How Creatine is Disrupting a 2 Billion Dollar Anxiety & Depression Market - Thomas DeLauer with Dr Darren Candow

Creatine and Brain Health: General Context

• Dr. Darren Candow, a leading researcher in creatine, highlights that while creatine is typically associated with muscle, new research is exploring its role in brain health, mood, anxiety, and depression.
• Creatine is increasingly viewed not just as an ergogenic aid, but also as a recovery aid and an overall health aspect, with benefits observed across muscle, bone, and brain.

Impact on Mood and Mental Health

• The theory suggests that conditions such as depression, anxiety, and PTSD may decrease brain creatine stores, as the brain is highly bioenergetic and consumes a significant amount of creatine.
• Creatine supplementation may help to offset negative effects or decrease symptoms of depression and anxiety.
• While promising, current human studies in this area are emerging and primarily involve individuals already on medication; there haven't been studies yet looking at creatine alone for decreasing depression or anxiety symptoms in humans.
• There is good evidence from rodent models supporting these benefits.

Cognitive Benefits

• There is decent data showing creatine's benefits for cognition and memory.
• The most significant results are observed in older adults compared to younger adults, particularly when the brain is under stress.
• Creatine seems to improve memory and recall when the brain is taxed or stressed, such as during hypoxia, sleep deprivation, or very mentally fatiguing tasks. A meta-analysis showed substantial memory improvement in older adults under these conditions.
• In healthy children and adolescents, creatine has shown beneficial effects on performance with no adverse effects.
• In two studies involving young children with concussion, creatine appeared to decrease the risk or incidence of post-concussion syndrome.
• The cognitive benefits observed in sleep-deprived states are strongly linked to creatine's ability to decrease the inflammatory environment and oxidative stress in the brain. While there might be minor physical performance benefits, the vast majority of benefits during sleep deprivation are cognitive.

Mechanisms of Action in the Brain

• The brain is highly bioenergetic and seems to rely heavily on brain creatine stores.
• Creatine contributes to brain bioenergetics by shuttling to the mitochondria.
• Its mechanism involves decreasing reactive oxygen species (inflammation) and improving mitochondrial health in the brain. These effects are primarily observed in rodent models (rats, mice), with some potential evidence in humans.
• Studies using Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS) in humans have shown that creatine supplementation elevates brain creatine stores.
• The theory is that if neurological conditions like depression and anxiety reduce natural brain creatine storage, creatine supplementation may counteract this decrement, leading to beneficial effects.
• Creatine's potential to decrease neuroinflammation and oxidative stress is considered one of the most potent theories for its improvements in brain bioenergetics and function, linking it to its effects in muscle and bone as well.

Creatine Synthesis and Distribution in the Body and Brain

• When creatine is consumed, approximately 95% is stored in the muscle, with less than 5% going to other areas, including the brain. This is why brain accumulation takes longer and may require higher dosages.
• The brain is unique in its ability to produce its own creatine, a process identical to what occurs in the kidney and liver.
• This synthesis involves two amino acids, Arginine and Glycine, combining to form guanidoacetate, which then combines with methionine to form creatine.
• The average human produces about 1-3 grams of creatine naturally per day in the kidney and liver. Brain production may vary more among individuals.
• The blood-brain barrier also restricts creatine uptake into the brain, and there are not many transporters in the brain, further contributing to the need for higher dosages for accumulation.

Dosage and Supplementation for Brain Health

• Creatine accumulates much slower in the brain compared to muscle.
• To increase brain creatine content and achieve beneficial effects, higher dosages and longer periods of supplementation (multiple weeks, if not months) are generally required.
• Studies on depressive or anxious populations on medication suggest an average dose of 10-20 grams per day for multiple weeks, typically around 10 grams per day for at least four weeks, to see beneficial effects.
• Lower doses (e.g., 1-2 grams) are likely insufficient for significant brain benefits.
• Creatine is not an acute "nootropic" that provides an instantaneous boost (e.g., for jet lag or sleep deprivation); its effects are accumulative. Therefore, consistent, long-term use is proposed for overall brain health.

Dietary Creatine and Brain Stores

• Vegans and vegetarians typically have lower muscle creatine stores compared to omnivores and respond very favourably to creatine supplementation for muscle benefits.
• However, studies have shown that dietary creatine intake has no significant effect on brain creatine stores; vegans have similar levels of brain creatine to non-vegans. The brain appears to protect its own creatine levels more effectively than muscle tissue.
• The impact of a carnivore diet (high in dietary creatine) on bone or brain creatine content has not yet been extensively researched.
• For individuals with inborn errors in creatine metabolism or those who are severely deficient, even a low dose might have a noticeable impact on whole-body creatine, but the brain's unique production and uptake mechanisms mean it responds differently.

Chapters

00:00 Intro
01:38 30% Off Your First Order AND a Free Gift Worth up to $60
02:39 Cognition & Memory
05:44 Creatine for Vegans & Vegetarians
07:48 Creatine for Younger Adults & Children
08:26 Anti-Inflammatory Effects
09:30 Sleep Deprivation
11:11 Dosing Strategy
14:09 How Creatine is Made in the Brain
15:29 Creatine for Brain Health
16:12 Where to Find More of Dr. Candow's Content