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What is it?

  • Creatine is a non-essential nutrient that is endogenously synthesized (about 1 g/d) and also ingested through the diet (about 1 g/d). Creatine is heavily concentrated in animal muscle (e.g. meat and fish), which is the primary dietary source for omnivores. Muscle and blood creatine levels are reduced in vegetarians who consume little in the diet.1
  • Most creatine is stored in skeletal muscle where it exists in free (i.e. creatine) and phosphorylated (i.e. phosphorylcreatine) forms. Creatine and phosphorylcreatine provide energy to support brief, intense exercise. Although the rate of energy production from muscle creatine is very high, storage capacity is very limited. There is enough creatine in skeletal muscle to support about 8 to 10 seconds of maximal exercise. Creatine monohydrate is a dietary supplement that, when ingested in accordance with current guidelines, can increase skeletal muscle creatine and phosphorylcreatine and subsequently improve high-intensity exercise performance.1
  • A small amount of creatine is present in the brain, where it is also used to support energy production. Brain creatine can be increased with creatine monohydrate supplementation, albeit to a smaller amount than the increase seen in skeletal muscle.2 The benefits of creatine supplementation on brain health include improved cognitive processing and potentially reduced damage and enhanced recovery from mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI/concussion).3

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