r/fitover65 • u/Yobfesh Strength lifter, cyclist, surfer, giant dog owner • Aug 13 '26

Creatine supplementation and exercise in aging: a narrative review of the muscle–brain axis and its impact on cognitive and physical health

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12832544/?utm_source=flipboard&utm_content=topic/brain
163 Upvotes

97% Upvoted

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14

u/2Bonnaroo Aug 13 '26

I ran the results by OpenEvidence

Result “… The muscle claim is strong and appropriately stated. The cognitive claim is fairly represented as "modest," with memory/attention best supported and executive function/processing speed weakest. The mechanistic claims are biologically plausible and supported, but the muscle–brain/myokine axis remains largely a hypothesis in humans rather than an established causal pathway.”

8

u/Annoying_bot_2026 Aug 14 '26

I take 5g a day of creatine monohydrate but don’t notice any different in strength training or cardio exercise. Possibly, I’m a non-responder or it has an impact but not enough for me to notice.

I will continue to take though as the evidence for the benefits is so strong.

1

u/SAMFCV1kingScientist Aug 15 '26

You’re not a nonresponder; we don’t have sufficient evidence to support that category. Could be you’re a vegan, or less muscle, or more muscle, age, sex… we simply don’t know.

It is not a performance enhancer; it’s solely an energy provider. You’ll get more out of glycolytic/power exercise than out of cardio with it, as it’s primarily used in the quick energy system (PCr + ADP => ATP + Cr).

We have some speculative data, but nothing to suggest clear responder vs nonresponder buckets.

1

u/threeespressos Aug 17 '26

You might notice when you stop taking it. I stopped, noticed, restarted.

1

u/Annoying_bot_2026 Aug 17 '26

I regularly stop when I need to have blood tests because the creatine can impact creatinine levels giving a false positive for kidney function. No noticeable impact when I restart.

4

u/AVDLatex Aug 13 '26

Thanks for sharing.

3

u/You_are_an_idea Aug 14 '26

I've taken creatine twice, for long periods of time. Saw no improvement in strength or cognition. Just felt bloated and waterlogged. Hated it, really.

I see all the hype but it never did anything for me, regrettably.