We looked into what they can — and can’t — do for athletic performance, memory and more.
Creatine has long been a popular supplement among athletes and body builders, who say it supplies them with quick bursts of energy needed for high-intensity workouts and helps them build muscle.
But on social media, claims about creatine go beyond the weight room, with some users saying it can improve memory, help with recovery after concussions or other head traumas, or even control blood sugar in people with Type 2 diabetes.
Is any of this true? We turned to three nutrition and supplement experts to help us sort it out.
What is creatine?
Creatine is a compound that our liver, kidneys and pancreas make on their own, but we also get it from certain animal products like red meat and fish.
After it has been absorbed into the bloodstream and transferred to the muscles, it is converted into another compound called creatine phosphate, which our muscles use to generate energy, especially during high intensity activities like sprinting and weight lifting, said Roger Fielding, a senior scientist at the Jean Mayer U.S.D.A. Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University.
Because we typically make enough creatine to survive, federal health officials don’t make recommendations for how much we should consume, and it is not considered an essential nutrient, said Jose Antonio, a professor of exercise science at Nova Southeastern University in Florida.
Most of our bodies require about two grams of creatine per day to perform their basic functions.
If you eat meat, you probably get a good chunk of this — about one to two grams per day — from your diet. But your organs also pick up the slack. They synthesize about one to two grams on their own, Dr. Antonio said, except in people with certain rare genetic disorders that affect their ability to produce creatine or move it around the body.