Creatine: A Hack To Get Jacked?

Summary

Creatine: A Hack To Get Jacked? – Comprehensive Summary

Podcast: Science Vs
Host/Producer: Wendy Zuckerman & Michelle Dang
Episode: Creatine: A Hack To Get Jacked?
Release Date: June 5, 2025

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Introduction

In the episode titled "Creatine: A Hack To Get Jacked?", Science Vs delves deep into the popular supplement creatine, examining its purported benefits for muscle growth and cognitive enhancement. Hosted by Wendy Zuckerman and produced by Michelle Dang, the episode juxtaposes widespread claims against scientific evidence to determine whether creatine lives up to the hype.

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Understanding Creatine

The discussion begins with a fundamental question: What is creatine?

[04:16] Michelle Dang: "Some people think it's a steroid, but it's not. It's actually something our body naturally makes from food. When you eat things like meat or fish, your body pulls together amino acids from it to actually create creatine."

Creatine is a naturally occurring substance synthesized in the body and obtained through dietary sources like meat and fish. Supplements, typically in the form of white powder, are consumed to elevate creatine levels beyond what diet alone can provide.

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Creatine and Muscle Growth

One of the primary claims surrounding creatine is its ability to enhance muscle mass and strength. To explore this, the podcast features Darren Willoughby, a professor of anatomy at Baylor College of Medicine and a former bodybuilder.

Scientific Evidence

[05:55] Michelle Dang: "Darren's been studying creatine for a while. It was back in the 90s. He started hearing whispers about creatine's powers."

Darren conducted a study involving 22 men divided into two groups: one receiving creatine and the other a placebo. Over three months, participants engaged in lower body workouts, primarily leg presses. Muscle biopsies revealed:

[07:12] Michelle Dang: "He found more of these muscle proteins, one called myosin heavy chain, and another one called myofibrillar protein. And there was more of this stuff in the people that took creatine, meaning that their muscles had grown."

Additionally, the creatine group displayed increased strength, albeit not dramatically.

Mechanism of Action

Creatine doesn't directly build muscle but enhances energy availability during workouts:

[08:12] Michelle Dang: "Instead, it works by getting you extra energy during your workout. So, like, as you're working out, you're rapidly using up fuel in your body, which is ATP or adenosine triphosphate."

By aiding the recycling of ATP, creatine allows for more sustained energy during intense physical activity.

Debunking the Myths

Recent headlines have questioned creatine's efficacy in muscle building:

[10:48] Michelle Dang: "A review of 10 studies... found that creatine compared to placebo, increased the thickness of their muscles by about a tenth of a centimeter."

This modest gain suggests that while creatine does contribute to muscle growth, the effects are not as monumental as often portrayed online.

Quotes Highlighting Findings

[11:03] Wendy Zuckerman: "A tenth of a centimeter more muscle. That's like a tenth of a belly button."

[16:13] Chuck: "A lot of times that's because they're actually training harder or working harder, hoping that they're really going to get an impact from the supplement."

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Creatine and Athletic Performance

Interestingly, despite creatine's potential benefits, it is not banned by major sporting bodies like the Olympics:

[11:42] Wendy Zuckerman: "It is not a banned substance."

The World Anti-Doping Agency clarified that creatine does not meet the criteria for being considered sufficiently performance-enhancing to warrant a ban.

Furthermore, the US Anti-Doping Agency echoed similar sentiments, acknowledging a small effect on performance but emphasizing its variability among individuals.

Responder Variability

Not everyone responds to creatine supplementation. Approximately one in four men may not experience the touted benefits, and response rates might be even lower among women due to factors like hormonal fluctuations.

[13:11] Michelle Dang: "The reason those effects are not guaranteed is that we know from the research there are some people who do don't respond to creatine."

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Creatine and Cognitive Function

Shifting focus from muscles to the brain, the episode explores claims that creatine can enhance cognitive performance, especially under stress or sleep deprivation.

Study Insights

Ali Gorginejan, a physicist from the Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine in Germany, conducted a study to assess creatine's impact on the sleep-deprived brain.

[21:26] Michelle Dang: "Ali's study has created this huge buzz online. You've got folks like Joe Rogan talking about it, but it is a small study."

Study Findings:

• Participants who took creatine performed significantly better on memory and reaction time tests under sleep-deprived conditions.
• MRI scans confirmed increased brain creatine levels, indicating active utilization during cognitive tasks.

[22:18] Ali Gorginejan: "They were all extremely faster."

However, the dosage in Ali's study was exceptionally high (20-30 grams), much more than the standard recommended 3-5 grams daily.

Contrasting Evidence

A larger study by Julia Fabian Sankuler at the University of Bonn involving 123 participants revealed that creatine supplementation had no statistically significant effect on cognitive tests in healthy individuals over six weeks.

[25:08] Michelle Dang: "Fabienne looked at the results before and after creatine, and on average, no, it didn't help."

Contextual Applications

While general cognitive enhancement claims may be overstated, creatine shows promise in specific populations and conditions:

• Sleep Deprivation: Enhanced cognitive function during periods of extreme fatigue.
• Mental Health: Adjunctive benefits in depression treatment when combined with cognitive behavioral therapy.
• Older Adults: Potential memory boosts in the elderly.

[27:20] Michelle Dang: "For example, they can help with recovery after a stroke or concussion and maybe even depression."

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Personal Experiences and Anecdotes

Hosts and contributors share their personal experiences with creatine supplementation, noting minimal to no perceived benefits.

[15:11] Michelle Dang: "I've been taking creatine, and Blythe, our Editor has also been taking creatine."

[14:37] Darren Willoughby: "If creatine is doing anything, you know, I would think I would be like putting more weight or being feeling stronger. ... it's not working."

Similarly, Michelle and Blythe reported negligible changes in their workout performance despite supplementation.

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Safety and Risks

Creatine is generally considered safe when taken within recommended dosages (3-5 grams daily). Common concerns include:

• Water Retention & Bloating: Due to increased water in muscle cells, leading to a temporary weight gain.

  [28:11] Michelle Dang: "This can lead to that bloaty feeling and that water retention might lead to a bit of weight gain on the scales."

• Dehydration: Addressed by Darren Willoughby, who states there's no significant risk associated with dehydration from creatine.

  [29:07] Chuck: "There's no concerns with Any types of ongoing dehydration."

• Digestive Issues: Some individuals experience gastrointestinal discomfort, diarrhea, or gas.

  [29:14] Michelle Dang: "Darren is actually one of these people. He said he gets gassy on creatine."

• Kidney Health: Individuals with pre-existing kidney conditions should consult a healthcare professional before supplementation.

Loading Phase Myth:

Contrary to popular belief, a loading phase (20-25 grams daily for a week) is unnecessary. Studies indicate that muscles become saturated within four days, rendering excess creatine excreted via urine.

[30:00] Wendy Zuckerman: "So forget the loading phase. You're just gonna pay it out. Pee out all this excess creatine."

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Conclusion

Creatine supplementation presents modest benefits for muscle growth and potential cognitive enhancements under specific conditions. While it is safe for most individuals when taken as recommended, the effects are not as dramatic as often advertised. Personal experiences vary, with some users noticing improvements and others, including the hosts themselves, observing minimal changes.

[31:01] Michelle Dang: "Creatine isn't mind blowing, but it's safe and it might boost some muscle. So I think it might be a helpful tool in the gym."

The episode underscores the importance of approaching supplement claims with a critical eye, balancing anecdotal endorsements with scientific scrutiny.

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Additional Resources

For listeners interested in the detailed studies and references discussed in this episode, Michelle Dang mentions that all citations are available in the show notes transcript.

[31:43] Michelle Dang: "Please check out Our transcript in the show notes."

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Produced by: Michelle Dang
Edited by: Blythe Terrell
Fact-Checked by: Marlo Starling
Music by: Emma Munger
Licensed to: Spotify Studios

Science Vs is a Spotify Studios original, available for free on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

Transcript

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Hi, I'm Wendy Zuckerman and you're listening to Science versus Today. On the show, we're pitting facts against fitness buffs. Want to work out harder?

[Chuck]

Increase your stamina, endurance, scientifically.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Formulate it to get results.

[Ali Gorginejan]

Expect more from workouts. Aim for greatness.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

And you know how we're gonna get that greatness from our workouts? With one supplement that everyone is talking about. This is creatine.

[Darren Willoughby]

Take creatine.

[Michelle Dang]

How important?

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Creatine supplementation is a wonderful, wonderful supplement. It's the best thing ever. Creatine. It's huge if you want to get huge. People are saying that if you want to build muscles, you have to take this.

[Chuck]

Here's how to use creatine to get bigger and stronger.

[Michelle Dang]

You're a gym girly with a flat ass. I have a supplement that will help creatine.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Creatine Girl Creatine made that booty grow. But it's not just about your booty and muscles. More and more we're hearing that creatine can also boost your brain power too. There's a lot of, like, cognitive benefits, and one of the big ones that they've found recently is performance when sleep deprived. The data is unbelievable and it improves mood and memory.

[Michelle Dang]

That's extraordinary.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Over and over again, influencers, podcasters are saying that the studies on creatine are amazing. You'll hear things like, there's 50 years of data to show that it works and it's safe. And some folks on our team actually got so excited about the hype here that they have started to give it a go. But then, more recently, there's been some not so exciting headlines about this supplement, like, quote, creatine may not build more muscle after all. Study suggests another one. Shocking new study challenges muscle building hype. So what's going on here? Should you take creatine or not? Will it boost your brawn and your brain? That is on today's show. When it comes to creatine, there's a lot of girl Creatine made that booty. Gro gro gro gro gro gro gro gro. But then there's science. Science versus creatine is coming up just after the break.

[Darren Willoughby]

The PC gave us computing power at home, the Internet connected us, and mobile let us do it pretty much anywhere. Now, generative AI lets us communicate with technology in our own language, using our own senses. But figuring it all out when you're living through it is a totally different story. Welcome to Leading the Shift, a new podcast for Microsoft Azure. I'm your host, Susan Ettlinger. In each episode, leaders will share what they're learning to help you navigate all this change with confidence. Please join us, listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

[Chuck]

The NBA playoffs are here, and I'm.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

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[Chuck]

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[Wendy Zuckerman]

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[Chuck]

What do you know? All sorts of interesting stuff.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Even Charles Barkley's greatest fear.

[Chuck]

Hey, nobody needs to know that.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

New customers bet $5,200 in bonus bets if you win FanDuel, America's number one sportsbook 21 plus in President select states must be first online real money wager $5 deposit required. Bonus issued is non withdrawable bonus pass that expires seven days after receipt. Restrictions apply. See full [e-mail] sportsbook gambling problem. Call 1-800-GAMBLER welcome back. Today on the show creatine. Can it help you get that big booty, those big muscles, and that big brain? That's what we're asking today. Producer Michelle Dang is here to tell us all about it. Hey, Michelle.

[Michelle Dang]

Hey, Wendy.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

So what got you so excited about learning all the facts on creatine?

[Michelle Dang]

Well, I want to build muscle, and I just kept hearing that creatine is like the supplement to take. And I figured, like researchers me search. So let's find out if the hype is real.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Love it. Okay, so first up, just very, very basic question. What exactly is creatine?

[Michelle Dang]

Some people think it's a steroid, but it's not. It's actually something our body naturally makes from food. When you eat things like meat or fish, your body pulls together amino acids from it to actually create creatine. But people take supplements like that white powder you buy in the store because they want more of this stuff.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

So let's jump into the claims and I want to start with the muscles, because online you see these folks with these huge muscles. Is creatine doing the heavy lifting here?

[Michelle Dang]

Yeah. Speaking of huge muscles, we gotta go talk to Darren Willoughby, who's a professor of anatomy at Baylor College of Medicine in Texas. Not just any exercise nerd. Darren's also a former bodybuilder, which means lots of skimpy outfits. What's it like to be up there with no clothes on?

[Chuck]

Actually, it wasn't stressful for me at all. I've always been a pretty modest, humble individual. But when it comes time to come on stage, the fact that, you know, I've got these next to nothing posing trunks on, I mean, because I've worked so Hard, you know, and you just. You want to show it off.

[Michelle Dang]

Let me show you what he looked like last time he won a competition. This was back in 2018.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Wow. I mean, he's huge. He's huge. I mean, he looks like those classic images of Arnold Schwarzenegger. All right. I trust that this guy knows how to build some muscles.

[Michelle Dang]

Yeah. So Darren's been studying creatine for a while. It was back in the 90s. He started hearing whispers about creatine's powers.

[Chuck]

Obviously, I'm going to be interested in that.

[Michelle Dang]

So Darian wanted to know, does creatine actually work? Does it build muscle? So to find out, he got 22 men, split them into two groups. One got creatine and one got placebo. And for three months, every few days, they did this lower body workout. Lots of leg presses. But they took it a step further and looked inside the muscles themselves by grabbing a giant needle and ramming it into their upper thigh. He showed me what one of these looked like.

[Chuck]

It's hollow, but it's very sharp on the end. And then this thing is just a chopper. So I would just take it and just push it down two or three times.

[Michelle Dang]

It's kind of like a plunger.

[Chuck]

Yeah. A piece of muscle will actually pooch into that window. And that chopper just then just cuts it right off and then saves it.

[Michelle Dang]

They use a anesthetic. But Darren says that this basically feels like getting punched in the thigh.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

So when he got the muscle biopsies, did he see a difference between the people who were taking creatine and those who weren't?

[Michelle Dang]

Yes, he did see a difference. So he took out a bit of muscle from them, did this chemical analysis, and found more of these muscle proteins, one called myosin heavy chain, and another one called myofibrillar protein. And there was more of this stuff in the people that took creatine, meaning that their muscles had grown. Indeed, grown more.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Oh, that's cool. He could see the actual muscle was getting bigger.

[Michelle Dang]

Yeah, like the density of the muscles growing. You have more units of this, like, microscopic muscle that's actually being grown and built. And the people in the study were feeling a bit stronger, too.

[Chuck]

The creatine group actually got stronger. It wasn't dramatic, but was enough. That was certainly of impact.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

So how is creatine actually doing this? Is it building the muscle for you?

[Michelle Dang]

Well, Darren said it's not physically building muscle for you. Instead, it works by getting you extra energy during your workout. So, like, as you're working out, you're rapidly using up fuel in your body, which is ATP or adenosine triphosphate.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Uh huh.

[Michelle Dang]

And your body like eats it up really quickly, runs out of ATP and then needs to recycle it to use it again. And what creatine does is help that recycling process happen faster.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Interesting.

[Michelle Dang]

Yeah. And another really interesting thing that Darren's study tried to sort out is this question of whether creatine actually helped grow muscles or if maybe it just kind of makes them look bigger.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

What do you mean?

[Michelle Dang]

It's because of this other thing creatine can do in our bodies. So when we bring a bunch of creatine into our muscles, it can bring water in with it. Here's Darren.

[Chuck]

It pulls water out of the bloodstream into the muscle cell, which would mean.

[Michelle Dang]

Maybe your muscles get plumped up, but you're sort of tricked into thinking it's muscle gain when it's really just this water that's hanging around in there.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Oh, okay. But Darren's study showed. No, it's not just that actual muscle was growing. Right?

[Michelle Dang]

Exactly. It looked like at least some of the gain was real muscle. And some studies in older folks have also found that creatine really can help build muscle too.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

But then there's been these headlines lately saying that creatine might not help build muscle. So what is going on here?

[Michelle Dang]

Well, this new study came out suggesting that the question of how much of the gains you see with creatine are water weight versus actual muscle growth hasn't been fully solved. But you know, we spoke to the author of the study and he basically told us that when you zoom out and look at the bulk of studies on creatine, it shows creatine can help build muscle, but the question is how much? So did you notice that Darren said that even in his study when creatine made people stronger, it wasn't a dramatic difference? Yes, that's what a lot of these studies find. Creatine can work, but it's not this huge change. Like it's not a night and day difference from how you were working out before. Darren told me, maybe I'll help you do like two to three extra reps, like a few extra push ups or lifts per set at the gym.

[Chuck]

Maybe just a meathead in the gym like me and you get a couple of extra reps per set.

[Michelle Dang]

And One review of 10 studies that follow people for different times, about a week, all the way up to a year and a half, imaged their muscles and found that creatine compared to placebo, increased the thickness of their muscles by about a tenth of a centimeter.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

A tenth of a centimeter more muscle. That's like a tenth of a belly button.

[Michelle Dang]

Right. So these differences are not huge. And, you know, these extra reps you can do thanks to creatine, it might add up for some people. Darren reckons it's worth trying.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Right.

[Michelle Dang]

But big picture here. Let me tell you about the Olympics. They have this huge list of banned substances. You can't use steroids or this and that, but you can use creatine. It is not a banned substance. Oh.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

It is not a banned substance.

[Michelle Dang]

Yeah, it's not a banned substance. And some have suggested that this is because it's a naturally occurring substance that the body makes from food.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Uh huh.

[Michelle Dang]

However, we also reached out to the World Anti Doping Agency and asked them, like, why isn't this stuff banned? And they told us there's this criteria for banning substances. One is, quote, it has the potential to enhance sport performance.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Yes. Which you would think if it's building muscle. It obviously has the potential to enhance your sport performance.

[Michelle Dang]

Yes. And they told us that creatine does not satisfy that criteria.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Interesting.

[Michelle Dang]

We followed up and said, you know, triple checking here. Are you sure Creatine does not have the potential to enhance sport performance? And they wrote back, it is not considered sufficiently performance enhancing.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Mm. That is very interesting, because if creatine did what the Internet really makes it sound like it does, which is you take it and you become the Hulk in a few months, there's no way the Olympics would allow it. But the fact that they're saying, not sufficiently performance enhancing. Right. So, you know, maybe it helps a little, but we don't care. Go for it.

[Michelle Dang]

Exactly. Even the US Anti Doping Agency, which also doesn't ban creatine, says, quote, although creatine can have a small effect on performance, the effects are not guaranteed. End quote. And this takes us to another really important point about creatine. The reason those effects are not guaranteed is that we know from the research there are some people who do don't respond to creatine. So people who don't even get those small benefits that we talked about earlier.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Mm.

[Michelle Dang]

For example, there was one small study that found about one in four men didn't respond. And we think it might be even worse for women.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Oh, how come?

[Michelle Dang]

Maybe because the hormone fluctuations with the menstrual cycle affect our uptake of creatine, but we're not really sure yet. And while Wendy, I've been taking creatine, and Blythe, our Editor has also been taking creatine. And speaking of all this, like, booty growing, she's been doing this workout program called the Brazilian Booty lift.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Okay. And so is, dare I ask, how's Blaad's booty going?

[Michelle Dang]

Yeah, here's a snippet of how it's going. Do you feel any differently at the.

[Darren Willoughby]

Gym five weeks in? No.

[Michelle Dang]

Oh.

[Darren Willoughby]

Yeah, I totally log it. And I was like, let me see if I'm lifting any more weight for the exact same workout than I was in January or even February. Right. Well, if creatine is doing anything, you know, I would think I would be like putting more weight or being feeling stronger. And I looked at the pounds and it's like basically the same. I was like, ah, can I, can I do more weight on this incline press, like pushing my arms above my head? And I just like, no, no, I just can't. I really can't push the weight up there, Michelle. It's not working.

[Michelle Dang]

And you know, I've been taking it too. And me and Blythe were just an n of 2, but I haven't noticed a difference either while taking creatine. But just because we haven't experienced a difference doesn't mean like you listener won't.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

So, but then, I mean, just one, one more question on this muscle thing. What do you make of these videos where people get so huge, like they'll have this before and after and they say the only thing that's changed is creatine. Why? Why are they so swole all of a sudden?

[Michelle Dang]

Well, one, they could be exaggerating, like how fast it took them. But it's also possible that some people, like, are responding really well to creatine, but kind of in a psychological way too. Darren told me that when you go to work out, you could be physically working harder because you think like, oh my God, this creatine is amazing. Here's Darren.

[Chuck]

A lot of times that's because they're actually training harder or working harder, hoping that they're really going to get an impact from the supplement. So in the end they have improved performance, period. That's all that matters, right? Whether it's a placebo effect or where it comes from. Creatine, game on.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

All right, so here's where we're at with creatine and building muscle. It does have the potential to help you build muscle through, either giving you more energy to do more reps because you have more ATP to play with or because it's working on your mind. But it's not magic. Some people don't respond at all. And even if you do respond, for most of us, it's not going to make us shredded.

[Michelle Dang]

Exactly.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Okay, after the break, forget brawn. It's time to look at the brain. People are saying that creatine can do remarkable things to boost your brain power. Could they be right?

[Michelle Dang]

Yes. Scientists are getting excited here.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Wow.

[Ali Gorginejan]

Yeah, yeah. It was for me, totally amazing.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Coming up, this episode is brought to you by Roka. Roka makes performance eyewear built for people who get after it. It's Roka's obsessive engineering, design and material science that keeps their eyewear fitting you perfectly. Whatever you're doing. I am a very sweaty person and my glasses will be sliding off my face. It'll be so annoying. And this is what Roka's glasses are designed to solve. They are designed to stay on your face even when it gets all wet. Get Roka performance eyewear built to perform. Also available in prescription shop [e-mail] that's R O K A and use offer code science. 20 for 20% off your order. Welcome back. We're looking at the supplement Creatine and we're going to find out if it can help our brain, which I'm seeing a lot of buzz about right now. That you know, creatine is going to help with your cognition and memory, particularly when you're sleep deprived.

[Michelle Dang]

Yeah. Now, this idea isn't totally wild. Remember how creatine works to help you build muscle because you're better at recycling that fuel ATP?

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Yes, that's right. You have more fuel then you have more energy. You can do more reps. Yes.

[Michelle Dang]

Yeah. Well, the brain also uses ATP. So Ali Gorginejan, a physicist from the Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, Germany, figured.

[Ali Gorginejan]

We thought, okay, when that is working for the muscles, why not for the brain?

[Michelle Dang]

So Ali wanted to know if creatine could really boost your brain power. And for this study, he wanted to get the brain when it's at its worst and really needs that fuel when.

[Ali Gorginejan]

It is totally exhausted, totally stressed.

[Michelle Dang]

And the totally exhausted, totally stressed state that he studied was the sleep deprived brain.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Ugh. This study's. This is gonna get rough.

[Michelle Dang]

Uh huh. And so one Evening, Ollie brought 15 people into the lab and ran a bunch of tests on them. In one of these tests, he's looking at reaction times. So a green dot lights up on a screen and you have to press a clicker as soon as you see it, but you get tired and more tired and you get really crappy. At this.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Yes, I know. I've done this test, actually while sleep deprived. And you think it would be easy because you just see this damn green dot, but you're just, you know, missing the clicker at points.

[Michelle Dang]

Yeah. So there's also memory tests. He did stuff like that. And then Ali had to make sure that these folks didn't sleep. And for those who were struggling to stay awake, he had a cheeky trick.

[Ali Gorginejan]

I find out what controversial thematic issues are, and I take the opposite position.

[Michelle Dang]

You debated about politics?

[Ali Gorginejan]

Yeah, about politics, exactly.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Oh, my gosh. I couldn't imagine anything worse than having political discussions with someone at 3, 4, 5 in the morning where everyone's just going bonkers at that point.

[Michelle Dang]

On top of the annoying chats throughout the night, Ollie's taking MRI scans and repeating those cognitive tests. Once at midnight, at 2:00am and at 4:00am and, you know, these people are really dedicated. They all came into the lab to do this on a second night again. So each person got one night on creatine, another on placebo. They didn't know which they were getting each time.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Okay, it is time to find out. Did they do better at the cognitive tests with creatine?

[Michelle Dang]

Well, very on theme. It was late at night when Allie tallied up the results and. And he got so excited. Creatine was actually doing something.

[Ali Gorginejan]

And that is a totally amazing moment. Yes. Okay.

[Michelle Dang]

Wow.

[Ali Gorginejan]

Cool. Yeah. Just imagine it was about 1:00am or something like 2:00am and I saw. Wow, cool. I didn't know all the people were sleeping here. I didn't know whom to say. So it was, for me, totally amazing. But I have to keep the celebration for myself for different. But next day, I told it to the colleagues there.

[Michelle Dang]

We celebrated that those taking creatine on average did significantly better at both the memory test and the clicker test.

[Ali Gorginejan]

Surprising was the speed in processing time. They were all extremely faster.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Wow. Extremely faster.

[Michelle Dang]

Through those MRI scans, Ali was also able to see that brain creatine levels increased and went up over time and that the brain was using them up throughout the night.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

That's so cool that they could see it in the. In the brain scanners.

[Michelle Dang]

Yeah. So he had total proof that this is what was happening. But you have to know that Ali gave the people in the study a huge dose. Most people suggest that you need to take around, like, five grams a day. He gave them around five times that.

[Ali Gorginejan]

Yeah. This is about 20 to 30 grams. Just imagine this is like a half glass.

[Michelle Dang]

Oh.

[Ali Gorginejan]

Of this white powder. It's a lot. It tastes also not good.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Yeah, but hey, it worked.

[Michelle Dang]

And Ali's study has created this huge buzz online. You've got folks like Joe Rogan talking about it, but it is a small study. And so before I started smashing half a glass of white powder, I went hunting for other studies looking into creatine in the brain and came across this very interesting one by Julia Fabian Sankuler.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

I'm Fabienne and I'm a psychology researcher.

[Michelle Dang]

At the University of Bonn, also in Germany. So Fabienne and her team recruited 123 healthy people and had them take creatine for six weeks. She also had those same people take placebo for six weeks to compare. And Fabienne thinks this is the largest study on creatine supplementation in the brain that we have so far. She did a bunch of cognitive tests on them. Stuff like you heard before, things that look at memory, but also intelligence and reasoning. For example, they did this one test called the backward digit span test.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

I tell you a few numbers. I start with two, just two, and then you have to say them back in reverse order.

[Michelle Dang]

Would you like to try it out, Wendy?

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Sure, sure.

[Michelle Dang]

Okay. I'm going to give you digits. You have to repeat it back to me, but backwards.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Okay.

[Michelle Dang]

And I'm going to add a digit until you mess up.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Great. Okay.

[Michelle Dang]

Two, two, two, six, six. Two, two, six, three, three, six. Two, two, six, three, one, one, six, three, two. Okay, you messed up. Two, three.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

It was two three, wasn't it?

[Michelle Dang]

So you did almost average. On average, people can do about five digits pretty well.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

So if I took creatine, according to Fabienne's study, would I do better?

[Michelle Dang]

So Fabienne looked at the results before and after creatine, and on average, no, it didn't help. Some people got a little boost compared to when they were on the placebo, but overall it wasn't statistically significant.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Oh, yeah.

[Michelle Dang]

So people online say it's amazing. Brings you this giant boost in mental clarity and energy. Fabian says you should know it's not anywhere near that big of a jump. Like, suddenly they can do quantum physics.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

No, definitely no quantum physics. I'm not sure how easy it would be to notice. She's saying, I'm not sure how easy it would be to notice.

[Michelle Dang]

Right. I mean, I've been taking it, Blythe has been taking it. We've been exercising, and we haven't really noticed much of anything. Here's Blyfe. How do you feel mentally? Do you feel any different from before, before you took creatine? To now?

[Darren Willoughby]

No. Not whatsoever. Not remotely. Yeah. No. I feel no different. 000 across the board on increased memory, cognition, energy. I'm not noticing that.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

So does this mean this claim about creatine. I mean you have Ali's study that said yes. Then Fabian's larger study that says no. What do you. What do we make of this?

[Michelle Dang]

So Ali's study was really when the brain was at its worst. Right?

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Right. Everyone was sleep deprived.

[Michelle Dang]

And maybe that's where creatine does its best work for the brain. Because there's been other studies showing that creatine can help with the brain and other stressed out states like helping with recovery after a stroke or concussion and maybe even depression. A study published just this year on 100 folks with pretty nasty depression found that taking creatine along with cognitive behavioral therapy helped folks more than just CBT and a placebo.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Huh. Interesting.

[Michelle Dang]

And even just for older folks, a recent review suggested that maybe it's more effective in boosting the memory of older adults compared to younger adults. But as for those online influencers who are like everybody, take this. Everybody. Boost your brain. Do a better job at work. That's probably overstated.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

I guess. Even though it's not going to turn you into a quantum physicist. Just the fact that, you know, maybe if you're sleep deprived it could help your brain or if you have depression, maybe it could help early research suggesting it's exciting. Plus those small benefits that you see to your muscles. I mean I'm not kicking this supplement out of bed just yet. But the last question is what are the risks of taking it?

[Michelle Dang]

So we know from the hundreds of studies on creatine that it's safe on the recommended dose, three to five grams a day. One thing on the Internet I hear a lot that people are worried about is putting on weight and bloating. We think this sometimes happens because as you heard before, creatine does this thing where it brings water into muscle cells. So muscles around your body are holding onto a bit more water than it normally would. This can lead to that bloaty feeling and that water retention might lead to a bit of weight gain on the scales.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Aha. Okay.

[Michelle Dang]

But if this happens to you, you should feel back to normal pretty quickly.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Okay.

[Michelle Dang]

There's also this big idea that you'll get dehydrated from creatine. So people online say like drink tons of water to make up for this. But Darren, our bodybuilder says you don't have to worry about this.

[Chuck]

There's no concerns with Any types of ongoing dehydration. And there have been a number of studies that have shown that also to be true.

[Michelle Dang]

Just quickly. Some people don't seem to digest creatine very well. You can get a bit of diarrhea or feel uncomfortable in your gut. Darren is actually one of these people. He said he gets gassy on creatine and he's tried all kinds of different forms of creatine to help, but nothing did. And also, if you're someone who has any kind of kidney conditions, you should maybe. You maybe shouldn't take creatine because it's gonna give your kidneys a lot of extra work. But if your kidneys are healthy, that 3 to 5 gram dose should be perfectly fine for you.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

That's great.

[Michelle Dang]

And if you do want to try this for your muscles, there's no need to be taking more than the recommended dose.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Oh. Because people talk about taking a ton of this stuff when you first start that loading phase.

[Michelle Dang]

Yeah. People claim you should take this loading phase of 20 to 25 grams of creatine a day for a week so that you saturate your muscles faster and then you drop down to that lower dose. But Darren actually said, you don't need to do this. It's not necessary. He did a study on this, looking at how much creatine came out of people's pee when they started their creatine regiments with a loading phase.

[Chuck]

So after like four days, the subjects were urinating out large amounts of their creatine dose. After about four days, the muscle was saturated.

[Michelle Dang]

So that. That convention that it takes like weeks to become saturated.

[Chuck]

No, that's not true. Not true at all.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Oh, okay. So forget the loading phase. You're just gonna pay it out. Pee out all this excess creatine. Your muscles don't need it.

[Michelle Dang]

Yeah, but bottom line, capping off this episode here, having done the research for me, creatine isn't mind blowing, but it's safe and it might boost some muscle. So I think it might be a helpful tool in the gym. I plan to keep trying it out and see if it works for me.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Huh. Okay. I mean, even though some of the benefits are definitely overstated, I. I will say, Michelle, I. It's probably the most optimistic conclusion we've had about a supplement in a long time. So thank you.

[Michelle Dang]

Thanks, Mandy.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

So how many citations are in this week's episode, Wendy?

[Michelle Dang]

There are 65 citations.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

65 citations? Yes. And if people want to see them in all of their glory, where should they go?

[Michelle Dang]

Please check out Our transcript in the show notes.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Michelle, happy birthday.

[Michelle Dang]

Happy birthday to science versus science versus.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Size versus 10 years old.

[Michelle Dang]

Crazy.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

This show's been going for 10 years. It's bonkers.

[Michelle Dang]

Well, you've been here for all those 10 years. How are you feeling?

[Wendy Zuckerman]

What is most funny to me is how things have changed a lot in the world and in the world of misinformation and in social media, blah, blah, blah, blah. But at the same time, the more things change, the more they stay the same. And I love that. The very first pilot episode of Science Versus, which in the future I reckon we should put it down the feed. Cause it's so funny. It's about the Paleo diet.

[Michelle Dang]

Ooh.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

And next week our episode is about the Carnivore diet. Oh, yeah, yeah. That is very nice symmetry to me.

[Michelle Dang]

Oh, and there's something that you wanted to ask the audience about, right? Yeah.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

Well, if you guys want to send us a message or. Feels weird. Do you want to send me a happy birthday message? No. But, you know, in a future episode, we're gonna kind of be pulling together some fun birthday stuff. And we would love to hear from you about how you felt about listening to Science Versus over these years. If there was an episode that changed what you do or a pun that still makes you laugh, that seems unlikely, but we would just love to hear from you.

[Michelle Dang]

Yeah. So people should send us a voicemail or even a video to our email@science versusteammail.com or if you're in the US you can call us and leave a voicemail at 774-481-1238. Those two things will be in our show notes. So head over there and send us a message.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

All right. See you soon, Michelle.

[Michelle Dang]

See ya.

[Wendy Zuckerman]

This episode was produced by Michelle Dang, with help from me, Wendy Zuckerman, Meryl Horn, Rose Rimler, and Aketty Foster. Keys. We're edited by Blythe Terrell. Fact checking by Marlo Starling. Mix and sound design by Bobby Lord. Music written by Emma Munger. So Wiley, Peter Leonard, Bhumi Hidaka and Bobby Lord. A special thanks to all of the researchers that we reached out to, including Dr. Imtiaz Desai and Professor Phil Chillerbeck. Thanks to Larry Lee and Lee. Physical therapy and wellness science. Versus is a Spotify Studios original. Listen to us for free on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. We are everywhere. But if you are listening on Spotify, you could follow us and tap the bell icon so you get notifications when new episodes come out. And on whatever app you are listening on, please give us a five star review if you like what we're doing because it helps people find the show. I'm Wendy Zuckerman. Back to you next time.