Creatine - Not just for strength athletes!
You've probably heard of creatine. For decades it's been a staple in the gym bags of bodybuilders and elite power athletes — the supplement you reach for when you want to lift heavier, run faster, or build more muscle. And yes, it absolutely delivers on those fronts.
But here's what's exciting: the science on creatine has grown well beyond the weight room. A growing body of research suggests that creatine may be just as valuable for your brain as it is for your body — and that means it could be worth considering for a much wider group of people than was once thought.
Whether you're a busy mum managing a full day on not-quite-enough sleep, a man in his 40s noticing changes in mental sharpness, or simply someone who wants to support their long-term brain health naturally — this one's worth understanding.
What Is Creatine, Exactly?
Creatine is a natural compound your body produces from amino acids, primarily in the kidneys and liver. It's also found in small amounts in foods like red meat and oily fish. Around 95% of your body's creatine is stored in your muscles — but importantly, the brain also contains and relies on creatine for energy.
At its core, creatine's job is energy. Specifically, it helps replenish adenosine triphosphate (ATP) — the molecule your cells use as fuel. When you're doing something that demands a rapid burst of energy, whether that's a heavy squat, a sprint to catch the bus, or intense mental concentration, creatine is part of what keeps you going.
Because the body's natural production has limits, supplementing with creatine monohydrate has become one of the most widely researched strategies in both sports nutrition and, increasingly, brain health.
The Sports Benefits — What We've Known for Years
Creatine's reputation in sport is well-earned. The International Society of Sports Nutrition describes it as one of the most effective ergogenic (performance-enhancing) supplements available, and the evidence base is genuinely impressive.
Strength and power. Creatine supplementation has consistently been shown to increase intramuscular creatine concentrations, helping to explain improvements in high-intensity exercise performance and greater adaptations during training. Research has found that people training with resistance exercise and creatine supplementation achieve, on average, around 8% better performance on maximum strength efforts and up to 14% better performance on endurance strength measures compared to those using resistance training alone.
Sprint and team sport performance. Creatine is particularly beneficial for activities involving repeated bursts of high-intensity effort — think netball, football, tennis, or interval training. Studies have shown improvements in repeated sprint speed and jump height, which translates well to everyday competitive sport.
Recovery. More recent research has highlighted creatine's role in recovery, too. A 2024 study found that even just three days of creatine supplementation had the potential to enhance strength performance, reduce physiological stress, and lower muscle soreness after exercise — suggesting it's useful not just for performance but for how you bounce back.
Endurance athletes. The picture here is more nuanced. Creatine's benefits during sustained aerobic exercise are less clear-cut, and the temporary water retention it can cause (which is completely normal and harmless) may not suit weight-bearing endurance athletes. That said, creatine can help endurance athletes sustain higher intensities during training intervals, which over time can translate into improved race performance.
The Emerging Story — Creatine and Your Brain
This is where things get really interesting.
Your brain is one of the most energy-hungry organs in your body. It accounts for roughly 20% of your total energy expenditure, despite making up only about 2% of your body weight. And just like your muscles, it relies on the creatine-ATP system to maintain that energy supply — especially under stress.
A 2021 review published in Nutrients laid out the case clearly: beyond creatine's established role in muscle, there is a growing body of literature suggesting it may also be beneficial for brain health, including cognitive processing, brain function, and recovery from various forms of stress or injury.
Here's what the research is pointing toward:
Mental Sharpness Under Stress
One of the most compelling areas of emerging research involves how creatine supports the brain when it's under pressure — specifically, when you haven't had enough sleep.
A 2024 randomised controlled trial published in Scientific Reports found that a single high dose of creatine improved both cognitive performance and brain energy availability during sleep deprivation. Participants who took creatine before a period of sleep restriction showed better processing speed and reduced subjective fatigue compared to those who took a placebo — and brain scans confirmed that creatine was being taken up and used by the brain itself.
For anyone managing shift work, young children, busy seasons, or simply the modern reality of not always getting eight hours — that's meaningful.
Memory and Cognitive Function
A 2024 systematic review and meta-analysis, following PRISMA guidelines and drawing on randomised controlled trials published between 1993 and 2024, specifically examined creatine's effect on cognitive function across adults ranging from their twenties to their mid-seventies. The analysis looked at overall cognitive function, memory, executive function, and information processing speed.
The findings suggest creatine supplementation can have a positive effect on cognitive performance, particularly in areas of memory and processing speed — with benefits appearing to be most pronounced when the brain is under some form of metabolic stress or increased energy demand.
Healthy Ageing and Older Adults
A 2024 systematic review published in Nutrition Reviews (Oxford Academic) looked specifically at creatine and cognition in older adults. The current evidence suggests creatine may be associated with cognitive benefits in generally healthy older adults — a finding that's particularly relevant given the natural decline in brain creatine levels that occurs with age.
This is a relatively new direction for creatine research, and scientists are clear that more high-quality clinical trials are needed. But the early signals are encouraging, and given creatine's excellent safety profile and low cost, it's attracting serious scientific attention.
Depression and Mood
There's also emerging interest in creatine's potential role in supporting mood. Research has shown that creatine supplementation may increase brain creatine levels in people with major depressive disorder — a population in whom low brain creatine has been observed. While this area of research is still developing and we're not suggesting creatine as a treatment for depression, it does point to the broader importance of brain energy metabolism in mental wellbeing.
Alzheimer's Disease — Early Research
In 2025, a pilot trial published in Alzheimer's & Dementia: Translational Research & Clinical Interventions became the first to provide human evidence that creatine monohydrate supplementation is feasible and may increase brain creatine levels in patients with Alzheimer's disease — and may offer some cognitive benefit. The researchers noted that given the anticipated rise in Alzheimer's cases globally, a supplement that is both cost-effective and has a good safety profile warrants further investigation.
Why Might Creatine Benefit the Brain?
The mechanism makes good biological sense. The brain, like muscle tissue, depends on a steady, rapid supply of ATP. When brain energy demands spike — during intense thinking, stress, sleep deprivation, or the natural changes of ageing — having adequate creatine available helps buffer those energy needs and maintain function.
Research suggests creatine's cognitive effects are likely to be most noticeable when the brain is under some form of energy stress. Think of it less like a stimulant and more like a reserve fuel tank — one that quietly supports you when your system is being stretched.
Who Might Benefit?
Given everything we now know, creatine is no longer just a supplement for the gym. It may be worth considering if you:
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Train regularly and want to support both performance and recovery
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Often feel mentally fatigued or foggy, especially when sleep has been disrupted
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Are in your 40s, 50s or beyond and want to support long-term brain health
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Are going through a demanding period of life — work pressure, caregiving, or high stress
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Eat a primarily plant-based diet (vegetarians and vegans tend to have lower baseline creatine levels, as dietary creatine comes almost entirely from animal products)
A Note on How to Take It
The most researched and recommended form is creatine monohydrate — it's the form used in virtually all the studies mentioned above. A standard maintenance dose of around 3–5 grams daily is generally well tolerated and considered safe for healthy adults.
Some people choose to do a loading phase (higher doses for a short period) to saturate creatine stores more quickly, though this isn't essential — lower doses taken consistently over several weeks will achieve the same result.
As always, if you have any health conditions, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or are taking medication, it's worth talking to one of our team in-store before starting something new. That's exactly what we're here for.
The Bottom Line
Creatine has earned its place as one of the most well-researched natural supplements in the world — and the story is still unfolding. What started as a tool for strength athletes is now revealing a much broader potential, from supporting mental sharpness and healthy ageing to early research in serious neurological conditions.
At Health 2000, we're genuinely excited about where the science is heading. Because when a natural, affordable, and safe supplement shows this kind of promise across so many areas of health, it's worth knowing about.
Pop into your local Health 2000 store and have a chat with our team — we'd love to help you figure out whether creatine might be a good fit for where you are in your health journey.
Find your preferred Creatine Product here.
Your health is your most important asset. And caring for it — naturally — is what we do best.
The information in this article is for general educational purposes and does not constitute medical advice. Please consult a healthcare professional for personalised guidance.