Creatine, science vs hype (for health, performance, and brain energy)

Creatine is one of those supplements that occupies two worlds at once. In one world, it is boring, well-studied, and mostly predictable. In the other world, it is a magical powder that allegedly melts fat, fixes brain fog, turns you into a superhero in the gym, and upgrades your life in 7 days.

Creatine is best thought of as an energy buffer (it helps make use of the available energy), not a stimulant and not a shortcut. It can support both physical and cognitive performance, especially when life is hectic.

Here’s what we will cover:

• How and why it works

• What it can do for health, wellbeing, and cognition

• What it can do physically (and where it is most useful)

• What people think it can do (hype zone)

• Safety data and potential side effects

• How to take it

• Expectations

How and why it works:

Your body uses ATP as its immediate “currency” of energy. Muscles use it when you lift, sprint, or climb stairs fast. Your brain uses it when you focus, regulate mood, solve problems, and manage stress.

ATP runs out quickly in moments of high demand. Creatine helps by increasing the amount of phosphocreatine stored in tissue. Phosphocreatine helps replenish ATP rapidly.

So creatine is not a “boost” in the caffeine sense. It is a bigger buffer. A bit more backup power when the brain or body is putting out mental or physical effort.

A second effect is that creatine draws water into cells, including muscle. This can support exercise adaptation and resilience over time. That often shows up as better capacity to do work, and to support the recovery from that work.

What it can do for health, wellbeing, and cognition (the main reason many people care):

The brain is energy-hungry and sensitive to stress, poor sleep, and overload. That is why creatine’s most believable cognitive and well-being benefits tend to show up when your system is under pressure.

Mental energy and fatigue resistance

• Some research suggests that creatine can reduce mental fatigue and improve performance on certain cognitive tasks, especially during sleep restriction or high cognitive load.

• The practical version is not “unlimited focus”; it is “more sustained periods of quality focus” on long days.

Sleep-deprived coping

• If you are underslept, your brain’s performance usually falls off a cliff. Creatine may soften that fall in some people.

• It is not a replacement for sleep; a good analogy is to think about it like a seatbelt, not a new engine.

Mood and stress resilience

• Evidence is still emerging and mixed, but there are signals that creatine may support mood in certain contexts or populations.

• The more reliable pathway is indirect. Better energy availability can make the effort feel more doable. Better training and recovery can improve mood. Feeling more capable tends to reduce stress.

Who is more likely to notice cognitive benefits

• People who are sleep deprived, chronically stressed, or mentally overloaded

• People with low dietary creatine intake (vegetarian, vegan, low-meat) (this is not a critical supplement in these populations)

• Older adults (effects vary by outcome, but the “energy buffer” idea may matter more with age)

• People trying to balance training, work, parenting, and life (the high-demand normal)

If you want a simple test of whether it is helping your brain, do not ask “Do I feel it?”.
Ask: “Do I handle my day better, with less brain fog?”

What it can do physically (health and function, not just gym goals)

Creatine is well known for improving physical performance, but its most interesting physical benefit for general health is that it can support strength and lean mass over time, which are strongly tied to healthspan.

Strength and functional capacity

• Helps with short, high-intensity efforts and repeated bouts of work.

• This matters not only in the gym but also for day-to-day function. Lifting groceries, climbing stairs, getting off the floor, playing with kids, and maintaining independence as you age.

Lean mass support

• Often increases scale weight early because of water stored inside muscle.

• Over time, can support lean mass gains when paired with resistance training or even basic strength work.

Recovery and resilience

• Many people report better training tolerance. The science is strongest for performance output, but improved training quality often feels like better resilience.

If you do not train at all, creatine has less to “amplify”. If you do even modest strength training, it has something to work with.

What people think it can do (hype zone)

Creatine is getting credit for everything because it improves function across multiple bodily systems. Unfortunately it get 

Common exaggerations:

• “It burns fat.” Not directly. It can support better training and muscle retention, which can help with body composition. But it is not a fat burner.

• “It fixes brain fog for everyone.” Sometimes it helps. Often, the bigger drivers are sleep, stress, nutrition, and workload.

• “It works instantly.” It is not a stimulant. It works by building tissue stores over time.

• “It works the same for everyone.” Response varies. Some people notice a lot, some a little, some barely at all.

Safety data and potential side effects:

Creatine monohydrate is one of the most studied supplements in nutrition. For healthy people, it has a strong safety record at typical doses.

Common side effects:

• Water retention and small weight gain early on

• GI upset if you take too much at once, load aggressively, or take it on an empty stomach

Kidney concerns

• Creatine can raise creatinine on blood tests because creatinine is related to creatine metabolism. That can look alarming without meaning kidney damage.

• If you have known kidney disease, are being monitored for kidney function, or have specific medical concerns, talk to your clinician before starting.

• For most healthy adults, creatine is safe when the taken responsibly at the relative dosage.

How to take it

Keep it boring. Boring is good.

Type

• Creatine monohydrate is the standard and the simplest to take

Dose

• 3 to 5 g per day - up to 10g per day

• Timing is flexible. Taking it every day is the most important, as it is removed from the body by the kidneys.

• You need to keep the levels in the body consistent to see consistent results.

Loading (higher dosage 10g per day for 7-10 days, thereafter 5g per day as maintenance).

• Loading can saturate stores faster but increases GI upset risk.

• For most people focused on health and cognition, skip loading. Daily dosing works fine (5g).

• Once you are familiar with the effects, you can up the maintenance dosage to find a sweet spot. My personal preference is 10g a day.

With food

• Taking it with a meal can reduce stomach issues.

Expectations

First 1 to 2 weeks

• You may notice the scale increase slightly, which is water being retained in the muscle.

• You may feel an improvement in fitness and endurance work.

• Cognitively, you might notice less brain fog on long days.

4 to 8 weeks

• More consistent improvements in strength training progress and training tolerance.

• Cognitive benefits are more likely to manifest as improved fatigue resistance, particularly during stressful periods or when experiencing poor sleep.

What you should not expect

• A dramatic buzz

• A cure for burnout

• A replacement for sleep, nutrition, movement, and recovery

In my personal opinion, the downside is limited to those with kidney problems, and the worst that happens is you don't respond to it. The upside is it's cheap, widely available, and it supports physical and mental well-being when used as an adjunct.