Why Creatine Powder Benefits the Brain & Body for Older Adults
Who wouldn’t love to support their cognitive abilities, memory, and physical performance with one superstar supplement? I’m excited to share with you a new addition to the BrainMD family of products that can do all this—and more. Tapping the power of creatine monohydrate powder, BrainMD’s Smart Creatine+ is launching this month.
A lot of people have heard about creatine’s positive effects on the body. After all, it’s been a favorite ingredient among bodybuilders and athletes for years, prized for its ability to build muscle mass and aid in recovery after workouts. But it’s a lesser-known fact that creatine has been praised by researchers for offering many brain benefits, too.
Let’s take a look at the latest science around this brain and body booster, how it works, and how you can easily add it to your daily routine through the Smart Creatine+ supplement.
Sharper Mind, Stronger Muscles
First, I’ll offer a quick review of creatine’s benefits for skeletal muscle tissue. Research has shown that those who perform physical activity can help prevent injury and improve their performance by taking creatine. Because creatine can help improve exercise tolerance, leading to increased capacity to perform high-intensity activity, it can help people achieve an overall healthier lifestyle. And we already know that exercise offers a long list of benefits, improving everything from sleep to metabolism to mood—because exercise allows for easier release of serotonin, as well as melatonin at night.
What creatine is less known for is its impressive use by the brain. Researchers are increasingly discovering that taking creatine supplements is a great way to support not only muscle growth, but brain health. And, because creatine has been shown to support both skeletal muscle maintenance and cognition, it’s especially helpful for older adults. For example, creatine has been associated with improved performance on memory-based assessments. Taken as a preventative measure, it may help slow aging in the brain and offer protection against age-related effects like cognitive decline and memory loss.
The Science Behind Creatine
Let’s break down some of the science behind creatine in layman’s terms. When found in the brain, creatine kinase is expressed in its own unique form, which is called brain-specific isoform creatine kinase (BB-CK). Inside the brain, BB-CK enacts a process that allows it to maintain homeostasis of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which fuels the cells of the body. This is especially important during times of rapid or altered ATP turnover in the brain—which happens, for example, when performing complex cognitive tasks or in cases of sleep deprivation.
This is supported by research published in The European Journal of Sport Science in 2019, which also concluded that brain creatine is responsive to supplementation. The article stated, “When considering the influence of supplementation strategies on cognitive processes, it appears that creatine is most likely to exert an influence in situations whereby cognitive processes are stressed, e.g., during sleep deprivation, experimental hypoxia, or during the performance of more complex, and thus more cognitively demanding, tasks.” The authors added that increased brain creatine may even be effective for reducing the severity of, or enhancing recovery from, mild traumatic brain injury, and they called for more research to further explore this link.
Another benefit of creatine within the brain is that it has been shown to reduce the amount of reactive oxygen species produced with cell turnover. That’s because it couples with ATP in the mitochondria and can also scavenge radical species outside of the cell. Why is this important? When reactive oxygen species accumulate or are overproduced, the result is more oxidative stress on the body, so creatine’s ability to reduce them is key.
Finally, evidence has also pointed to BB-CK as an important molecule in homeostasis of the central nervous system. Major mental and developmental disorders can be related to a creatine deficiency within the body, but they may be partially reversed by supplementing with creatine. According to a study published in Nutrients in 2021, creatine supplementation has shown the potential to “improve cognitive processing, especially in conditions characterized by brain creatine deficits, which could be induced by acute stressors (e.g., exercise, sleep deprivation) or chronic, pathologic conditions (e.g., creatine synthesis enzyme deficiencies, mild traumatic brain injury, aging, Alzheimer’s disease, depression).” Therefore, creatine may be able to improve health outcomes in a range of conditions.
The Benefits of Creatine for Older Adults
Put simply, the effects of creatine outlined above are associated with improved cognitive processing, as well as improved memory retention, which are especially important among aging populations. In the same way creatine improves skeletal muscle performance, it can also help the brain produce energy to function at a higher capacity.
Using creatine supplements like Smart Creatine+, adults of any age can take advantage of this double benefit, enjoying both improved cognition as well as maintenance of their muscle mass. Several studies have shown that creatine supplementation in aging populations—independent of the subjects’ exercise routines—helps increase body mass and muscle strength, while decreasing fatigue and improving the performance of routine daily activities.
When we consider these benefits, alongside the importance of creatine for optimal brain function, it’s clear that creatine is a promising supplement for older adults. Smart Creatine+ can help reduce, prevent, or improve some of the most common challenges and symptoms associated with typical aging.
If you need a handy “cheat sheet,” here’s a quick rundown of some of the brain benefits I’ve found by adding Smart Creatine+ to my supplement routine:
- Better overall brain health and wellness
- Better cognitive/mental performance
- Neuroprotective effects
- Memory enhancement
- Nootropic effects
- Neurological support
- Enhanced mental clarity
- Improved focus and concentration
Incorporate Smart Creatine+ in Your Routine
You can also maximize your results by combining Smart Creatine+ with a couple of other BrainMD supplements designed to keep the brain and body functioning at their best. I recommend Brain & Memory Power Boost, as well as Restful Sleep, as two of the best products to take alongside creatine. These offer a one-two punch of wellness around the clock: While you’re awake, your brain will function optimally, and overnight you’ll get great sleep to fully recover from exercise and other daily tasks. Take these 3 supplements for a well-balanced, brain-focused daily supplement routine.
Just a few words of caution: Make sure you speak with a medical professional and receive clearance before you start any new supplement routine. Certain people might not be great candidates for creatine monohydrate powder, including those with preexisting kidney disease, high blood pressure (hypertension), or liver diseases of any kind. It’s also not recommended for those who are breastfeeding. So, as always—especially if you’re pregnant, nursing, taking medications, have a medical condition, or have difficulty swallowing—consult your doctor before using any new supplement.
Smart Creatine+ Enables Healthier Aging
As advances in education, nutrition, and medicine enable us to live longer, we all need to prioritize our health so that we perform at our very best into our 60s, 70s, 80s, and beyond. Enhanced longevity is a great gift, but it requires us to care for our bodies and brains—not only when they’re in need of repair, but long before. Using preventative measures like Smart Creatine+ help boost both the brain and body for optimal health and performance for decades to come.
