Creatine for Your Brain, Not Just Your Biceps

Issue #3: July 28, 2025

🧬 Creatine: More Than Muscle

Most people think creatine is just for gym rats chasing gains.

But here’s the twist: it’s not just about muscle. It supports mental clarity, mood, and brain resilience, and works whether you lift weights or not.

✅ Women benefit too

✅ and no, you don’t need to be an athlete to benefit

Let’s break it down.

🔋 Fuel for Your Brain

Your brain makes up just 2% of your body weight, yet it burns through 20% of your energy. Creatine helps your brain make and store that energy — kind of like a mental backup battery.

Supplementing gives your brain more to work with. It supports:

• Mitochondria (your energy factories)

• Brain cell protection from stress

• Mood-regulating chemicals like serotonin and dopamine

Imagine plugging your brain into a power outlet. Everything just runs smoother.

💥 Mood Boosts…Fast

One study found women with major depression who added 5g/day of creatine to their SSRI treatment improved in just 2 weeks — instead of the usual 6-8 (Lyoo et al., 2012).

Other studies show benefits for:

• Teens with SSRI-resistant depression (Kondo et al., 2011)

• People under chronic stress

• Women, who may respond more strongly (possibly due to estrogen)

This isn’t just about feeling stronger. It’s about feeling better.

🧠 Sharper Focus, Less Fatigue

Creatine energizes parts of the brain tied to memory, attention, and emotion. Studies show it can:

• Improve short-term memory and reasoning (Rae et al., 2003)

• Reduce mental fatigue

• Protect against oxidative stress

• Boost dopamine and serotonin levels

👩 Especially Helpful for Women

If you eat little red meat or follow a plant-based diet, you may be low in creatine — and women seem to benefit more from supplementation.

• Female Muay Thai athletes saw cognitive improvements (Pires et al., 2020)

• Depressed adolescent girls responded dramatically to creatine (Kondo et al., 2011)

Even if you’re not training, the brain boost is real.

💪 Still Great for Muscle

Creatine helps recycle ATP (the fuel your muscles run on). More stored energy = better performance. It helps with:

• Strength and lean mass

• Recovery

• High-intensity bursts (sprints, lifting, intervals)

🚫 Let’s Clear Up Some Myths

• Bloating?

  • Creatine pulls water into muscle cells, not under skin.

• Kidney damage?

  • No evidence of harm in healthy people at standard doses (Gualano et al., 2012). It may raise creatinine, but that’s a harmless byproduct.

• Hair loss?

  • The DHT connection is theoretical and unproven.

✅ How to Supplement

• Form: Creatine monohydrate (the gold standard)

• Dose: 3-5g daily (no need to load)

• Timing: Anytime (post workout may offer a small edge)

• Hydration: Drink water

• Heads-up: Talk to your doc if you have kidney disease

🌟 Big Picture

Creatine is one of the most well-studied, effective, and safe supplements out there. Not just for the gym. For your brain. For your energy. For how you show up in life.

Especially if you’re a woman, plant-based, or just want to feel sharper and stronger.

Until next week. Stay vital.

-Jordan Slotopolsky