Creatine and Brain Health: Can It Improve Cognitive Function?

Creatine is one of the world’s most popular and effective supplements for building muscle and strength. It has been studied for over 200 years and is the most scientifically supported supplement available. Creatine has consistently been shown to support muscle function and growth, improve high intensity exercise performance and help cells produce more energy. However, one of the most interesting benefits of creatine supplementation is its effect on cognitive function! So even if you are not actively trying to gain muscle or improve exercise performance, creatine can still be an extremely valuable addition to your supplement routine - here’s why.  

HOW DOES CREATINE WORK?

Creatine is a naturally occurring substance found in muscle cells, which helps your muscles produce energy during heavy lifting or intense exercise. 95% of our body’s creatine is stored in the muscles as phosphocreatine; about half of this comes from the food we eat (primarily red meat and seafood) with the rest being made from amino acids in the liver and kidneys. When we supplement with creatine, we increase our body’s storage of phosphocreatine.  

Phosphocreatine is a form of stored energy in the cells, which helps the body to produce adenosine triphosphate (ATP). ATP is considered the body’s energy currency of the cell – when we have more ATP, more energy can be provided to drive physiological functions such as muscle contraction, nerve transmission and protein synthesis. During heavy lifting and intense exercise your body uses the additional stores of phosphocreatine in the muscle cells to generate more ATP for energy. However, we also have phosphocreatine stores in our brain, which is why creatine is now considered an important supplement for brain health and cognitive function.

CREATINE & COGNITIVE FUNCTION

Just like muscles, the brain stores phosphocreatine and requires ATP to function optimally. This becomes even more evident during cognitively difficult tasks. Supplementing with creatine maximises our brain’s storage of phosphocreatine, helping to generate more ATP to deliver energy to brain cells. From an energy perspective, the brain is very metabolically demanding – it accounts for approximately 20% of our total energy consumption, despite only representing 2% of our body weight so it is easy to see why it may benefit from some additional creatine!  

Creatine supplementation has been shown to benefit both healthy populations and individuals with neurological diseases. In healthy populations, creatine supplementation has been shown to:

• Improve short term memory
• Enhance performance in cognitive tasks
• Increase neuronal plasticity 
• Reduce fatigue 
• Improve mood, increase stress resilience and reduce depressive symptoms
• Aid overall brain function by increasing dopamine levels and mitochondrial function. 

Creatine may be especially beneficial for vegetarians and vegans, who often have lower levels of stored creatine due to their reduced intake of red meat and seafood. One study showed a 20-50% improvement in memory and intelligence test scores in vegetarians supplementing with creatine!  

Creatine supplementation may also help those with neurological diseases. Studies show the use of creatine may help to treat neurodegenerative diseases, traumatic brain injuries and epilepsy. The elderly can also benefit from creatine, with studies showing improved performance in cognitive tasks after creatine supplementation and even overall improvements in quality of life.  

HOW TO SUPPLEMENT WITH CREATINE

Creatine is incredibly safe and easy to use. It is one of the most thoroughly studied supplements and multiple studies support its safety in long term use. In fact, clinical trials lasting up to 5 years have shown no adverse effects in healthy individuals.  

Adding creatine to your supplement routine could not be easier, thanks to Naked Harvest’s Creatine Monohydrate! Simply add 1 level teaspoon or NH Scoop (3g) to water or beverage of your choice and consume once per day.  

Creatine is a safe and effective supplement that offers impressive benefits for both physical exercise and cognitive performance. It has the potential to enhance brain function, combat neurological diseases and improve memory. Try adding this incredible supplement to your routine and see what happens! Use my code GEORGIEGRIGG at checkout to enjoy 15% off your Naked Harvest Creatine Monohydrate.