If it feels like everyone is talking about creatine — your trainer, your favorite podcast host, TIME magazine, and even your aunt who just discovered strength training — you’re not imagining it.
For years, creatine lived in the “gym junkie” corner of the world. At the same time, longevity researchers and health span enthusiasts (the Attias, Patricks, and Hubermans of the world) are putting creatine into their own routines — not just for muscle, but for brain energy, bone, and aging.
So what changed? And how much of the hype is real?
This is Part 1 of our Creatine Series, where we’ll cover:
– What creatine actually is (and why your cells are obsessed with it)
– What the best current research says about muscle, brain, and aging
– Why experts now view creatine as more than a “bodybuilding supplement”
In Part 2, we’ll zoom in on Ora’s creatine and why we chose one specific form. In Part 3, we’ll get practical: how to integrate creatine into your daily routine in a science-aligned way.
1. Creatine 101: the world’s hardest‑working battery pack
Creatine is a small compound your body makes from amino acids like arginine, glycine, and methionine. You also get small amounts from food — mainly meat and fish. Plant foods contribute essentially none, which is one reason vegetarians and vegans often have lower creatine stores. (Stanford Lifestyle Medicine)
About 95% of your creatine is stored in your muscles, with a smaller but important amount in your brain and other tissues. (Gatorade Sports Science Institute)
Your cells run on ATP, your main energy currency. During high-demand moments — lifting a weight, sprinting, thinking hard on no sleep — ATP gets used up quickly. Creatine sits in your cells as phosphocreatine, ready to donate a phosphate and help regenerate ATP fast. It’s basically a tiny, fast-acting battery pack for muscles, brain, and even immune cells.
Your body makes about 1–2 grams of creatine per day and most omnivorous diets add another 1–2 grams from meat and fish. That often isn’t enough to fully saturate muscle and brain stores, which is why 3–5 g/day of creatine monohydrate is so common in research.
2. The muscle story: creatine and “muscle span” as you age
Creatine is one of the most-studied supplements in history for muscle strength and performance. Across decades of trials in both younger and older adults, systematic reviews and meta-analyses consistently show that creatine enhances the effects of resistance training by:
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Increasing lean tissue mass more than training alone
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Boosting upper- and lower‑body strength more than training alone
These effects are most obvious in activities that rely on quick bursts of effort (heavy sets, sprint efforts, high‑power moves).
A landmark meta‑analysis in older adults found that creatine plus strength training led to about 1.4 kg (~3 lb) more lean mass on average than training with a placebo, along with significantly greater chest and leg press strength. (PMC)
Zoom out from the stats, and it becomes a healthy aging story:
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We naturally lose muscle and strength as we age (sarcopenia)
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That loss is linked to a higher risk of falls, fractures, and loss of independence (MDPI)
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Resistance training is non‑negotiable for keeping “muscle span”
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Creatine seems to help you get more out of that training — a little extra strength, a little more muscle, a bit better function
Important nuance:
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Meta-analyses suggest the biggest benefits show up when creatine is paired with strength training, not taken alone, and at least one newer study
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found no added muscle gain over 12 weeks — one reason some headlines call creatine “overrated” despite a generally positive overall picture.
Study snapshot: muscle & aging
Older adults and strength training
– 20+ trials pooled: Creatine group gained ~1.4 kg more lean mass and significantly more strength vs placebo. (PMC)
Adults under 50
– Creatine with resistance training increased upper- and lower‑body strength, with somewhat larger benefits in men in some analyses. (MDPI)
3. The brain story: promising, but still “emerging”
This is where creatine’s new reputation is coming from — and where nuance really matters.
What we know so far
Recent systematic reviews and meta‑analyses of creatine and cognition in adults have found: (PMC)
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Memory: Several analyses suggest small improvements in certain memory tests overall, with larger effects in older adults than in younger ones.
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Other domains (attention, processing speed, overall cognition): Results are mixed and often small, with some studies showing benefit and others finding no difference.
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Under stress: Creatine seems to shine when the brain is under metabolic stress — sleep deprivation, hypoxia (low oxygen), extreme mental fatigue.
A 2024 randomized, placebo‑controlled study in Scientific Reports had 15 healthy adults stay awake for 21 hours. Those given a single high dose of creatine (0.35 g/kg, about 20–30 g depending on body weight) maintained better performance on memory and thinking tasks and showed changes in brain energy metabolites compared with placebo. (Nature)
Rhonda Patrick’s team highlighted that same study, noting that the big takeaway is not “everyone should slam 25 g of creatine at night,” but that the brain’s creatine system clearly matters when you’re under heavy stress (like severe sleep restriction) — and that’s driving new research interest. (FoundMyFitness)
A 2025 narrative review on creatine and cognition concluded that creatine can increase brain creatine levels and may offer modest cognitive benefits, especially under stress and in older adults, but results remain inconsistent, and more high-quality trials are needed.
A reality check (and why this matters for credibility)
Regulators are just as picky as your smartest friend. In 2024, the European Food Safety Authority reviewed the data and concluded that a cause‑and‑effect relationship between creatine supplementation and improved cognitive function has not yet been established for the general population.
Translation to simpler terms:
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It’s fair to say creatine may support brain energy and some aspects of cognitive performance, especially in older or stressed brains.
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It is neither accurate nor compliant to claim that creatine improves intelligence or treats or prevents cognitive diseases; these areas remain under investigation.
Study snapshot: brain & cognition
Memory in healthy adults
– A 2023 meta‑analysis found small overall improvements in memory tests with creatine, with bigger effects in older adults (66–76 years) and little impact in young adults.
Attention & processing speed
– A 2024 meta‑analysis reported that creatine did not significantly improve attention or processing speed when all studies were pooled; benefits seem to be task‑ and context‑specific.
Sleep deprivation
– In a 2024 trial, a single large dose of creatine helped sleep‑deprived participants maintain cognitive performance over 21 hours awake and altered markers of brain energy metabolism. This was a lab protocol, not a general dosing recommendation.
4. Creatine, women, and healthy aging
One big reason creatine is having a moment: women and older adults are finally being studied directly, instead of being treated as “small men.”
Recent reviews and articles aimed at women over 40 and peri/postmenopausal women point to several benefits that are especially relevant for this group:
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Muscle & strength: Same story as above — creatine plus strength training helps support lean mass and strength, which are critical as estrogen declines and muscle loss accelerates.
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Bone: Some studies suggest creatine, especially when combined with resistance training, may support bone‑building cells and improve functional measures (like walking speed), even when direct changes in bone density are modest.
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Brain & mood: Emerging data hint that creatine may support memory and mental energy in older adults, and early trials are exploring its role alongside standard care for mood disorders. These are early‑stage and not a basis for disease claims — but they’re one reason menopause and mental health communities are curious.
For women who:
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Eat mostly or entirely plant‑based
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Are 40+ and noticing changes in muscle, energy, or recovery
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Are lifting (or starting to lift) to protect bone and muscle
…creatine is increasingly being discussed by clinicians and researchers as a simple, well‑studied supplement that can support healthy muscle function, body composition, and possibly cognition, when combined with training and a good overall lifestyle.
5. Is creatine actually safe?
Short answer for most healthy adults: the safety data is STRONG for a supplement.
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A 2025 analysis looked at hundreds of human trials and adverse event databases and concluded that creatine monohydrate is generally well‑tolerated, with no evidence of a high rate of serious side effects when used at recommended doses.
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A 2025 systematic review of creatine and kidney function found that while serum creatinine (a lab marker) may rise slightly, creatine supplementation did not significantly change measured kidney filtration (GFR) compared to control, addressing the long-standing misconception that creatine harms healthy kidneys.
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Long‑term data up to about 5 years of use in athletes and older adults have not shown clinically meaningful kidney or liver harm at standard intake levels.
Typical research‑backed daily intakes are 3–5 g/day of creatine monohydrate. Higher “loading phases” (around 20 g/day for 5–7 days) are common in studies but not required to see benefits, and can increase the chance of temporary water retention or GI discomfort.
That said, there are important caveats:
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People with existing kidney disease, serious medical conditions, or those who are pregnant or breastfeeding should talk with a health professional before considering creatine.
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High experimental doses used in some cognitive or neurological trials (e.g., 20–30 g/day) are not general consumer recommendations; they were done under medical supervision.
6. So… why is creatine suddenly everywhere?
Put it all together and creatine has basically rebranded from “gym powder” to “health span molecule”:
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Muscle & performance: Strong, decades‑deep evidence that it supports strength and lean mass when combined with training. (Gatorade Sports Science Institute)
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Healthy aging: Real potential to help maintain muscle and physical function as we age — aka “muscle span.” (MDPI)
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Brain & stress resilience: Emerging data that it may help brains under stress (sleep loss, hypoxia, aging), with tentative support for small improvements in some cognitive tasks, especially in older adults — though the science is still evolving and far from definitive. (PMC)
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Safety: An unusually robust safety record for a supplement, when used in standard doses by healthy adults. (Gatorade Sports Science Institute)
And culturally, you’ve now got:
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Long‑form podcasts unpacking creatine’s roles in bone, brain, menopause, and even pregnancy research. (FoundMyFitness)
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Mainstream outlets like TIME and The Guardian running nuanced explainer pieces. (TIME)
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Clinicians and researchers recommending creatine more often to older adults, women, and plant‑based eaters, not just 22‑year‑old lifters. (MDPI)
No wonder your feed feels full of it.
7. TDLR; What this means for you
If you strip away the noise, the current evidence supports a simple, Ora‑aligned view of creatine:
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It supports healthy muscle performance and lean mass, especially when you’re doing regular strength training.
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It may support brain energy and some aspects of cognition, particularly in older adults or under stress, but claims here should be measured and modest.
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It has one of the best‑documented safety profiles of any sports or performance supplement when used appropriately in healthy adults.
Quick recap
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Creatine isn't a fad. It’s a core energy shuttle for your muscles and brain that’s been studied for decades.
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For muscle and physical function, especially with strength training and aging, the benefits are well‑supported.
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For the brain, the evidence is promising but still early — intriguing enough to study hard, not strong enough to make big promises.
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When used thoughtfully and at standard doses in healthy adults, creatine is generally considered safe, with mild and usually temporary side effects like water retention or GI upset in some people.
If you’re already using creatine — or just creatine‑curious...
In Part 2 of this series, we’ll get into:
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Why most serious researchers still default to creatine monohydrate
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How early German‑made quality standards (like Creapure®) set the bar — and how newer forms like Creavitalis® fit into that picture
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How Ora approached purity, dosing, and format for our own creatine so it actually matches the research you’re reading about
And in Part 3, we’ll zoom all the way down to daily life:
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How to take creatine if you lift 4x/week vs. if you mostly walk and do yoga
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How it fits with protein, carbs, caffeine, and sleep
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What to watch for (like normal water retention) and when to talk to your doctor
Things to note:
This blog is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice.
Always consult your healthcare provider before starting any new supplement, especially if you have kidney, liver, or other medical conditions, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or take prescription medications.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.