Creatine.... part two, good for your brain and your bones!
Brain Health and Cognitive Function
Creatine's role in brain health is an emerging area of research, and its potential cognitive benefits are gaining attention. Here's how:
Enhanced cognitive function
The brain is highly energy-dependent, and uses a large amount of ATP for cognitive processes. By enhancing the brain's creatine stores it helps supply ATP to brain cells more efficiently and is particularly important during mentally demanding tasks that require sustained concentration and focus. Creatine also has a vital effect on cognitive performance, especially in tasks that require short-term memory, reasoning, problem solving, and mental processing speed. In older populations this can be especially helpful as age-related cognitive decline sets in and ATP production naturally decreases.
Neuroprotection from oxidative stress and brain injuries
Creatine has neuroprotective properties that help protect the brain from damage or degeneration and can reduce cell death and improve recovery following brain injuries. By stabilizing mitochondrial function and reducing the depletion of ATP, which is critical for cell survival after injury. Due to it's antioxidant-like properties, it may help tackle oxidative stress in brain cells, which is a contributing factor in neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s.
Mood regulation and reducing symptoms of depression
Emerging science suggests creatine might have a positive effect on mood and depression, especially when combined with traditional anti-depressants by supporting neurotransmitter systems like serotonin and dopamine. It improves energy availability in the brain, helping to counter mental fatigue and improve overall motivation and energy levels, which are often reduced in individuals with depression.
Bone Health
Research suggests that creatine can improve the effectiveness of other training adaptations - preserving lean mass, power, strength, cognition, etc..when paired with resistance exercise, and this has a positive effect on bone health as well.
For women, this is crucial because starting around age 30 women experience a 3-8% bone loss PER DECADE, after menopause that rate increases to 1-3% PER YEAR! Within 5 years of menopause women will lose about 1/3 of our total bone mass … without intervention.
Here’s how it helps our bones:
through increased muscle strength helping stimulate bone remodeling and improving bone density.
stimulation of osteoblast (building bone) activity, contributing to bone formation.
influence on growth hormones beneficial for bone health and remodeling.
reduced risk of falls and fractures by improving balance and muscle strength
potential aid in the recovery from bone injuries by supporting muscle mass and strength during rehabilitation.
helpful in managing osteoporosis by improving muscle function and indirectly promoting bone health.
This must be stressed: you will not see any of these benefits by taking creatine alone,you must combine it with exercise.
Sex-Specific Benefits
Both men and women can benefit from creatine, though women can only store about 70% of what men can. Women also consume 20-40% less creatine from food sources. Due to this lower starting point, compared to men, supplementation can help women maximize their muscle creatine stores, improve performance in high-intensity activities, and support muscle recovery and strength gains—especially when engaging in resistance training or anaerobic exercises.
This means that supplementing with creatine can provide a relatively greater benefit for women, and is encouraged not only for performance enhancement, but also for its broader health benefits like strength, muscle mass preservation, recovery, cognitive and bone health.
Creatine’s benefits for men and women of all ages, and especially menopausal women include:
preserves lean muscle mass and strength, and improves physical endurance, power output, and increased work capacity of muscle - all of which can help compensate for the loss of muscle due to estrogen decline in perimenopause and beyond
supports bone density and combats the increased risk of osteopenia - the initial loss of bone mass/bone density, before declining further into osteoporosis
injury Prevention: reduces the frequency of dehydration, muscle cramps, and injuries to the muscles, bones, ligaments, tendons, and nerves
Improves insulin sensitivity and manages metabolic changes that often occur during perimenopause and beyond.
aids in mood stabilization and cognitive function, which can be impacted by hormonal changes taking place in perimenopause and beyond
Nutritional Support: for individuals who have an increased dietary need, such as athletes and aging populations, or for those who aren’t consuming enough creatine-containing foods in their normal diet, such as vegetarians.
Remember to always opt for Creatine Monohydrate, it is the most well-researched, effective, and most affordable option. Be sure it's CreaPure, an ultra-pure, colorless, and odorless, and without any fillers or additives.
To see optimal results creatine should be taken daily to ensure the muscle tissue becomes saturated. It’s best mixed with room temperature water/cold (not hot), and non-caffeinated - as caffeine can reduce it's effectiveness.
Recommended Dosage:
3–5 grams per day is a typical dose for most individuals.
Many women I've worked with find that starting with 3 grams can sometimes cause gastrointestinal discomfort (bloating, nausea, or constipation). If you’re one of those women, I recommend starting with a smaller dose—around 1–2 grams per day—and gradually increasing it to allow your body to adjust. Even at lower doses, studies have shown that muscle creatine levels will saturate over time.
Creatine is one of the simplest, most effective ways to support your overall health and fitness goals—whether you’re aiming to improve strength, build lean muscle, recover more efficiently, improve mood and cognition and bone health.
Got questions about creatine, or would like personalized recommendations?
Please book a discovery call by following the link below.
I'm Lisa Thompson, a Functional Nutritionist (FNTP) and I'd like to guide you on a journey to optimal health by providing education, support, accountability, motivation and inspiration. Using a holistic approach, I look deeply at how all of our inter-dependent systems work uniquely, and specifically in each of us- keeping in mind the bigger picture and LIFESTYLE choices that impact our well-being. For instance: how and when we eat, whether we get good sleep, what role exercise plays in our life, and how community, friends, family and belief systems impact our health and vitality.
I am currently taking new clients at this time and would love to work with you.
Email me: lisa@lisamarlenethompson.com