Creatine is an amino acid naturally found in your body, located in your brain and muscles. Creatine is an energy source in the body. You can consume creatine from certain foods, meat specifically–like beef, fish, or lamb.
benefits of Creatine
- Improved brain performance
- Improved muscular density
- Helps muscles grow faster
- Reduces fatigue
- Improve athletic performance
- Creatine reduces depression
Creatine has shown to help individuals struggling with depression, which you wouldn’t expect from a muscle building supplement.
Creatine and Depression
Creatine has shown in multiple studies to be a shield against depression in both rat and human populations.
A study conducted in South Korea back in 2012, showed that women who take oral creatine monohydrate along with an SSRI had greater results in combating major depression as opposed to a placebo control group who received no creatine. The study took place over eight weeks. [1]
In another study, male and female rats were given creatine in their food, then put through a swimming experiment to test if creatine had an effect against a control group of rats who received no creatine in the same swimming experiment. The study showed no increase in motor skills but did show a decrease in anxiety in some rats.[2]
Another study gave people with depression & bipolar depression 3-5 grams of creatine a day. The patients with depression benefited from the creatine supplementation across the four-week study, while the bipolar patients did not experience a positive benefit; they developed a temporary, mild case of mania. [3]
Creatine has even shown to improve symptoms of PTSD and Depression in humans and female rats with chronic administration, one study found.[4]
Recommended Creatine Supplements
It’s better and cheaper to use creatine powder as opposed to pills. Creatine should be cheap, and all of it is basically the same. Creatine monohydrate is what you want; it doesn’t have any gimmicks, and is the form referenced in studies.
Creatine is cheap and basically all the same. Our favorite creatine is by optimum nutrition. Optimum nutrition has a good record of pure, untainted supplements which are also of a high quality.
Nutricost is another recommended manufacturer of Creatine Monohydrate. You shouldn’t pay much for creatine; any “designer” or “special” forms of creatine are charging you for their marketing, not for their product.
When to take Creatine
Take 5 grams of creatine in the morning, followed by a full bottle of cold water. Since creatine is held in your muscles and brain, which are both mostly water, you need to drink enough water to saturate your body with creatine and water.
You should be drinking at least one gallon of water a day to reap multiple benefits of proper hydration, like clear, glowing skin.
Alternatively, you can take 5 grams of creatine before and after you train. But it may be better to take creatine in the morning and in the afternoon for consistency.
The benefits of creatine expand beyond training, like the effects of creatine on depression. It doesn’t make sense to take creatine for the sole purpose of training since many other benefits, like easing depression, exist.
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