Creatine: Brawn, Brains, Beauty and More

Creatine amino acid is available from various animal-based foods and produced endogenously in the body. It is synthesized primarily from arginine, glycine, and methionine.  Creatine is abundant in tissues with high-level energy demands, with approximately 95% of the creatine stores being found in the skeletal muscle, while the remaining 5%is distributed in the brain, liver, kidney, and testes. 

How creatine works

After being ingested, creatine is absorbed into the bloodstream, where it is transported to muscles and other high-energy tissues where it is converted into phosphocreatine, which broken down into adenosine triphosphate (ATP), thereby serving as a crucial element in energy production and transfer throughout the body to tissues that have high energy requirements.

 About 99% of orally ingested creatine is either taken up by muscle or excreted in the urine, and absorption can be enhanced when taken with carbohydrates and protein. 

An average person requires approximately 2 plus grams per day, while it is estimated that the general population intake of creatine in North America is 50% of that. 

 Many people think of creatine as simply for building muscle mass and primarily used by body builders or athletes. However, creatine provides so many more benefits.

A number of recent population-based studies demonstrated a lower- dietary creatine intake across age- and gender-specific groups was associated with various health risks. And supplementation with creatine has been shown in studies, some preliminary to be of benefit in the following:

Muscle 

Can increase cellular energy availability and support general health, fitness, and well-being throughout the lifespan.

Promotes strength and helps to maintain or increase muscle mass in older individuals.

Helps athletes by increasing muscle mass, strength, and performance in high-intensity activities, while also aiding in post-exercise recovery and preventing muscle atrophy.

Can also be beneficial for those who are dieting or undergoing rehabilitation for disuse atrophy, helping them to maintain muscle mass.  

Brain

Pilot studies show that creatine supplementation can increase brain creatine levels in individuals with Alzheimer's and lead to improvements in certain cognitive functions, such as working memory, attention, and reading comprehension. The studies demonstrated that taking 20 grams of creatine monohydrate daily was a feasible and well-tolerated intervention for patients with Alzheimer's disease. 

-        Depression – in one study, the risk of for depression remained 31% lower among adults in the group with the highest consumption of creatine, compared to the group who had the lowest.

-        Has been shown to have neuroprotective properties, enhance energy availability during ischemic events.

-        Improved cognitive functioning and memory in vegetarians and non-vegetarians

-        Delayed neuromuscular fatigue, improved work capacity and cognition in elderly

-        May mitigate muscle wasting in conditions such as sarcopenia and cachexia,

-        May support neuroprotection in neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s and Huntington’s

-        May also aid recovery from traumatic brain injury by promoting brain energy metabolism and reducing neuronal damage.

Beauty and Creatine

 Reduces wrinkles and sagging. A study showed a 6-week application of a creatine-containing cream significantly reduced skin sagging and wrinkles, such as crow's feet by improving skin barrier function and moisture retention.

Oral supplementation:

  Can increase collagen synthesis in skin fibroblasts. 

 Can protect skin cells from oxidative and UV-induced DNA damage. 

 Can accelerate wound healing by enhancing cellular energy metabolism and promoting skin cell proliferation. 

General health

Creatine and Cardiovascular health:

-        May modulate lipid metabolism in certain individuals. Supplemental creatine (5 grams four times a day for five days and then twice a day for 51 days) reduces total plasma cholesterol, very-low-density lipoproteins, and triglyceride levels in men and women aged 32 to 70 yearsd. Another study showed that 5 g/day of creatine for three weeks reduces plasma levels of homocysteine a well-known risk factor for heart disease

-        Is an important energy source for immune cells, can help support a healthy immune system 

-       May support healthy glucose management 

Creatine may improve functional capacity in patients with chronic fatigue related syndromes such as post-viral fatigue syndrome (PFS) and myalgicencephalomyelitis (ME). 

In conclusion, creatine monohydrate supplementation can enhance physical performance, cognitive function, improve energy metabolism and overall health, and enhance recovery from physical and neurological challenges.

Creatine, as nutritional supplement support helps maintain functional and mental capacity as we age, reduces risk to chronic disease,