what's your background, if i can ask?
Some of my fascination is born out of pure curiosity, but I also try and learn what I can so that I can use that knowledge to improve my own health and avoid doctors visits.
@thatguyoverthere yeah I could say the same of some subjects I'm into
from a brief flick through the Wikipedia seems there's a good base of evidence, the sense i get is that it just buffers the ATP cycle for intense exercise?
never sure about this stuff though, the line between marketing and science is blurred in supplement stuff, but looks like it's worth a crack
yeah most supplements don’t really past the sniff test (placebos), but creatine is one that has a decent mass of evidence for it’s efficacy in training. You are right it acts as a buffer, although I am not certain there is a threshold of intensity. I think it’s more if there is bindable phosphor it can occur and allow reuse.
I haven’t read over this entirely yet, but it seems more in line with your particular interest wrt creatine and brain function.
There is a robust and compelling body of evidence supporting the ergogenic and therapeutic role of creatine supplementation in muscle. Beyond these well-described effects and mechanisms, there is literature to suggest that creatine may also be beneficial to brain health (e.g., cognitive processing, brain function, and recovery from trauma). This is a growing field of research, and the purpose of this short review is to provide an update on the effects of creatine supplementation on brain health in humans. There is a potential for creatine supplementation 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). Despite this, the optimal creatine protocol able to increase brain creatine levels is still to be determined. Similarly, supplementation studies concomitantly assessing brain creatine and cognitive function are needed. Collectively, data available are promising and future research in the area is warranted.
@thatguyoverthere sweet I'll check it out
tbf if it can add a bump to my workouts I'm into it, any mental improvement would be a bonus as far as I'm concerned
@thatguyoverthere then I'm in, do you have any tips or preferences, do you just mix it in water/cofe?
Interestingly it seems there is a myth that creatine may cause cramping. I've never heard this but it's mentioned in the below article which seems worth a read.
> Likewise, most of the literature claims that creatine does not cause cramping. In fact, a few studies show creatine may reduce the risks of muscle cramps.
They link to a study about the reduction of cramps. I don't know if it increases or decreases it. I started using it years ago in my 20s, and I've been off and on throughout my life sense. I very rarely get cramps during or after exercise, and if I do I attribute it to my diet or overtraining.
https://nakednutrition.com/blogs/supplements/creatine-water-retention
