Having been “involved” in what is for all intensive purposes the “discovery” and popularization of modern creatine consumption at EAS, I have both a soft spot in my heart for creatine and a hard spot in my biceps peak which it continues to support.
I’ve used creatine on and off since I first discovered that funky white powder that packed 12 pounds on me in a few short weeks in the mid-90′s.
But creatine, like the modern Super-Hero of nutrition, seems to have another, and another peak / act every time I turn around. First, it was muscle, then energy, then… well, cognitive and now it’s even protecting of brain injury. This is the short version of a story that reads increasingly unbelievable. The idea that anyone isn’t fully loaded with creatine is like suggesting to me people are going without water and sunshine.
Alas, this gemlet from the professor, Will BrinkZone Brink, is close to my heart–for I have many former NFL freinds and athletes who are suffering or on the brink of suffering the seeming ineveitable decline from taking too many hits. Maybe it’s not a requirement… if we read this.
[This is a blatent excerpt from the report by Will Brink, called "The Creatine REPORT." <== Get it here ]
Creatine effects on the function of healthy and damaged brains.
Perhaps the most compelling use for creatine is its effects on brain function and metabolism. I covered some of those effects in the past two articles but research continues to show creatine is a key nutrient for brain function and metabolism in both people with healthy or damaged/diseased brains.
Traumatic brain injuries affect thousands of people each year. The real tragedy however is that much of the damage to the brain is not caused by the immediate injury, but due to cell death caused by ischemia (a lack of blood flow and oxygen to tissues) and free radical damage/oxidative stress.
The ability of a cell to do work is directly related to its ATP status and the health of the mitochondria. Heart tissue, neurons in the brain and other highly active tissues are very sensitive to this system. Even small changes in ATP can have profound effects on the tissues’ ability to function properly, which can cause damage and or death for the cell. Of all the nutritional supplements available to us currently, creatine appears to be the most effective for maintaining or raising ATP levels.
Recent studies have shown that creatine affords signifcant neuroprotection against ischemic and oxidative insults.
One recent study called “Dietary supplement creatine protects against traumatic brain injury” (Ann Neurol. 2000 Nov;48(5):723-9.) found creatine was very effective at reducing damage to brain tissue after injury. These researchers found: “…administration of creatine ameliorated the extent of cortical damage by as much as 36% in mice and 50% in rats. Protection seems to be related to creatine-induced maintenance of mitochondrial bioenergetics.”
They went on to conclude:
“This food supplement may provide clues to the mechanisms responsible for neuronal loss after traumatic brain injury and may and use as a neuroprotective agent against acute and delayed neurodegenerative processes.”
This study would indicate creatine therapy should be initiated as soon as possible after traumatic brain injury. People who have already been taking creatine on a continuous basis may be afforded considerable protection against additional damage to the brain following such an injury.
© Will Brink and BrinkZone, All Rights Reserved
Creatine… Get Ya some… but the right kinds. Of course.
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