How Much Creatine Should You Take for Brain Health?
Most everyone knows that if you want to build muscle, perform better, and recover faster, you should take 3–5 grams of creatine monohydrate every day. New research, though, shows that by taking 10, 20, or even 30+ grams per day, creatine may support cognition, mood, sleep, and overall brain health. The theory goes like this: Creatine helps your cells produce energy more efficiently. The brain uses more energy per unit of mass than almost any other organ in the body—it makes up just 2% of your body weight, yet accounts for about 20% of your resting energy expenditure . Thus, increasing brain creatine levels could help it run more efficiently. Now, why can’t you get these benefits from the standard dose of 3–5 grams per day? Muscles absorb creatine from the blood relatively easily, but your brain is much more “resistant” to creatine because it’s separated from the rest of your body by the blood-brain barrier . This is a semipermeable membrane that prevents unwanted substance...