20 Comments
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Rahat Sanghvi's avatar

Who is conducting this research? I’m wondering how much influence pharmaceutical companies have had on the research.

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Louisa Nicola's avatar

The primary research discussed comes from independent academic institutions, notably studies conducted in Germany. These studies typically don't involve pharmaceutical companies directly, minimizing potential conflicts of interest and influence.

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presidenting lil's avatar

cite?

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Valérie Marcel's avatar

Hello. Thanks for the update. Can you give the references for the German studies you mentioned?

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Louisa Nicola's avatar

Absolutely, here are the primary references for the German studies mentioned:

Lyoo et al. (2012). "A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial of Oral Creatine Monohydrate in Women with Major Depressive Disorder." American Journal of Psychiatry.

Yoon et al. (2016). "Creatine Supplementation Enhances Brain Metabolism, Rich-Club Networks, and Depression Outcomes in Women with MDD." Biological Psychiatry.

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Valérie Marcel's avatar

Thanks. The second reference is I think Yoon et al (2016). Effects of Creatine Monohydrate Augmentation on Brain Metabolic and Network Outcome Measures in Women With Major Depressive Disorder. Biol Psychiatry.

But those two studies are about the effect on women with major depression. When I dug a little into the references, I found that this study was more relevant to your point about impact on cognition: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0531556518300263

The study on white, grey matter etc is Dechent (2019). https://journals.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/ajpregu.1999.277.3.R698

As far as I could see there was no clear conclusion on what protocol is optimal or a study showing that higher doses improved cognition.

This study showed a higher does did not improve cognition for healthy young adults (https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/13/9/1276), but there may be a study on high doses in older healthy adults I missed?

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presidenting lil's avatar

You are right and thanks for continuing to press, Valérie Marcel!

This author is pretty loose with citations and their connection to what she says and it seems you found a particularly gnarly incident.

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Breath Runner's avatar

Is there such a thing as Creatine Tablets, as in: powdered creatine pressed into tablets (NO FIZZ!) that dissolve quickly when dropped into water? Not pills to be taken orally; just a simpler, cleaner delivery mechanism to mix creatine. I hate dealing with powders. It always makes such a mess and the powder clogs up the “tracks” of the press-to-close bag so it never actually closes.

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Louisa Nicola's avatar

Hmmmm. Creatine tablets or capsules do exist, providing convenience without the mess of powders. They're equally effective, though you might need multiple tablets to reach the recommended dose of 10 grams daily. Capsules often ensure precise dosing and ease of consumption.

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Karen Anderson's avatar

Great post. Thank you. I have early stage osteoporosis and will add this to my bone support regimen. I'm sure it can also support my 70 year old brain:)

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Louisa Nicola's avatar

Thanks Karen! That's excellent! Creatine supplementation has shown promising results not only for cognitive health but also in improving bone density and muscular function, making it a great addition for osteoporosis management. Your 70-year-old brain will likely thank you too!

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Kimberly Klausner's avatar

Is the time between mixing and consuming important?

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Louisa Nicola's avatar

Generally, creatine stability in water isn't significantly compromised within short periods. However, to ensure maximum potency and benefit, consuming it soon after mixing—ideally within 30 minutes—is advisable

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Don Rudy's avatar

I want to try this but I've heard for people under 140lbs 5 grams is adequate. Is there any danger in larger doses?

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Louisa Nicola's avatar

Research supports doses up to 10 grams daily for cognitive benefits and even higher (up to 20 grams/day) safely for short-term periods during stress. Smaller individuals (under 140 lbs) can start lower (e.g., 5 grams daily), but scientific evidence generally finds minimal risk of side effects even at these higher, temporary dosages.

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Dr Mike Hunter's avatar

What about side effects at higher doses?

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Louisa Nicola's avatar

Higher doses of creatine (10–20 grams per day) are usually safe but can occasionally cause minor gastrointestinal discomfort or bloating in sensitive individuals. Drinking adequate water and spacing out doses can alleviate these symptoms. Serious side effects are extremely rare, with extensive research demonstrating creatine's overall safety.

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presidenting lil's avatar

Louisa, a commenter politely noted you failed to cite. When you replied, eventually offering sources, they didn't say what you were claiming. When this was asked about, you chose not to respond.

the commenter was respectful, curious, and sticking to facts the entire time.

Is it possible that you are too focused on turning out more and more of these for your SPONSORS that you are getting 1) the citations blurred, 2) facts misattributed, bnd even 1) the findings wrong?

it seems like it. A random sample suggests this.

btw, the point in question is the thesis of this "article"

Is this ethical practice?

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Medicina para ti's avatar

👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

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Tania's avatar

What about it's affect on the kidneys and liver? And doesn't consuming creatine hinder the body's own ability to produce it's own?

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