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Creatine raises brain energy levels and slows cognitive decline: study

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Re: Creatine raises brain energy levels and slows cognitive decline: study

#371

Post by salad-tycoon »

ChuckMcM wrote: post #238
rzz3 wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sounds like something we should study more rather than dismiss.

Interesting that you are hearing "dismissal" in the antecedent response. I read it as the poster "studying more" the data, and finding a lot of flaws in both the experimental design and the data analysis.Typically things a reviewer would do when a publication was submitted (or in our case posted here). The author, then goes back and answers the questions raised to show that the effect they are suggesting is durable i…

I don’t really leave thank you notes as they don’t add anything but just to balance out the opinions here:

Thank you for taking the time for that wonderful explanation, may it teach some of us/me to think before we shoot. I found it very enlightening and am sure many other drive by casuals do as well.

Re: Creatine raises brain energy levels and slows cognitive decline: study

#372

Post by jq-r »

almost_usual wrote: post #156
cadr wrote: post #142

I feel like for me it would be thwarted by the fact creatine seems to completely mess up my sleep. I don't remember that from when I was younger, but recently tried adding it to my diet and had to bail.

I counteract it with Magnesium Glycinate. Works well for me.

I can't stop having vivid, and mostly bad dreams with it making me tired the next day. I guess I should switch to something else.

Re: Creatine raises brain energy levels and slows cognitive decline: study

#373

Post by twodave »

bluegatty wrote: post #86
twodave wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Others mentioned dissolving it. I find just getting it over with is easier for me. I dump the whole scoop into my mouth and wash it down with a mouthful of water or two. It is flavorless, after all.

Is this a joke? I hope? A) drinking a glass of water is 'the lowest bar' and 2) using creatine means you have to up your water intake. If you don't drink the water, it won't work.

I still drink the water, I just can’t stand the texture with creatine added. So I swallow the creatine with as little water as possible and drink nice fresh water afterwards :)

Re: Creatine raises brain energy levels and slows cognitive decline: study

#374

Post by sbayg »

bhelkey wrote: post #325
sbayg wrote: post #283

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Weird, I’ve heard the HCL is harder on the stomach. I’ve actually never met anyone who uses monohydrate that reports any gastric issues whatsoever.

Stomach issues are a frequently reported side effect of Creatine Monohydrate [1]. The general school of thought behind the belief 'Creatine HCL is easier on the stomach" is: 1) HCL is much more water soluble and (likely) is more easily digested. 2) less creatine HCL stays undigested. 3) the dose needed is smaller. 4) anecdotes seem to support HCL being easier to digest. To the best of my knowledge, there are no peer…

The abstract you linked, pasted below, seems to say otherwise. Placebo groups report same SE frequency.

“Across 684 randomized controlled trials, reported SEs were infrequent. Although dose and duration tertiles were statistically associated with study-level side effect reporting, the effect sizes were uniformly small, events were infrequent, and the reported symptoms were primarily mild and nonspecific. No consistent exposure–response pattern indicative of clinically meaningful risk was observed. Adjusted logistic regression and frequency-based analyses showed no consistent dose- or duration-dependent increase in SE risk, with placebo groups often reporting similar or greater SE frequencies at the study-reporting level. CrM appears to be well-tolerated and, at the study-level, does not increase the risk of gastrointestinal, renal, liver, musculoskeletal, or other SEs compared to placebo, even at high doses or longer durations.”

Re: Creatine raises brain energy levels and slows cognitive decline: study

#375

Post by maxerickson »

hilsdev wrote: post #240
ven0m wrote: post #181

Not something to worry for the general population, but persons with genetic likelihood of getting Parkinsons should be wary of taking both Creatine and Coffee together. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4573899/

Wow I have been mixing 5g of creatine in my morning for the past several months, this is terrifying.

The result in the study is a few percentage points difference in the disease rating scale after 5 years, with relatively large variation in the underlying individual results.

The potential for there to be a mechanism that accelerates progression is a great thing to publish, but the data looks like it is in the "do you want to enjoy coffee for 5 years or go without to maybe avoid speeding it up a little bit" category.

Re: Creatine raises brain energy levels and slows cognitive decline: study

#376

Post by mulle_nat »

terribleperson wrote: post #278
mulle_nat wrote: post #245

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No sure about brain harm. But I used creatine for a few months and I got cramps in an intensity like I never experienced before. I then decided it was not worth it for a few watts of cycling FTP increase. So I would not consider it harmless for everbody, but this sideeffect seems pretty rare.

Could it have been dehydration?

I wasn't while cycling, it was when resting or at night sleeping. Could have been dehydration related, but i usually drink a LOT during and afterwards.

Re: Creatine raises brain energy levels and slows cognitive decline: study

#377

Post by firefax »

dahart wrote: post #327
omnimus wrote: post #225

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Creatine is one of the most studied supplements in fitness and i don't think there ever was evidence it was harmful. Then again supplements mostly create expensive pee.

> supplements mostly create expensive pee Haha, that’s a great quote. Definitely going to borrow that one. Thanks!

concern is less "expensive pee" more "it'll act as a diuretic" (which might have long term kidney effects)

Re: Creatine raises brain energy levels and slows cognitive decline: study

#378

Post by bhelkey »

sbayg wrote: post #374
bhelkey wrote: post #325

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Stomach issues are a frequently reported side effect of Creatine Monohydrate [1]. The general school of thought behind the belief 'Creatine HCL is easier on the stomach" is: 1) HCL is much more water soluble and (likely) is more easily digested. 2) less creatine HCL stays undigested. 3) the dose needed is smaller. 4) anecdotes seem to support HCL being easier to digest. To the best of my knowledge, there are no peer…

The abstract you linked, pasted below, seems to say otherwise. Placebo groups report same SE frequency. “Across 684 randomized controlled trials, reported SEs were infrequent. Although dose and duration tertiles were statistically associated with study-level side effect reporting, the effect sizes were uniformly small, events were infrequent, and the reported symptoms were primarily mild and nonspecific. No consisten…

What I got from the linked review is:

1) Creatine is safe, "creatine supplementation is safe across a range of doses, durations, and populations according to human trials".

2) Stomach issues are a commonly reported side effect, "Gastrointestinal issues were the most frequently reported side effect... Most notably, gastrointestinal distress is a commonly reported side effect, and those supplementing with creatine may need to divide the dose into smaller boluses to alleviate it; however, it is worth noting that this side effect was not persistent"

3) It is not clear if the side effects are caused by creatine, many of the issues can be explained by baseline issues rather than caused by creatine, "No consistent or clinically meaningful dose-dependent increases in side-effect reporting were observed across models; even at higher doses and prolonged durations, reporting remained low and largely comparable to placebo at the study level"

Re: Creatine raises brain energy levels and slows cognitive decline: study

#379

Post by dlivingston »

TheAceOfHearts wrote: post #330

Does anyone have advice for getting it down? I feel like no matter what I mix it with, it grosses me out and it becomes extremely challenging to get it down. I've tried pouring the dry powder in my mouth and just chugging it down quick as well as mixing it with various liquids, but they sandy texture makes me gag. I've managed to sustain taking creatine for a while but it never gets any better.

I either mix it with a cup of cold water and gulp it down, or mix it in with a protein/greens shake.

Re: Creatine raises brain energy levels and slows cognitive decline: study

#380

Post by kbrisso »

mrsvanwinkle wrote: post #227
pitched wrote: post #188

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’m still in the 30s but have found it to lower how much energy it takes to start something, rather than helping me stay focused. Same sort of idea, being in a higher-energy state, just pointing out that age doesn’t seem to be a requirement to get any benefit. I do also respond well the low-carb diets and heat that a lot from pro-creatine people so maybe there’s a connection to diet.

if it helps, i did keto fasting for weight loss monitored using a blood ketone meter, ate close to zero calories of korean konjac jelly and zero sugar drinks. and the drastic mental health benefit was a welcome surprise for me. even my physical energy felt infinite. but i experienced exactly what you described after hitting my target weight, very roughly at 15% body fat. at that point the fat burning noticeably slows…

The reason for the drop, I think you might be keto adapted. If you had < 20 grams of carbs you might be using all the ketones in your blood. If you can tolerate MCT oil you can use it as a ketone boost.
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