Creatine Benefits: 5 Powerful Reasons for Brain & Body

INTRO

Today we’re talking about creatine.

And before you tune out because it sounds like something meant just for competitive bodybuilders — stay with me. I just might surprise you, women especially, brains included!

I am the first to admit raising 3 boys or young men, I am supplemented OUT! It’s all about bulking, strength, getting bigger and I have just about reaching my tipping point. All my boys don’t have the same healthy fear that I do of where their daily products are sourced. They are laser focused on bulking those arms. The one grace I am given is “Mom, im going to take it regardless, but if you find a clean source you like better than mine, I will take that.” At least I still have a little whisper in their heads! So down the rabbit hole I went in an effort to understand creatine better and find a safe product I trust for my boys that I feel confident in giving that “OK” to.

Creatine is not just about muscle size.

It’s actually about cellular energy. It’s about strength that supports longevity.

It’s about how your body regenerates power at the microscopic level — inside each individual cell.

And when you understand what it actually does, it becomes less about performance culture and more about stewardship.

Because every cell in your body was designed with systems to restore energy quickly when demand rises.

Creatine simply supports one of those systems.

It sounds impressive, but it’s actually simple biology — elegant and efficient.

And it’s one of the most researched supplements we have.

When science uncovers how the body actually regenerates energy inside each cell, it feels like discovering another layer of intelligent design.

Your body was created with systems to restore, replenish, and rebuild.

Creatine supports one of them.

So let’s zoom in and understand what that actually means inside the body.

WHAT CREATINE ACTUALLY DOES

Did you know Your body actually produces creatine on its own? It’s not just an extra supplement for bulking and recovery as many people think.

It’s made primarily in the liver and kidneys from three amino acids — arginine, glycine, and methionine. METH-I-O-NEEN

Most of it gets stored in your muscles, and a smaller amount is stored in your brain.

On average, your body makes about 1–2 grams of creatine per day naturally.

You also get small amounts from red meat and fish.

So when we talk about supplementing creatine, we are not introducing something synthetic or foreign to the body, thank goodness!

We are increasing the supply of something your body already knows how to use.

Every single cell in your body runs on ATP.

ATP is your energy currency. And since I find myself continuing to refer back to ATP, I am going to take a short detour and explain exactly what ATP stands for and means:

ATP stands for adenosine triphosphate.

Let’s break that down simply.

Adenosine → a molecule made from adenine (a nitrogen base) and ribose (a sugar).

Tri → three

Phosphate → three phosphate groups attached to it

So ATP is basically:

Adenosine + 3 phosphates

Those three phosphates are the key.

The bond holding the last phosphate is high-energy. When your body breaks that bond, energy is released. That energy fuels:

• Muscle contraction • Nerve signaling • Brain activity • Heartbeats • Cellular repair

When ATP loses one phosphate, it becomes ADP — adenosine diphosphate.

And this is where creatine comes back into the story.

Creatine helps regenerate ATP by donating a phosphate to ADP, turning it back into ATP quickly during high energy demand.

It’s a recycling system.

Your body is constantly breaking ATP down and rebuilding it — thousands of times per second in active tissue.

That’s cellular energy in motion.

Elegant. Efficient. Designed for renewal.

But here’s the catch:

You only store a few seconds worth of ATP at a time.

So when demand increases — lifting a weight, sprinting, intense thinking, acute stress — your body has to regenerate ATP quickly.

That’s where the creatine comes in.

Creatine donates a phosphate group to help rapidly recycle ATP during high-demand moments.

It’s an energy buffer. A recycling system.

The consistency across research is what makes this compelling.

When researchers stepped back and reviewed decades of studies on creatine, the conclusion was clear: creatine monohydrate is one of the most effective supplements for improving high-intensity performance and lean muscle mass. Hundreds of studies were reviewed.

That’s rare in the supplement world.

And once you understand that cellular role, the muscle conversation starts to make much more sense.

MUSCLE: WHY IT MATTERS MORE THAN AESTHETICS

We often reduce muscle conversation to appearance.

But muscle is metabolic insurance.

After age 30, muscle mass slowly declines. After 60, the decline accelerates. This process — called sarcopenia — affects strength, stability, insulin sensitivity, and fall risk. Working in a hospital setting, I see this atrophy in both men and women and when it leads to frailty is when multiple diagnoses appear and the decline in health initiates.

Your Muscle protects:

• Blood sugar balance • Bone density • Independence • Longevity

And this is where creatine becomes practical, not theoretical.

A: 2022

That’s powerful.

Not because we’re chasing aesthetics.

Because we’re protecting function. Long term function.

Being able to get off the floor. Carry groceries. Travel confidently. Live independently.

We must be forward thinkers when it comes to our health. We can take a lot of abuse when we are young, but that abuse or lack of attention will catch up one day and we will regret it.

If you’re lifting weights already? Creatine enhances training adaptation. You get slightly more strength and slightly more lean mass from the same effort.

It doesn’t replace the discipline of exercise.

It amplifies it.

And interestingly, muscles aren’t the only tissues that rely heavily on this rapid energy system.

THE BRAIN CONNECTION

Your brain uses about 20% of your body’s total energy at rest.

That’s enormous. Think about that 20% of your body’s TOTAL energy while resting is being used by your brain.

So it shouldn’t surprise us that creatine is stored in brain tissue too.

menting creatine (Rae et al.,: 2003

Why vegetarians?

Because dietary creatine comes primarily from meat and fish. Lower intake may mean lower baseline stores.

p deprivation (Rawson et al.,: 2018

We are not calling it a treatment.

But we are recognizing a pattern.

The brain is energy-demanding.

Creatine supports energy recycling.

And that connection opens the door to asking who might actually benefit from the support of creatine.

WHO MAY BENEFIT

Strong evidence supports creatine for:

Individuals doing resistance training • High-intensity athletes • Older adults preserving muscle • Women • Vegetarians and vegans

That sounds like most everyone to me. I am all about preventing muscle loss as I age and increasing my brain function….yes please.

If your energy demand is higher — physically or neurologically — creatine becomes more relevant.

And because myths still circulate, it’s important to address safety clearly.

A: 2021

That kidney myth has lingered for years.

In healthy populations, long-term data does not show kidney damage.

However, anyone with known kidney disease should not supplement without medical supervision. Please do your due diligence on this if that is a concern to you. I am not offering medical advice or prescription.

Now let’s talk about how to actually use it.

DOSING & TIMING

Standard dose: 3–5 grams daily.

You can do a loading phase (20g/day split into 4 doses for 5–7 days), but that is optional. You’ll reach saturation either way — loading just speeds it up.

Timing?

Post-workout with carbs and protein may improve uptake slightly.

But consistency matters more than precision.

Take it daily.

Hydrate well.

Creatine pulls water into muscle cells — that’s part of how it works.

Some people notice a small weight gain from intracellular water. That’s not fat gain.

And that brings us to practical considerations and safety notes.

SAFETY & SIDE NOTES

Let’s talk safety for a minute, because that always matters.

Most people tolerate creatine very well.

The most common things someone might notice are pretty mild — maybe some stomach discomfort if they take too much at once, or a little water retention. And that water retention isn’t puffiness in the way people fear — it’s usually water being pulled into the muscle cell, which is actually part of how creatine works.

If someone takes a very large dose in one sitting, that’s usually when digestive upset shows up. Splitting it or sticking with the standard 3–5 grams tends to prevent that.

ance trials going back to the: 1990

The consistency across research is what makes this compelling.

It’s one of the most examined supplements we have.

In healthy individuals, when used appropriately, it’s remarkably well tolerated.

Which is why the next real conversation isn’t whether it works — it’s about choosing a quality product.

HOW TO CHOOSE A QUALITY PRODUCT

I prioritize supplements that carry independent certifications like NSF or USP because they’ve been tested for purity and accuracy. If we’re going to add something to our routine, it should be something we can trust.

Look for:

Creatine monohydrate • Micronized

• No proprietary blends • Third-party tested (NSF Certified for Sport, Informed Choice, USP)

NSF Certified for Sport

NSF stands for National Sanitation Foundation (now just called NSF International).

When a supplement is NSF Certified for Sport, it means:

The product has been tested for purity.

It contains what the label says it contains.

It has been screened for banned substances (important for athletes).

The manufacturing facility has been audited.

This is one of the highest standards available, especially for competitive athletes.

If you see “NSF Certified for Sport,” that’s strong reassurance.

Informed Choice

Informed Choice is another third-party testing program focused on sports supplements.

It means:

The product has been tested for banned substances.

The manufacturing facility is regularly audited.

Ingredients are verified.

It’s similar in purpose to NSF for Sport, though NSF is often considered slightly more stringent in professional athletics.

Still, Informed Choice is solid and reputable.

USP

USP stands for United States Pharmacopeia.

USP verification means:

The supplement contains the ingredients and potency listed on the label.

It does not contain harmful levels of contaminants.

It dissolves properly in the body.

It was made according to good manufacturing practices.

USP tends to be more common in vitamins and minerals than sports supplements, but it’s an excellent mark of quality when present. 

Ultimately, Creatine monohydrate remains the gold standard. New forms have not consistently outperformed it.

And when you choose quality, you remove unnecessary variables.

I will attach CLEAN RECOMMENDATIONS in the show notes and on the blog.

A Practitioner-Trusted Option: Thorne Creatine (NSF Certified for Sport)

Another High-Quality Choice: Momentous Creatine (NSF Certified)

Budget Clean Option: Creapure®-sourced creatine monohydrate powders

(Insert affiliate disclosure below links.)

CLOSING

Creatine is not a magic powder.

It’s support. One of the many tools we discuss in our arsenal. Tools we arent getting in as great of abundance we we used to or we are decreasing in quantity more than we should.

Training still matters. Protein still matters. Sleep still matters.

But stewardship often looks like understanding how the body was designed — and then making wise, simple decisions that reinforce that design.

Creatine supports energy regeneration. Energy or ATPs are EVERYTHING.

And energy is foundational to strength.

If something in today’s conversation spoke to your heart, consider sharing it with someone who may need that same encouragement. And if this podcast has been a steady voice in your week, leaving a rating or review is one of the kindest ways you can help it reach more women.

Thank you for being here… for spending part of your day with me… and for taking small, faithful steps toward living well.

Keep becoming, one small step at a time.

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