The advantages of creatine prolong properly past enhancing exercise efficiency.
Final up to date on March twenty eighth, 2025
Creatine, a pure power supply saved in muscle cells, is vital to powering high-intensity workouts and heavy lifting. (1) Analysis signifies that combining creatine supplementation with resistance training can considerably boost muscle growth, improve psychological efficiency, and improve mobile power ranges. (2)
Consequently, it has change into a well-liked complement for enhancing exercise efficiency. Past its bodily advantages, latest research have begun exploring creatine‘s potential affect on cognitive function.
Might creatine assist alleviate depression? On March 26, 2025, Dr. Layne Norton delved into the connection between creatine and melancholy, analyzing a research that hyperlinks creatine to hair loss and explaining why this analysis might not maintain up beneath scrutiny.
Editor’s observe: The content material on BarBend is supposed to be informative in nature, but it surely shouldn’t be taken as medical recommendation. The opinions and articles on this website aren’t supposed to be used as prognosis, prevention, and/or therapy of well being issues. Speaking to your physician earlier than starting a brand new health, dietary, and/or complement routine is all the time a good suggestion.
Cognitive-Behavioral Remedy & Despair
A research performed in January of 2025 explored the consequences of creatine supplementation on people with melancholy present process cognitive-behavioral remedy (CBT). (3) Over eight weeks, members obtained both a each day dose of 5 grams of creatine or a placebo alongside their remedy. On the finish of the research, they accomplished a psychological well being evaluation.
The outcomes revealed that the group taking creatine skilled a larger discount in depressive signs in comparison with the placebo group. This means that creatine might provide notable advantages for temper and melancholy.
Dr. Norton famous that such findings may need been shocking a decade or two in the past. Nonetheless, rising proof over the previous 10 years signifies a powerful connection between bettering bodily and muscular well being and enhancing brain health.
We’ve identified for 20 years that train has cognitive advantages. Solely just lately have we totally understood how highly effective these advantages are.
—Dr. Layne Norton
Dr. Norton referenced a research revealing that eight weeks of resistance coaching, practiced twice per week for 25 minutes per session, considerably diminished signs of main depressive dysfunction in males. (4) Remarkably, the impact measurement was larger than that of antidepressants or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Nonetheless, these approaches aren’t mutually unique.
“In the event you’re depressed and have been prescribed antidepressants by knowledgeable, I’m not saying don’t take these and to simply elevate weights.” Dr. Norton cautioned. “Carry weights and presumably take these if it’s been prescribed by knowledgeable and you discover that it helps your signs.”
Dr. Norton shouldn’t be advertising and marketing creatine as a remedy for melancholy or a miracle brain-boosting complement. He acknowledged that creatine advantages reminiscence, cognitive efficiency, and temper. When contemplating creatine’s in depth security knowledge, confirmed ergogenic results (enhancing bodily efficiency and physique composition), metabolic benefits, cognitive advantages, and affordability, creatine is a worthwhile complement.
Creatine & Aspect Results
Creatine is extensively thought to be a secure and extremely efficient complement for improving body composition, energy, and efficiency. It has minimal downsides for most individuals, although some might expertise delicate gastrointestinal discomfort.
In line with Dr. Norton, pre-workout supplements containing each creatine and caffeine can generally irritate this situation, as each substances might irritate the intestine. To mitigate these signs, separating creatine and caffeine consumption is commonly beneficial.
Over the previous 20 years, in depth analysis has debunked myths surrounding creatine security, together with organ harm issues. Dr. Norton refuted latest claims linking creatine supplementation to hair loss.
These misconceptions stem from a 2009 research wherein rugby gamers got creatine for 3 weeks. (5) The research noticed a rise in dihydrotestosterone (DHT), a metabolite of testosterone identified to have an effect on hair follicles. Researchers didn’t measure hair loss on this research, and the analysis had vital methodological flaws.
- Individuals who took creatine confirmed considerably decrease ranges of DHT, which initially elevated with supplementation.
- The placebo group had increased DHT ranges at baseline, which later decreased, skewing the outcomes and exaggerating the variations.
- The research was restricted in scope, lasting three weeks.
- No subsequent analysis has replicated these findings.
- Quite a few research report no vital modifications in DHT ranges from creatine supplementation.
Creatine, low price, excessive profit, no actual security issues. It’s a no brainer.
— Dr. Layne Norton
A draw back of creatine is the potential for delicate gastrointestinal discomfort. Subsequently, Dr. Norton advises these with that situation to separate the beneficial dosage of 5 grams each day into smaller doses.
Extra In Analysis
References
- Buford, T. W., Kreider, R. B., Stout, J. R., Greenwood, M., Campbell, B., Spano, M., Ziegenfuss, T., Lopez, H., Landis, J., & Antonio, J. (2007). Worldwide Society of Sports activities Vitamin place stand: creatine supplementation and train. Journal of the Worldwide Society of Sports activities Vitamin, 4, 6. https://doi.org/10.1186/1550-2783-4-6
- Kreider, R. B., & Stout, J. R. (2021). Creatine in Well being and Illness. Vitamins, 13(2), 447. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13020447
- Sherpa, N. N., De Giorgi, R., Ostinelli, E. G., Choudhury, A., Dolma, T., & Dorjee, S. (2025). Efficacy and security profile of oral creatine monohydrate in add-on to cognitive-behavioural remedy in melancholy: An 8-week pilot, double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled feasibility and exploratory trial in an under-resourced space. European neuropsychopharmacology : the journal of the European School of Neuropsychopharmacology, 90, 28–35. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.euroneuro.2024.10.004
- O’Sullivan, D., Gordon, B. R., Lyons, M., Meyer, J. D., & Herring, M. P. (2023). Results of resistance train coaching on depressive signs amongst younger adults: A randomized managed trial. Psychiatry analysis, 326, 115322. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2023.115322
- van der Merwe, J., Brooks, N. E., & Myburgh, Okay. H. (2009). Three weeks of creatine monohydrate supplementation impacts dihydrotestosterone to testosterone ratio in college-aged rugby gamers. Medical journal of sport medication : official journal of the Canadian Academy of Sport Drugs, 19(5), 399–404. https://doi.org/10.1097/JSM.0b013e3181b8b52f
Featured picture by way of Shutterstock/Martyn de Jong