Related Episodes for What Creatine Does for Muscle and the Brain

“A recent meta-analysis also found small benefits in selected cognitive domains, including memory and processing speed, with responses that may depend on age, diet, baseline stores, stress, dose, and the cognitive test used.”

“Acute stress may create a different context. In a double-blind crossover study of 15 adults undergoing 21 hours of sleep deprivation, a single 0.35-gram-per-kilogram dose changed brain high-energy phosphate measures and improved selected cognitive outcomes.”

“Severe sleep deprivation offers one such model. In a randomized crossover study of 15 healthy young adults, a single dose of 0.35 grams per kilogram changed brain-energy measures and reduced deterioration on selected cognitive tasks during about 21 hours awake.”

“A small magnetic-resonance spectroscopy study also found that 20 grams per day for four weeks increased brain creatine by an average of about 8.7 percent, showing that brain uptake is possible but variable.”

“High energy demand is a promising research setting. In a randomized crossover study of 15 healthy adults undergoing 21 hours of sleep deprivation, a single 0.35-gram-per-kilogram dose changed cerebral energy measures and improved selected cognitive outcomes.”

“In a randomized crossover study of 15 adults, a single weight-based dose changed cerebral energy metabolites and reduced deterioration on some cognitive tasks during about 21 hours without sleep. Dr. Patrick uses 10 grams daily and sometimes takes more during travel or sleep loss.”

“A single 0.35-gram-per-kilogram dose of creatine monohydrate, equal to 24.5 grams for a 70-kilogram adult, reduced fatigue and improved word memory and processing speed on selected tasks versus placebo. It also changed brain-energy measures.”

“A later crossover study using a lower weight-based dose found its clearest benefit in reasoning, while several memory, accuracy, fatigue, and sleepiness outcomes did not reliably improve. Routine muscle supplementation and acute sleep-loss research use different protocols.”

“In a small randomized trial of adults aged 60 to 80, five grams per day during 12 weeks of supervised resistance training increased lean mass more than placebo plus training; measured strength and bone outcomes did not significantly differ between groups.”

“A meta-analysis restricted to direct regional measures from MRI, CT, or ultrasound found a very small average hypertrophy benefit when creatine was combined with resistance training, with uncertainty around the pooled estimate and variation across sites and populations.”