Creatine supplements are commonly available in powder form Shutterstock/RHJPhtotos Creatine is one of the most widely studied performance-enhancing substances in the world. Once dismissed as just a bodybuilding supplement, its public popularity has grown hand-in-hand with interest from scientists. The supplement is generally associated with improved strength and muscle mass, but evidence suggests that it actually has a role in everything from growth in children and adolescents to brain health .
“After 20 [to] 30 years of research on physical performance, we’ve noticed a lot of health benefits,” says Richard Kreider at Texas A&M University. “It’s a remarkable nutrient, which helps our cells in a variety of ways, not only for exercise performance.” What is creatine? It is a compound that is produced naturally in our bodies and those of other vertebrates.
Primarily found in muscles, it also shows up in the brain , blood, testicles and other tissues and organs. Our bodies synthesise creatine, with 1 to 2 grams created each day by the liver, kidneys, pancreas and the brain. People who eat protein-rich animal products get roughly the same amount from their diet.
“Any time you consume protein, those proteins are made up of amino acids, and if you put three particular amino acids together, it forms this molecule called creatine,” says Scott Forbes at Brandon University in Canada. What does creatine do in the body? It plays a critical role in the complicated way that o.
