Creatine supplements may boost cognitive performance after poor sleep

Some athletes and fitness enthusiasts take creatine supplements to improve physical performance. However, its role in cognitive performance has recently come into the spotlight. But what is creatine and where does it come from?

Made up of three amino acids, the human body produces around 1 gram (g) of creatine daily, mainly in the liver and kidneys, and to a lesser extent, in the pancreas.

It is also present in some foods, mainly meat and fish. Someone on an omnivorous diet will consume around 1g per day.

About 95% of the body’s creatine is stored in skeletal muscle, but also in the brain.

Sports scientists are interested in creatine because it helps the body regenerate adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the primary energy source for our cells.

Today’s Medical News spoke with Scott Forbes, PhD, about how this works. He told us [c]Reatine is converted into a molecule called phosphocreatine and this molecule can be quickly broken down into energy (ATP).

Forbes, who was not involved in the new study, is the director of the physical education studies department at Brandon University in Canada and has published articles on creatine and brain function.

The best part about this energy system is that it does not require oxygen. So if your brain needs energy quickly, it can use creatine (or phosphocreatine), he explained.

MNT contacted Marco Machado, Ph.D., of Itaperuna University in Brazil, who has written several articles on the subject.

Machado was not involved in the current study, but explained that while some research shows that creatine can improve thinking abilities, it can only help people in specific circumstances.

In particular, this [creatine] has shown promise for improving cognition among older adults, especially those with a lower intake of animal-based foods, as well as in cases of mild brain trauma and sleep deprivation.

Marco Machado, PhD

According to Forbes, evidence is mounting that creatine can also reduce inflammation and oxidative stress, which can benefit the brain, and that creatine can reduce the risk of depression and anxiety, be neuroprotective against brain injury, and help support to brain health and development.

In the latest creatine study, the authors recruited 15 participants. Each attended the laboratory for 2 nights, separated by at least 5 days. During one of the visits, they took a single high dose of creatine and the other night they took a placebo.

Previous research has shown that the brain does not absorb creatine unless it is stressed. As Forbes said MNT, [w]We conducted systematic reviews and original research on creatine and cognitive performance in healthy young adults in non-stressful situations and found little or no benefit.

Sleep deprivation, however, puts the brain under duress, so the researchers kept the participants awake overnight and asked them to complete cognitive tasks. They performed the tests at the start of the study before taking the creatine or placebo and at three other times during the night.

They found that 3 hours after the creatine dose, there were positive changes in brain metabolism and cognitive performance improved. This beneficial effect peaked at 4 hours, but lasted up to 9 hours.

In particular, processing capacity and short-term memory were improved.

Forbes was impressed that just one dose provided measurable increases in cognitive performance because previously researchers had speculated that a higher dose of creatine over a longer period of time was needed to raise brain creatine levels.

Since so many people suffer from sleep deprivation, he continued, this is some very interesting data showing that creatine works. More research is needed, but these findings could be very applicable to first responders, the military, police health workers, pilots, or athletes who may have trouble sleeping but need their brains to function at a high level. level

However, there are certain security issues. MNT spoke with one of the study’s authors, Ali Gordji-Nejad, PhD, of the Jlich Research Center in Germany. Gordji-Nejad told us: The dose in our study was very high (more than 20 g). It is not recommended to take it because of strain on the kidneys.

Although people who work night shifts may benefit from creatine supplements one day, we need to wait for more evidence.

Only if future studies show the same cognitive-enhancing effect at significantly lower doses (around 5g) could creatine be considered for long work nights, Gordji-Nejad said.

He hopes that there are ways to improve the effect so that a lower dose is still useful: the same or even better effect could also occur when creatine is combined with other components. This could be the focus of further studies.

Machado also urges caution: Consulting with a qualified nutrition professional for proper dosage and guidance is crucial, as with any dietary supplement, to ensure safe and effective use.

He also explained how it is unclear who might benefit from creatine. Machado said there is still no conclusive evidence of cognitive benefits in young individuals with a balanced diet. MNT. This suggests limited or no significant improvement in this demographic.

Although the effect on cognitive performance was relatively brief in this study, Machado reminds us that this was only a single-dose supplementation protocol.

Other research suggests that sustained supplementation over an extended period may produce longer-lasting effects, he explained. Further research exploring prolonged supplementation regimens could clarify the potential to extend the cognitive benefits of creatine.