Hello to my darlings,
This week I want to shed light on supplement that has been sitting in the back of gym bags for decades. Creatine is having a moment, and honestly, it deserves one. The research has caught up, and what it is showing goes well beyond the weight rack. Your brain runs on energy too, and creatine feeds both. This one sits right at the heart of WxH, and I think you are going to love it.
Creatine is stored primarily in your muscles, and, crucially, in your brain. Its job is to rapidly regenerate your body's energy currency. (ATP, in case you want to look it up)
More creatine = more available charge = better performance.
The brain case
Your brain is an energy-hungry organ, and creatine is stored there. When you top up your levels through supplementation, is where you can reap some benefits.
If you for example are sleep deprived, creatine supplementation significantly improves working memory, processing speed, and reaction time. Also when the brain is under stress or running on low resources creatine is showing some great effects.
Vegetarians and vegans (who get little dietary creatine) has studies showing improvements in memory and intelligence test scores after supplementing.
Mood and depression is newer territory, but the evidence is building. Creatine appears to have antidepressant properties, particularly in women, possibly by supporting mitochondrial function in brain cells. It's not a replacement for therapy or medication, but it's a meaningful add.
This indicates that many of us are running at a cognitive deficit, most of the days.
The numbers behind the brain case
Not all cognitive benefits are equal, and the research is quite honest about that. Creatine showed its strongest, most consistent effects on memory and reaction time. These are also the domains most relevant to your daily performance. Processing speed, executive function, and overall cognition showed smaller, less conclusive effects. Your brain's energy system responds to creatine most where it's most taxed.
The wealth angle; Cognitive output is a financial metric.
Making good decisions require a brain that has a capacity surplus.
Your cognitive output is hopefully one of your most valuable assets. The quality of your decisions, your focus, your resilience under pressure, these translate directly into professional performance, which translates into income, opportunity, and growth. Every hour you are operating at full capacity, thinking clearly, making good calls, showing up to conversations with actual presence, that is an hour that compounds. The people who build real wealth are not working harder than everyone else, they are making better decisions, consistently, over time.
Sleep, movement, nutrition, supplementation, are inputs to your output. Treat them accordingly, and the returns will maifest soon enough. Think ROI, creatine for around €25–35 per month, has documented effects on your brain. A relatively low investment, that potentially moves the needle on your cognitive output. I think of it as the cheapest performance upgrade available. Decades of safety data, thousands of studies, consistent results, and a price point that makes it accessible to everyone.
How to actually use it
Dose, 3–5 grams per day is the standard evidence-based dose. That's it. You don't need to 'load' or any of that gym-rat stuff.
Form, Creatine monohydrate is the gold standard. Don't be seduced by fancy versions (creatine HCl, ethyl ester, etc.) they're more expensive and not meaningfully better for most people. Plain monohydrate, tested and true.
Timing, Doesn't matter much. Take it whenever it's easiest for you to be consistent, I personally do not like taking it on an empty stomach. Some evidence suggests post-workout is slightly optimal, but consistency beats timing every time.
Who it's for, Everyone, honestly. Athletes, knowledge workers, older adults, women navigating hormonal shifts, anyone who wants their brain and body performing well.
One note on women, Creatine appears to be especially beneficial for women during high-stress periods, post-exercise recovery, and around menopause. The research is still young, but this is a space worth keeping an eye on.
Creatine is a foundational supplement with an exceptional evidence base, and most people aren't taking it, which means most people are leaving performance on the table.
It's the one supplement that genuinely sits at the intersection of Wealth and Health. So don`t sleep on this one.–
Thanks for reading, until next time loves!
Big hugs