CREATINE is one of the most popular dietary supplements worldwide. It is relatively safe for most people, although it needs to be avoided by people with kidney conditions.
It is used by many sports people to enhance exercise performance as it enables all-out effort longer than usual for high intensity exercise that lasts up to about ten seconds. Exercise performance is the major reason for taking creatine as it aids the transfer of energy to muscle and nerve cells, but in recent times I have heard a lot of people talking about and promoting its effect on brain health and cognitive function.
When digging a little deeper we see that while a link between creatine and cognitive function is a lively area of debate, there is as yet no concrete data to make a definitive connection. The point I am trying to make is that the link is very shallow and does not yet prove the growing claims that creatine is a promoter of positive brain health an improved cognitive function’. More research is needed before conclusions can be drawn. Nonetheless, research in this area is ongoing and exciting.
Creatine is found naturally in beef, salmon and cow’s milk but only in levels far below what is needed for benefits to accrue, hence the popularity of supplements. Unfortunately there are no dietary sources for those who follow a vegan diet.
If you’re considering a creatine supplement, I recommend consulting a GP or healthcare professional first, especially if you are living with any pre-existing conditions.
• Lee McCusker (BA; MSc; MSc; MSc; ANutr; SENr) is a registered nutritionist from Belfast and can be found on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Email: attentive nutrition@gmail.com
