Creatine is a compound that comes from three amino acids. Creatine is found mostly in your body’s muscles as well as in the brain.
Creatine is an amino acid-derived compound naturally produced in your liver, kidneys, and pancreas. The molecule is also found in your diet, especially in red meat and fish. The true potential of creatine centers on what it does inside your cells.
Creatine’s best-studied role is as a short-term energy reserve, helping cells replenish adenosine triphosphate (ATP)—their primary energy currency.
During moments of high demand, like intense exercise or mental exertion, multiple organs in the body tap into phosphocreatine (a storage form of creatine) to rapidly regenerate ATP. It’s believed that without sufficient creatine, your cells—especially in the brain and muscles—may struggle to keep up with energetic needs.
The relative value of creatine’s energy boosting capabilities may be most relevant in the brain. This is because the brain uses up a disproportionate amount of ATP to power our daily cognitive functions.
Your neurons in particular are major energy utilizers, taking up the majority of our brain’s energy to create and package neurotransmitters, send signals across synapses and reset after data transfer. Importantly, a host of studies have shown that as we age, our brains may have more trouble getting consistent access to fuel for these reactions, and this lack of availability of ATP may increase the risk for cognitive decline.
As the primary energy hubs for your cells, mitochondria are a key part of the creatine story.
Mitochondrial dysfunction (states in which mitochondria have trouble producing enough energy due to inherited issues or damage from exposures) is believed to be a major contributor to states as diverse as diabetes and heart disease, but also to neurodegenerative diseases, fatigue, brain fog and various mental health problems.
Early and primarily preclinical data are providing a signal that creatine’s mitochondrial energy-augmenting abilities might render it a valuable consideration for these states.
Prioritizing physical, emotional and cognitive brain health and wellness.