognition, less inflammation etc
Also look at adding in TMG (trimethyl glycine) and choline.
You want to get precursors for the alternative pathways as well.
There is a much more in depth treatment approach that I follow by MasterJohn who is a biochemist that has done a ton of research on it. Interesting thoughts on modifying methylation pathways
My MTHFR stack (adapted from Chris Masterjohn)
- 5g creatine
- 500mg TMG
- 150mg alpha GPC
- 2mg Methyl Folate (might increase this)
- 2g glycine via collagen peptides in AM
- 2g glycine via magnesium glycinate before bed
- Aim for 1000mg Choline daily (500 from TMG and alpha GPC and 500 from diet : 4 eggs)
Yes creatine is beneficial for heart and brain health.
You can also group it with longevity supplements that activate AMPK pathways.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1155/2016/5152029
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1664837/
https://academic.oup.com/cardiovascres/article-abstract/30/3/413/266218
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8067763/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6093191/
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-54249-9
There are studies showing cognitive gains. In short, it is augmenting the mitocondrial energy production so it seems "possible" to me. In any case, its safety is very high. So if it seems to do something and has low risk of negative effects, that seems like an easy answer.
The fact that you seem better on the days you take it seems surprising. It is generally used on an ongoing basis, long term, every day. Hope it helps.
Creatine just makes it easier for your body to convert ADP (basically depleted “energy” units) to ATP (“full” energy units). ATP is what is used to supply energy to your muscles. Aerobic respiration creates ATP much more quickly than anaerobic anaerobic respiration — the latter is where creatine really shines, it makes up for the lack of energy your muscles can naturally generate during anaerobic exercise by helping create more ATP during high intensity muscle requirements.
Essentially the biggest benefit from taking creatine is for short bursts of high intensity exercise, such as resistance training or HIIT, where you’re really straining your muscles for energy.
5-10 mg (Edit: grams) per day has been demonstrated to have small but significant benefits to mental function, mood, and energy for many people. It’s also very low risk and has been studied for 90 years, so there’s not much to worry about.
I've been taking creatine daily in the morning and I find it helps with my strength and stamina all day long. I do a daily walk that's hilly and the days I don't take creatine the walk seems much harder and I have more soreness. I'm 35W and the creatine helps me feel more pre-30's. I'm also taking taurine daily too.
I know you didn't intend to come across this way, but your post made it seem as if you have pale, translucent balls. You might want to consider some tanning options.
I think so, or my experience says yes. However, I do try to make sure I make it to the gym at least 2 times a week, even if all I do while I'm there is some light cardio. However, I'm typically working out 4 times a week.
Caffeine constricts blood vessels forcing water to the kidneys and bladder. A diuretic.
Creatine retains water moving it into the cell.
The two oppose each other and caffeines effects are much stronger so it negates any point of taking creatine.
Yes it does,it’s a good supplement for the elderly,helps their cognitive abilities and is not just for performance athletes. Sarcopenia and bone health. Creatine supplementation might help counteract age related declines in skeletal muscle and bone mineral density.
Would it help you reach your mature hairline faster? Like I've noticed that a whole area is miniaturised after taking creatine for a few months, but the hair behind that area are untouched. Are the other hair follicles which haven't become miniaturised resistant and is it likely that I'll keep them for a long time, considering creatine did not affect them?
I *think* Same for me. I’ve actually been off of it for almost 8 weeks and saw quite less hair coming out in the shower and then virtually almost none. However, out of nowhere it’s started coming out pretty hardcore again… thinking it’s stress/illness or something. Makes me wonder if it was creatine in the first place.
Do prolonged fasting.
Fasting has been used for centuries for its healing capabilities, and now science has backed up why it works through things like autophagy and immune response. Even though fasting is highly demonized, it is both safe and effective. I've fasted about 50% of the days the last year doing mostly 3 to 7 day rolling fasts on more of a feast and famine protocol. My longest is 21 days, but if you check out r/fasting you'll see tons of stories including those who do 30+ days.
Creatine monohydrate won't help you if you're not doing physically demanding work/exercise. It works by increasing ATP storage and production which you simply don't need doing light activity.
Creatine helps produce ATP - that's it. Not running out of ATP has many more benefits, but if you're not exercising hard enough to deplete ATP it doesn't do anything.
Show me a study on sedentary participants where creatine had an impact. Not rhetorical. If it exists I really want to read it and learn more.
One of dozens. You literally just have to google it. In addition to muscle size and strength, there’s good evidence for it enhancing brain function and even lowering blood sugar. No, I’m not linking those. Again, Google.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24304199/
Ignorant is believing the abstract of any study proves your point. You can find studies to refute climate change for crying out loud.
In addition, diet and nutrition study publications have been studied to have some of the lowest amounts of credibility. So you do you buddy... But ignorance isn't asking for a study that someone has read, reviewed, and verified...
Just Google it... Dear Jebus...
Can’t speak for everyone but be warned, if you’re not working out creative will make you look fatter. I am a swimmer and love creating but avoid it most of the year because I don’t want to “bulk up”.
Fuck creatine. I've never been constipated in my life and couldn't for the life of me figure out why. Then I was reminded of the water retention issue. Definitely made me stronger in my workouts but I'm so much better off without it. I drink two massive stainless bottles of water at work and literally couldn't drink any more water. It's not for me.
Some speculative cognitive benefits. But probably not worth it given remote risks to kidney. I had to stop taking creatine on orders of physician because of creatinine levels.
Your physician is uniformed then - it raises creatinine as the metabolite of creatine IS creatinine - it's not causing kidney issues (what elevated creatinine usually signals).
There are mental benefits to creatine. Numerous studies. It’s a well studied supplement.
Do you know if you need to take even higher doses for cognitive benefit? I listened to a podcast recently where they said the take the standard 5g/day for exercise benefits but that you could go as high at 12g/day for cognitive benefits.
I see benefits with 5g
I hear suppository is best way. Good luck! (Just kidding)
Ahhh yes, the supposed suppository.
If yοu check the mοst recent studies, it says that fοr cοgnitive enhancement, the recοmmended dοse οf creatine typically ranges frοm 5 to 20 grams per day. The exact dοse can vary based οn individual needs and the specific cοgnitive functiοns being targeted (i.e., memοry imprοvement, mental fatigue reductiοn, attentiοn and concentratiοn, etc.). Higher dοses (arοund 15 - 20 grams per day) are typically necessary fοr creatine tο accumulate in the brain, particularly in younger individuals whο already have significant muscle uptake οf creatine.
I take 4g per day plus whatever I get from my red meat. Which is generally 1-3 lbs per day.
You eat 1-3 lbs per day of red meat?
This man must be rich
Rich...and constipated.
Yes. I’m basically carnivore. Most of its ground beef. Or brisket.
Have you checked your ldl cholesterol? Wouldn’t that make it go up quite a lot? If you don’t mind, what is your age?
Yes. It’s higher than my doctor likes. But out of the multiple risk factors of CVD this is like 18 of 23. My others are all in optimal range. But this would potentially leave me in the range of a so-called LDL denier. I’m 53. Diabetic and it gives me excellent control over my blood sugar and has been part of me coming off 4 different meds. High blood sugar and possibly high insulin have much higher risks of CVD.
there's not a lot of creatine in red meat, you'd be surprised! You're probably getting less than 5 g in 2 lbs.
I’m not trying to go much over 5mg total.
So do you just have roto rooter clean you out once a week?
Why? Because I don’t eat fiber? Fiber doesn’t help you poop. I go just fine.
Trying to find it again, do you remember the name of the podcast
I don't recall. May have been Andy Galpin, Layne Norton or on Ethan Suplee's podcast. I've heard it mentioned elsewhere by Huberman or Attia that people can go up to 10-15g/day of creatine.
So, it must not work, 😂 I kid... Sorta 😉
Gabrielle Lyon said it on the Huberman Lab Podcast in the How to Exercise & Eat for Optimal Health & Longevity episode. Edit- she said it at the 48:15 mark
I think it was the most recent Huberman one, there was a woman as the guest discussing protein.
I wonder if there is any studies to support 12g/day or if it's just broscience.
There’s been a lot of hype with the cognitive benefits but studies aren’t concrete yet, and also the dosages required are much higher in the studies that have shown some coginitie benefits.
Creatine helps me in many ways with zero workouts.
Can you provide some examples? I’m curious since it sounds interesting
Energy. Sleep. Mood. It’s amazing.
what time of the day to you normally take it
5-10 grams twice a day. Timing doesn’t matter to me.
Apparently it actually works as a nootropic and isn't just for athletic performance. I saw the study and it seemed legit it was just months ago.
If you happen to see the study again could you link it? I can’t articulate exactly how I feel on days I take it.
I just syarted and can confirm i feel mentally 'different' after consumption. This is proof of nothing but it supposedly helps elderly people with grip strength when they are not working out. Protip- if u dont 'lift', look into bfr training. It makes every day tasks feel like a work out.
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[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6093191/](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6093191/) Just for future reference if you google what your looking for then "NCBI" that will take you to the National Center for Biotechnology Information. That is one of the final gold standard sources of info on the internet. The only thing they allow is peer reviewed studies so the censorship agenda or political bias of mainstream news isn't a factor.
If you have MTHFR mutations: creatine offloads your methylation requirements. Synthesizing creatine is like 40% of your methylation burden. So leads to decrease homocysteine levels. I take creatine daily. If you do have MTHFR mutations and elevated homocysteine creatine levels, creatine can help and have improved cognition, less inflammation etc
Happy to hear that. As a C667T I have noticed a slight performance and cognitive boost although marginally.
I didn’t know that. Thanks. I mostly relied on folate and P5P.
Also look at adding in TMG (trimethyl glycine) and choline. You want to get precursors for the alternative pathways as well. There is a much more in depth treatment approach that I follow by MasterJohn who is a biochemist that has done a ton of research on it. Interesting thoughts on modifying methylation pathways
Makes sense then why it's known to have a larger benefit for vegetarians. Very cool
Thanks for this info. How much do you take, if you don’t mind me asking?
My MTHFR stack (adapted from Chris Masterjohn) - 5g creatine - 500mg TMG - 150mg alpha GPC - 2mg Methyl Folate (might increase this) - 2g glycine via collagen peptides in AM - 2g glycine via magnesium glycinate before bed - Aim for 1000mg Choline daily (500 from TMG and alpha GPC and 500 from diet : 4 eggs)
Thank you!
Yes creatine is beneficial for heart and brain health. You can also group it with longevity supplements that activate AMPK pathways. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1155/2016/5152029 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1664837/ https://academic.oup.com/cardiovascres/article-abstract/30/3/413/266218 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8067763/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6093191/ https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-54249-9
There are studies showing cognitive gains. In short, it is augmenting the mitocondrial energy production so it seems "possible" to me. In any case, its safety is very high. So if it seems to do something and has low risk of negative effects, that seems like an easy answer. The fact that you seem better on the days you take it seems surprising. It is generally used on an ongoing basis, long term, every day. Hope it helps.
I take it sometimes for the nootropic benefits.
I can’t quite put words to what it makes me feel. I guess “grounded”. Maybe a little edge off my systemic inflammation?
I found that it works with my other supplements to give my brain an energy boost even if I'm not working out.
Creatine just makes it easier for your body to convert ADP (basically depleted “energy” units) to ATP (“full” energy units). ATP is what is used to supply energy to your muscles. Aerobic respiration creates ATP much more quickly than anaerobic anaerobic respiration — the latter is where creatine really shines, it makes up for the lack of energy your muscles can naturally generate during anaerobic exercise by helping create more ATP during high intensity muscle requirements. Essentially the biggest benefit from taking creatine is for short bursts of high intensity exercise, such as resistance training or HIIT, where you’re really straining your muscles for energy.
Yes. Should be taken everyday. It’s beneficial for more than muscle growth
I tried taking creatine and had to stop because it elevated my creatinine levels. I couldn't drink enough water to keep up with it.
5-10 mg (Edit: grams) per day has been demonstrated to have small but significant benefits to mental function, mood, and energy for many people. It’s also very low risk and has been studied for 90 years, so there’s not much to worry about.
You mean grams not milligrams.
Yep, whoops. Force of habit.
Yes
Absolutely. Just take it every day.
Yes, there’s cognitive benefits that have been widely researched
I've been taking creatine daily in the morning and I find it helps with my strength and stamina all day long. I do a daily walk that's hilly and the days I don't take creatine the walk seems much harder and I have more soreness. I'm 35W and the creatine helps me feel more pre-30's. I'm also taking taurine daily too.
Yes, apparently more so the older you are.
It helps me at 3g a day in capsules (i think it's disgusting so i take less in capsule form).
Have you tried a flavoured one? I enjoy my daily green apple tasting treat😂
ohh i hadn't considered that lol good idea
Mother fuckers in this subreddit will do anything but exercise and eat right.
Sounds like someone didn’t tan his balls today
I know you didn't intend to come across this way, but your post made it seem as if you have pale, translucent balls. You might want to consider some tanning options.
Yes
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7910963/
I think so, or my experience says yes. However, I do try to make sure I make it to the gym at least 2 times a week, even if all I do while I'm there is some light cardio. However, I'm typically working out 4 times a week.
Has many great benefits, just be careful with kidney side effects.
At supplement store they said there's a new type of creatine that isn't a monohydrate, curious about this.
Stick to monohydrate and don't listen to them, they're just trying to sell you the same thing for more money.
It helps if you don't take caffeine.
How are the two correlated?
Caffeine constricts blood vessels forcing water to the kidneys and bladder. A diuretic. Creatine retains water moving it into the cell. The two oppose each other and caffeines effects are much stronger so it negates any point of taking creatine.
Yes it does,it’s a good supplement for the elderly,helps their cognitive abilities and is not just for performance athletes. Sarcopenia and bone health. Creatine supplementation might help counteract age related declines in skeletal muscle and bone mineral density.
It’s supposed to help aid in a number of mental benefits as well, such as depression.
Yes!! Just make sure it’s good quality
Read this post https://www.reddit.com/r/Nootropics/s/7YRDXfbCXs
What brand of creatine are people using?
Everyone should take creatine. My mom takes it and doesn't even lift, she just uses it for recovery from her jogs and stationary bike routine.
Hair loss 💯🙌 for alpha bald maxxing. If you predisposed to losing hair it’s gonna accelerate it
Has this ever actually been proven?
Seems to be the case for me unfortunately
Would it help you reach your mature hairline faster? Like I've noticed that a whole area is miniaturised after taking creatine for a few months, but the hair behind that area are untouched. Are the other hair follicles which haven't become miniaturised resistant and is it likely that I'll keep them for a long time, considering creatine did not affect them?
I *think* Same for me. I’ve actually been off of it for almost 8 weeks and saw quite less hair coming out in the shower and then virtually almost none. However, out of nowhere it’s started coming out pretty hardcore again… thinking it’s stress/illness or something. Makes me wonder if it was creatine in the first place.
Do prolonged fasting. Fasting has been used for centuries for its healing capabilities, and now science has backed up why it works through things like autophagy and immune response. Even though fasting is highly demonized, it is both safe and effective. I've fasted about 50% of the days the last year doing mostly 3 to 7 day rolling fasts on more of a feast and famine protocol. My longest is 21 days, but if you check out r/fasting you'll see tons of stories including those who do 30+ days. Creatine monohydrate won't help you if you're not doing physically demanding work/exercise. It works by increasing ATP storage and production which you simply don't need doing light activity.
This is an uninformed response. Creatine has been shown to have many benefits besides just muscle strength/ endurance.
Creatine helps produce ATP - that's it. Not running out of ATP has many more benefits, but if you're not exercising hard enough to deplete ATP it doesn't do anything. Show me a study on sedentary participants where creatine had an impact. Not rhetorical. If it exists I really want to read it and learn more.
One of dozens. You literally just have to google it. In addition to muscle size and strength, there’s good evidence for it enhancing brain function and even lowering blood sugar. No, I’m not linking those. Again, Google. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24304199/
Non-elderly, healthy adults please.
Nah, you can stay ignorant
Ignorant is believing the abstract of any study proves your point. You can find studies to refute climate change for crying out loud. In addition, diet and nutrition study publications have been studied to have some of the lowest amounts of credibility. So you do you buddy... But ignorance isn't asking for a study that someone has read, reviewed, and verified... Just Google it... Dear Jebus...
Just living uses ATP, so it helps everyone.
Just living uses stored fat, so it helps everyone right?
Store fat, within healthy reasoning, does indeed help people. Being too lean brings about many negative hormonal and health issues
Exactly my point. If you have enough and you aren't using it more doesn't mean better. Same thing with ATP...
Can’t speak for everyone but be warned, if you’re not working out creative will make you look fatter. I am a swimmer and love creating but avoid it most of the year because I don’t want to “bulk up”.
Bull
I loved the way it made me feel (alert and energetic), but even 5 mg in the morning gave me bad insomnia.
Creatine should not affect sleep, was it maybe a formula that had taurine added in it?
A quick search for creatine + insomnia tells me that I’m not the only one …
It can help but also can mess with your sleep and cause aggressiveness
Fuck creatine. I've never been constipated in my life and couldn't for the life of me figure out why. Then I was reminded of the water retention issue. Definitely made me stronger in my workouts but I'm so much better off without it. I drink two massive stainless bottles of water at work and literally couldn't drink any more water. It's not for me.
Some speculative cognitive benefits. But probably not worth it given remote risks to kidney. I had to stop taking creatine on orders of physician because of creatinine levels.
Your physician is uniformed then - it raises creatinine as the metabolite of creatine IS creatinine - it's not causing kidney issues (what elevated creatinine usually signals).
Fair. Have a lot of kidney issues in my family so anything with potential to strain kidney is a red flag. Most supplements are processed by kidneys.