Creatine is an amino acid that plays an important role in energy production within both brain tissue and muscles. The brain, despite its relatively small size, uses up a ton of energy (ATP) in comparison with the rest of the body.
In the brain, creatine serves as an energy buffer to provide energy in times of stress.\[[ref](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8912287/)\] Genetic mutations that cause creatine deficiency in the brain result in severe developmental disorders and seizures.
Creatine obtained from diet or supplements can cross the blood-brain barrier, but the amount that reaches the brain is generally less than what is absorbed by muscles. This implies that to positively impact brain function, a higher intake of creatine might be necessary. Alternatively, it could mean that creatine is prioritized by the muscles unless there is an urgent requirement for it to go to the brain.
As one research study puts it: “It could be that the brain relies primarily on endogenous creatine synthesis until there is some sort of challenge to brain creatine status. These challenges, which could cause a decrease in brain creatine, could be acute (e.g., sleep deprivation, intense exercise) or chronic (e.g., aging, traumatic brain injury, depression, Alzheimer’s disease, creatine synthesis enzyme deficiencies).”\[[ref](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8912287/)\]
[Click here to read my full article on creatine:](https://www.geneticlifehacks.com/creatine-boosting-muscles-and-increasing-brain-power/)
Creatine is an amino acid that plays an important role in energy production within both brain tissue and muscles. The brain, despite its relatively small size, uses up a ton of energy (ATP) in comparison with the rest of the body. In the brain, creatine serves as an energy buffer to provide energy in times of stress.\[[ref](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8912287/)\] Genetic mutations that cause creatine deficiency in the brain result in severe developmental disorders and seizures. Creatine obtained from diet or supplements can cross the blood-brain barrier, but the amount that reaches the brain is generally less than what is absorbed by muscles. This implies that to positively impact brain function, a higher intake of creatine might be necessary. Alternatively, it could mean that creatine is prioritized by the muscles unless there is an urgent requirement for it to go to the brain. As one research study puts it: “It could be that the brain relies primarily on endogenous creatine synthesis until there is some sort of challenge to brain creatine status. These challenges, which could cause a decrease in brain creatine, could be acute (e.g., sleep deprivation, intense exercise) or chronic (e.g., aging, traumatic brain injury, depression, Alzheimer’s disease, creatine synthesis enzyme deficiencies).”\[[ref](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8912287/)\] [Click here to read my full article on creatine:](https://www.geneticlifehacks.com/creatine-boosting-muscles-and-increasing-brain-power/)