Ivo Paunov

Creatine

Creatine is stored in muscle cells as phosphocreatine — a rapid ATP resynthesis buffer. When a muscle fires, ATP is consumed in milliseconds; phosphocreatine rebuilds it instantly, before slower metabolic pathways can respond. Saturating this pool through supplementation extends the window of high-intensity output before fatigue sets in.

The most studied supplement in sports science. Safe across the full tested dose range. Only form worth using: creatine monohydrate. All other variants (HCl, ethyl ester, buffered) are marketing — not better absorbed, not better tolerated, just more expensive. Source matters too: only buy from brands that use Creapure or Creavitalis raw material — cheap Chinese-sourced creatine contains toxic synthesis byproducts.

Why creatine

  • better energy and endurance
  • supports muscle mass and strength
  • helps brain function at higher doses
  • beneficial equally for men and women

Muscle & performance

  • Strength — consistent +5–15% increase in 1RM across compound lifts in the majority of studies
  • Power output — faster peak force production; measurable in sprint, jump, and explosive effort tests
  • Muscle volume — increased intracellular water retention (cell volumization) and real lean mass gain over training cycles
  • Recovery — reduces muscle damage markers (CK, LDH) after hard sessions; faster return to full output
  • Endurance buffer — less benefit for pure aerobic work, but helps in high-intensity intervals and repeated sprint protocols
  • Equally effective in women

Brain

  • Cognitive performance under stress — measurable improvements in reaction time, working memory, and mental fatigue resistance, especially during sleep deprivation or hypoxia; benefit is consistent and replicated
  • Older adults — strong effect (SMD ~0.88) in adults 66–76; brain phosphocreatine declines with age and supplementation partially restores it
  • Healthy young adults at rest — evidence is weak to null; even 10–20g/day for 6 weeks shows no significant improvement in most RCTs; the brain already operates near its PCr ceiling when unstressed
  • Vegetarians — lower brain creatine baseline means larger cognitive response to supplementation
  • Neuroprotection — early evidence for reduced damage markers after mild TBI; preliminary
  • Mood and depression — several trials showing benefit as an SSRI adjunct, especially in women; linked to brain energy metabolism

Doses

  • 3–5g/day — muscle, performance, and general health; no loading required, steady-state saturation in ~4 weeks; ~0.1g/kg/day is a more precise estimate
  • 5–10g/day — used in cognitive trials showing benefit in older adults, sleep-deprived individuals, and vegetarians; higher dose does not improve cognition in healthy young adults at rest — context determines whether there is any brain benefit at all
  • Loading protocol (optional): 20g/day split into 4 × 5g doses for 5–7 days to saturate faster, then drop to maintenance — reaches the same endpoint as gradual dosing ~3 weeks sooner
  • Absorption is enhanced when taken with carbohydrates or electrolytes (insulin-mediated creatine uptake via the SLC6A8 transporter)

Side effects

No serious adverse effects at any studied dose.

  • Water retention — 1–3kg bodyweight increase from intracellular volumization, not fat; normalizes if you stop
  • GI discomfort — only at high single doses (>10g at once); split doses eliminate this almost entirely
  • Creatinine elevation in bloodwork — expected finding in anyone supplementing creatine, not a sign of kidney damage in healthy people
  • Kidney concerns — no adverse renal effects in healthy individuals at any studied dose; pre-existing kidney disease: consult a doctor

Sources

⚠️ Only use ultra-clean certified creatine. Raw material source matters — contaminated creatine exists and is widely sold. Two certified manufacturers: Creapure (Germany, AlzChem) and Creavitalis (Netherlands). Any brand is fine as long as they explicitly state one of these as their raw material source.

  • China-sourced raw material contains high levels of dicyandiamide (DCD) and dihydrotriazine (DHT) — ☠️ byproducts of cheap synthesis
  • most brands just repack bulk raw material — they do not manufacture it themselves; the raw material source is what matters
  • check klati✅ for approved sources links

Research

Updated:

You May Also Enjoy