What is creatine?

When asked in the gym which supplement one should take in addition to sports, a response comes up quite frequently: Creatine. The molecule, with extensive research background not only offers benefits in (strength) sports but can also influence cognitive performance. Even astronauts are recommended this endogenous substance for space missions. What benefits creatine brings you, how to take it, and how longevity research evaluates the molecule will be explained in this article.

Where is creatine found in the body?

First of all, we need to clarify the question of what creatine actually is. To do this, let's take a closer look at the molecule. Creatine consists of three amino acids: Arginine, Glycine and Methionine.Our body produces the molecule itself from these three building blocks. The place of origin is mainly in the liver. In smaller amounts, it is also produced in the kidneys and the pancreas.

From the liver, creatine is then transported to its main site of action: the muscles. There, it serves as an energy store in the form of creatine phosphate. You can think of it like a short-acting but very powerful battery. When we want to move our muscles, z.B. in the gym while bench pressing, our muscles consume a large amount of energy in the form of  ATP. After a few seconds, the ATP stores are empty, and our muscle can no longer contract further.

This is where creatine comes into play by donating its phosphate groups and regenerating ADP (two phosphate groups) back to ATP (three phosphate groups).Without this "battery boost," we couldn't lift heavy weights as effectively or sprint quickly over short distances. Once creatine phosphate is used up, creatinine is produced as a "waste product."

Did you know? The amino acid glycine is a true all-rounder in the human body. It is involved in many important metabolic processes. Some of these also affect longevity. For example, glycine can act as a methyl group donor for better DNA repair, or in combination with NAC, strengthen your mitochondria. The combination GlyNAC is also available as a supplement. When glycine is combined with hyaluron the molecule can also contribute to better skin health.

Creatine in food – is that enough?

We mainly find creatine in meat products. Here are some data on the creatine content of various foods:

• Beef: approx. 4.5g per kilogram
• Chicken: approx. 3.4g per kilogram
• Pork hearts: approx. 1.5g per kilogram

In vegetarian products, creatine is almost nonexistent. However, the amino acids that our body needs to produce the molecule are present. Overall, our body's creatine stores have a capacity of about 120g.

We lose about 1.6-1.7% of it daily in the form of creatinine.This means that we need to produce about 2g of creatine daily to compensate for this loss. A large part of it is synthesized by our body itself, but performance decreases firstly with age and secondly, the loss during sports can be even greater. A pure compensation through food is difficult due to limited food options, which is why a needs-based supplementation is quite sensible.

Creatine Supplementation – not just sensible for men

Most studies on creatine have been conducted on men – particularly male athletes, whose main goal was to improve athletic performance, have been studied more closely. As is often the case in medicine, this results in a rather one-sided picture.

In this study , however, women were explicitly examined.Here it could be shown, in addition to the already known advantages, that especially women after menopause had improved bone mineralization through the combination of creatine and strength training. Falls and bone fractures in old age are common and can often have serious consequences for those affected. Here, the intake of creatine can help preventively. Creatine and Longevity – what does the research say? In addition to its role in sports, studies have shown that creatine may be helpful in depression.In a  study , the sole intake could lead to a reduction in depressive symptoms, while in the other studies , the intake/effect of antidepressants was enhanced. Since a stable psyche is important for longevity, creatine could offer an advantage here. However, one should not expect overly large effects.

Another area of research is neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s. In mouse studies , researchers observed that daily intake of creatine protected against the development of neurodegenerative diseases. Additionally, a larger number of older mice were examined in this study.Here, a group was given the molecule daily, and the mice in this population lived on average 9% longer. They also showed an improved brain function and their cells contained less lipofuscin, which is also known as "age pigment." These promising results have not yet been reproduced in human studies. It remains exciting to see what the future holds. We hope you now know more about the fascinating molecule. Whether as a supplement for sports or for better cognitive performance, creatine is an ideal and, above all, evidence-based companion for everyday life.