THE MOST RESEARCHED SUPPLEMENT THAT YOU SHOULD IMMEDIATELY ADD TO YOUR CABINET
- armantabesh
- Jul 6, 2025
- 4 min read
Updated: Aug 17, 2025
Whether you're chasing heavier lifts in the gym, more focus in school, or just trying to keep your edge as you age, creatine monohydrate might be the simplest, safest, and most cost-effective tool you're not using.
What Is Creatine?
Natural production: Your liver, kidneys, and pancreas convert three of twenty amino acids (arginine, glycine, and methionine) into creatine. The body produces about one gram a day.
From your plate: Creatine is also found in the meat, fish, and dairy you ear. The average person consumes about 1-2 g/day.
Stored mainly in muscle (~95%), with the rest in your brain, heart, and other tissues.
In your body, It becomes phosphocreatine, a phosphorylated form of creatine that acts as a reserve used to regenerate ATP during high-energy demands.
How Creatine Fueled Your Last Workout
During high-intensity bursts, like a sprint or heavy lift, your muscles burn ATP fast. Phosphocreatine comes in, giving its phosphate away to ADP(Adenosine diphosphate), turning it right back into ATP(Adenosine triphosphate) which is your body’s primary energy carrier. The result is being able to push harder, recover faster, and avoid fatigue.
That extra boost lets you:
Do more reps or sprint better
Push weight further
Recover quicker between sets
Push harder through any activity where your body uses energy
How Creatine Boosts Muscle Mass
Creatine does not magically grow muscles. However, it supercharges your workouts, which in turn, will grow your muscles.
More energy = heavier lifts, more reps
Hydrates muscle cells, making them look fuller and promoting muscle growth over time.
Reduce muscle breakdown during exercise, allowing for less fatigue and more volume during lifts.
Creatine also facilitates glycogen storage, which speeds muscle recovery after intense physical strain.
It Boosts Brain Power Too?!
Your brain uses ~20% of your body's energy. Creatine helps, especially under stress:
We already talked about ATP replenishment for the muscles. But the brain uses ATP for nearly all of its functions. Creatine ensures a faster recovery of ATP during all kinds of mentally taxing tasks.
Neuroprotection: Creatine helps buffer against oxidative stress(creation of harmful free radicals) and mitochondrial dysfunction, which are common precursors to diseases like Alzheimer’s and Huntington’s.
In the brain, creatine supports the growth of new connections between neurons (a process called synaptic plasticity) and boosts proteins like CaMKII and PSD-95 which are both vital for learning and memory.
Health Benefits for Everyone
Creatine has promise in many different areas:
Stronger bones and slowed progression of sarcopenia (age-related muscle loss)
Better heart and vascular health: Reduces inflammation, and supports blood flow. It may improve heart function in people with heart failure and lower homocysteine levels, a heart disease risk factor.
Supports immune function: Creatine improves both innate and adaptive immunity by regulating energy metabolism in immune cells such as macrophages and CD8+ T cells.
Helps during weight loss: When on a diet, taking creatine will attenuate the loss of lean muscle mass and enhance strength gains compared to weight loss without creatine.
Supplements vs. Food:
Yes, you do get creatine from food but..
You’d need 1–2 lbs of meat or fish daily to match the optimal, research-backed dose.
Since they don't eat meat or fish, vegans & vegetarians often start with very low levels of creatine and will see the biggest gains from a standard 3-5 g dose.
A creatine monohydrate powder(the most studied form of creatine) gives you 3–5 g/day reliably, at about 20¢ per serving .
You should obviously continue eating meat and fish for their massive protein and essential nutrient levels.
How to Use It:
Maintenance: 3–5 g/day, can be taken longer term .
No strict timing—take it any time with water, juice, or food.
Taking with carbs or protein helps absorption.
With over 600 studies around it, creatine monohydrate is the most studied, and one of the safest supplements you can take.
Common but mild effects include:
Water retention: (1–2 lb in week one) but the number will drop as your body acclimates.
Occasional digestive upset, usually avoidable by splitting doses when it occurs.
Despite common myth, creatine does not cause kidney damage in healthy people. health.harvard.edu+15pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov+15webmd.com+15.
People with pre-existing kidney/liver issues, pregnant/nursing individuals, or teens should check with a doctor first or stay off of it.
Who Should Consider Taking Creatine?
Gym-goers & athletes: Boost strength, recovery, and performance.
Students & professionals: Enhance focus, clarity, and reduce fatigue.
Vegans/vegetarians: Fill a natural dietary deficit.
Aging adults: Support muscle, bone, and brain health.
People dieting: Reduce muscle loss and improve body composition.
Common Creatine Myths Debunked
“Creatine is a steroid.” Creatine is natural, non-hormonal, and doesn’t alter testosterone or DHT
“It dehydrates you.” Studies show no link to cramps or dehydration .
“Kidney damage?” when ingested at recommended dosages, creatine does not result in kidney damage and/or renal dysfunction in healthy individuals.
The Final Word
Creatine monohydrate is scientifically proven, affordable, and widely safe. It may not be eye-popping magic, but it reliably helps you:
Lift more and recover faster
Sharpen your brain
Maintain muscle and bone with age
Better body composition during weight loss
Support mood and brain protection
You can expect to gain 2-5 pounds of lean muscle through your first 4-12 weeks and increase lifts and all other physical benchmarks from 5-15%.
