So I have a reader who is curious about Creatine supplementation. A popular social media personality/influencer ( younger, 40’s) has had good results BUT he has had, in his opinion, a neutral response after a month or two. He is active, motivated and a healthy omnivore. Over 60 years old.

Dear Reader,

Here is my opinion on Creatine supplementation and your initial experience:

First: What is creatine. What can it do. What can’t it do. What is the case for supplementing.. particularly in our age cohort?

and…What are YOUR expectations?

So.. we all MAKE our own Creatine. It is made from 3 amino acids in our liver and kidneys. It gets stored in our muscles. It is like an ANKER charger… it recharges your mitochondria in the muscles and brain to efficiently create energy during high intensity efforts.

Thats all.. it is simply a peptide.. a molecule made from other building blocks that we find in animal foods ( Red Meat, Chicken, Fish). Not so much from beans and lentils and grains.

If you supplement with 5 g/day, or even more, with Creatine Monohydrate, you are simply topping off the tank of what you already make or have. So if you eat animal products, your response may be muted and if you are a vegan/vegetarian, you would notice a more robust response.

Supplementing creatine WITH resistance training, CONSISTENTLY is shown to increase strength, power, lean muscle mass etc. Even bone mineral density and preserving muscle mass in the over 50 age group.

Key word: Consistent. Daily supplementation to saturate muscles, coupled with weight or resistance work 2-3X/week.

So.. kinda, sorta adding it in, without consistency or stressing the muscular apparatus in a sane and progressive way, may not show much visibly. You are not going to be miraculously cut and lean like Stallone. And that’s not a bad thing… just depends on your expectations. I think simply doing push ups and light weights consistently are the ‘big rocks.’

Next comes: COGNITION. And this is primarily why I supplement. The brain consumes a LOT of energy. And as we age, our muscles and our brain have a more limited capacity to create creatine and hence need more energy just to stay at baseline and stave off age related sarcopenia ( muscle decline) and cognitive decline ( decreased processing speed, memory, staying laser focused for tasks etc). Give those mitochondria that extra boost to create and maintain a steady energy supply.

So if one doesn’t feel a response?

Well.. 25-30% of individuals show minimal effect. ( Remember, what works on a population level may not always translate to a N=1 personal experience). And if you are a meat-eater, the delta of adding the 5g may not be meaningful.

And there is the placebo effect. You may FEEL sharper etc based on your systems of belief etc. Who knows… for anyone on a personal level, but studies do show increased memory and processing speed etc in the elderly (over 50).

HOW to take it… Most folks blend it in to a smoothie or water. COFFEE is controversial… on a molecular level, the caffeine and creatine don’t play well together, and this MAY blunt your physical ( not cognitive) response. I actually take a scoop and stir it in to my yogurt ( Plain full fat SKYR or GREEK, with some nuts and frozen berries).

AND you need to hydrate. Creatine needs WATER etc to be driven in to the muscle or ATP energy creation chain.

Cognitive effects seem to be noticed at higher doses..10 g at least. I do 10g/day. Bloating or GI distress can occur if you slam it down quickly.. so spread it out during the day. And unless you have known kidney issues, it is safe.

And to address the experience of your nutritionist colleague, in the original email, note that she is younger, highly athletic, a serious consistent trainer, and even she notes that her observed effects may be due to confounding factors. 

I think your overall diet, without the crap, with more protein than you think.. say 100g/day…( animal products are better absorbed and more bioavailable than plant sources… ), and sensible weight or resistance training moves the needle far more than 5 g of Creatine.

But the cognitive benefits are where the research is now headed. See how your focus at work, processing speed, mental sharpness vs fatigue track.

So if you continue, stick to Creatine Monohydrate. Be consistent, like EVERY day. Drink it with plenty of water or stir it in to yogurt. You like a small cup of OJ? Fine. But chase it with H20… Not w coffee. Have a consistent plan for strength work that is appropriate for YOU. For example, I can’t do a lot of the squat/lunge leg work.. since my knees protest! Work with what ya got.

Worst case.. you pee it out and it cost you a few $. Best case, you feel sharp and on task and maybe a little leaner.

And if you choose not to supplement…don’t… certainly that is OK. Just because creatine is now the internet darling…it is certainly not mandatory.

(Just eat your steak and eggs..nature’s multivitamin).

Stay calm and PrimalMed on!