5 Scientific Health Benefits of Creatine
In this article, we are exploring some of the most important scientific health benefits of creatine. Unlike supplements that affect only advanced athletes, creatine benefits you regardless of your fitness level.
Creatine is a natural supplement used to enhance athletic performance.
It is not only safe to use but also one of the most popular and effective supplements in the world for building muscle and strength.
Here are some scientific benefits of creatine.
Helps Muscle Cells Produce More Energy
One of the benefits of Creatine supplements is to increase the phosphocreatin stores of your muscles. [1]
Phosphocreatin helps to form new ATP (adenosine triphosphate), the key molecule your cells use for energy, and all the basic functions of life.
During exercise, ATP breaks down to generate energy.
The rate of ATP reconstruction limits your ability to perform continuously at maximum intensity – you are using ATP faster than you can produce it.
Creatine supplements increase your phosphocreatin stores, allowing you to produce more ATP energy to feed your muscles during high-intensity exercise. This is the main mechanism behind creatine performance improvement.
Supports Many Other Functions in Muscles
Creatine is a popular and effective supplement for adding muscle mass.
It can alter numerous cellular pathways that lead to new muscle growth. For example, it enhances the formation of proteins that create new muscle fibers.
It can also increase levels of IGF-1, a growth factor that promotes increased muscle mass. [2]
In addition, creatine supplements can increase the water content of your muscles. This is known as cell ongometry and can quickly increase muscle size.
In addition, some research shows that creatine reduces myostatin levels [3], a molecule responsible for muscle decline. Reducing myostatin can help you build muscles faster (learn more on Real Muscle).
Improves High-Intensity Exercise Performance
The direct role of creatine in the production of ATP means that it can drastically improve the performance of high-intensity exercise [4]. A review found that it improves high-intensity exercise performance by up to 15% [6]. Creatine also improves many physical factors, including:
- Power
- Acceleration capacity
- Muscle strength
- Resistance to fatigue
- Muscle mass
- Recovery
- Brain performance
Unlike supplements that affect only advanced athletes, creatine benefits you regardless of your fitness level.
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Can Possibly Help With Parkinson’s Disease
Parkinson’s disease is characterized by a decrease in dopamine, the neurotransmitter in the brain.
The large decrease in dopamine levels causes brain cell death and many serious symptoms, such as tremor, loss of muscle function, and speech problems.
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Creatine has been linked to beneficial effects in Parkinson’s in experiments in mice, preventing 90% of the drop in dopamine levels. [7]
In an effort to cope with the loss of muscle function and strength, people with Parkinson’s often perform strength training exercises. This, combined with creatine with physical activity improved endurance and daily function to a greater extent than only exercising.
However, a recent analysis of five controlled studies in people with Parkinson’s disease showed that taking 4-10 grams of creatine daily does not significantly improve daily activities. [8]
It can Fight Other Neurological Conditions
A key factor in many neurological conditions is the reduction of phosphocreatin in your brain. Since creatine can increase these levels, it can help reduce or slow the progression of the disease.
In mice with Huntington’s disease, creatine restored the brain’s phosphocreatin reserves to 72% of pre-disease levels, compared to just 26% for mice in the control group. [9]
This restoration of phosphocreatin helped maintain daily function and reduce cell death by about 25%.
Animal research suggests that taking creatine supplements can cure other diseases, including:
- Alzheimer’s disease
- Ischemic stroke
- Epilepsy
- Brain or spinal cord injuries
Creatine has also shown benefits from ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), a disease that affects the motor neurons necessary for movement. It helped improve motor function, decreased muscle losses, and increased survival rate by 17%.
Although more human studies are needed, many researchers believe that creatine supplements are a bulwark against neurological diseases when used together with conventional drugs.
Conclusion
Along with its various benefits, creatine, is also one of the cheapest and safest supplements available.
It has been researched for more than 200 years and many studies support its safety for long-term use. Clinical trials lasting up to five years do not report negative effects on healthy subjects.
If you enjoyed our article on health benefits of creatine, feel free to share it with your friends and family and help them be more healthy and vital.
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