Scientist explains why 5g of creatine may not be enough after doubling her own dosage
The average recommended dose of creatine is 5mg daily – but what if this isn't the optimal dose?
Often referred to as the most well-researched supplements in the world, we have a pretty good idea that chucking a scoop of creatine into your glass of water is beneficial for the body.
Don't believe us? Then there are plenty of accounts from people who have shared their experience using creatine, from complete beginners to a woman undergoing the menopause, who've all noted physical and cognitive benefits.
What is the ideal dose of creatine?
Scan over the text on the back of your creatine packet, and you'll notice that most brands recommend a dose of between 3 to 5g per day. This dose is recommended as it allows creatine to gradually soak into the muscles and minimises potential side effects.
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You've also most likely heard of something called the 'loading phase', which is where gym rats dose up on the stuff in order to access the benefits quicker.
However, one study has suggested the optimal dose is somewhere around 10g per day.
In a video shared by Longevity Nutshell earlier this year, Dr Rhonda Patrick, a scientist and health educator who specialises in ageing, and Dr Darren Candow, a renowned creatine researcher, discussed the benefits of upping your dose.
Dr Patrick begins by explaining that she used to take a 5g dose of creatine a day to help her workouts but later upped that dose to 10mg as she wanted to feel the benefits on her brain.
"My baseline is 10, and I do that because of the brain effects," she said. "There's been studies now coming out that it improves cognitive function. It might be important for brain ageing."
Dr Patrick went on to explain that while taking 5g a day will allow for complete muscle saturation, it leaves little left for the brain.
With the higher dose, this allows for the muscles to get their needed creatine intake while also saturating the brain's stores.
"If your muscles are greedy, your muscles are consuming the creatine share. After five grams, there's not much left spillover to get into the brain," she added.
What are the benefits of creatine on the brain?
Patrick went on to cite findings from a 2016 study conducted in Germany, which found that creatine supplementation can boost cognitive function, particularly in scenarios where a person is sleep-deprived – which is most of us these days.
While research on the ideal dosage for improved cognitive function is ongoing, Patrick believes that a dose above 5g increases the likelihood of creatine saturation in the brain, especially if your muscles are 'eating first'.
Meanwhile, Dr Candow believes that taking an even higher dose can be beneficial in scenarios where the brain is under extreme stress or sleep deprivation.
"Ten grams seems to be a very viable dose," Dr Candow said, revealing that he takes around 10g on average, but ups this during periods of stress.
"During times of metabolic stress, sleep deprivation or jetlag, I'll increase it to 20mg."
Brenna Cooper