One supplement that is heavily backed by science and has been shown to enhance anaerobic performance is creatine.
Creatine is involved in energy metabolism and is produced naturally in the body. It also can be consumed from various foods such as red meat, and is a relatively cheap supplement (i.e., creatine monohydrate).
As stated above, creatine is widely studied and has been linked to a number of training-associated benefits such as enhanced exercise performance and increased training adaptations.
The purpose of this post is to expand on the creatine conversation in order to talk about it beyond just exercise and training and examine a couple of other potential therapeutic benefits that further support why most people should take creatine!
Benefit #1: Glucose Control
Our ability to shift between energy substrates (i.e., fat vs. carbohydrate) is beneficial and an important aspect of our metabolism and overall glycemic control. Moreover, if we need more carbohydrate for higher intensity activities or we need to replenish glycogen in the muscle, the ability to get glucose into the cells easily is also indicative of healthy metabolic function. Conversely, when these functions are impaired, we see negative changes in metabolic function, ultimately increasing risks of chronic diseases such as obesity and type II diabetes.
So why might creatine be helpful? Although not exhaustively studied yet, researchers have started to suggest that creatine is important in carbohydrate metabolism and higher levels may favor a healthier metabolic profile (1).
Some of the possible creatine mechanisms that improve glucose control are:
- Greater insulin secretion (the hormone that helps get glucose in the cell)
- Increased water retention which is a stimulus for greater glucose uptake (getting more glucose in = better recovery)
- Increased glucose uptake by our insulin-dependent glucose transporter (helping lower blood glucose faster)
- Enhanced benefits of exercise/activity that already impact glucose uptake/insulin sensitivity
Benefit #2: Cognitive Function
So what is cognitive function in the first place? Cognitive function is an umbrella term that includes many aspects of neural functioning such as attention, memory, the ability to process information, or the ability to plan and make decisions. These functions are important in and of themselves but also are important because they predict things such as glucose control (2), behaviors that rely on self-regulation and cognitive control (3), and even mortality (4)!
Similar to glucose, effects of creatine on the brain have not been exhaustively studied and the data are still open to interpretation. However, recent research supports that creatine is an important compound for the brain and can play an important role in energy metabolism as well as aid in neuroprotective effects. Moreover, these findings appear to be more evident in higher activity brain areas such as the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex – areas highly involved in cognitive function.
As we have known for a while, although the brain is small it requires a large amount of oxygen and energy (5,6), so why not do all you can to support it?
Main Takeaway
Although current evidence is not as strong as the research on athletic performance, the evidence is growing fast that creatine may have many more clinical benefits as well. Additionally, since creatine is considered safe for almost anyone (excluding kids and pregnant women simply because there is less research), these findings, plus the many potential performance benefits, hopefully strongly make you consider creatine!
- If you take creatine, keep taking it.
- If you don’t take creatine, consider taking it!
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References
- Solis, M. Y., Artioli, G. G., & Gualano, B. (2021). Potential of creatine in glucose management and diabetes. Nutrients, 13(2), 570.
- Berg, C. A., Wiebe, D. J., Suchy, Y., Turner, S. L., Butner, J., Munion, A., ... & Murray, M. (2018). Executive function predicting longitudinal change in type 1 diabetes management during the transition to emerging adulthood. Diabetes Care, 41(11), 2281-2288.
- Cooper, P. S., Karayanidis, F., McKewen, M., McLellan-Hall, S., Wong, A. S., Skippen, P., & Cavanagh, J. F. (2019). Frontal theta predicts specific cognitive control-induced behavioural changes beyond general reaction time slowing. Neuroimage, 189, 130-140.
- Bassuk, S. S., Wypij, D., & Berkmann, L. F. (2000). Cognitive impairment and mortality in the community-dwelling elderly. American Journal of Epidemiology, 151(7), 676-688.
- Shah, S., Gnanasegaran, G., Sundberg-Cohon, J., & Buscombe, J. R. (2009). The heart: Anatomy, physiology and exercise physiology. Integrating Cardiology for Nuclear Medicine Physicians: A Guide to Nuclear Medicine Physicians, 3-22.
- Widmaier, E., Raff, H., & Strang, K. T. (2022). Vander's Human Physiology. McGraw-Hill US Higher Ed USE.
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