The Creatine Paradox
An Investigation into the ‘Universal Super-Brain’ Narrative
You often see the 2003 Rae trial cited as definitive proof that creatine boosts intelligence. But a close read of the methodology reveals a detail that rarely makes it onto the supplement tub. The researchers did not test healthy omnivores. They explicitly recruited vegetarians. The science suggests that for the general population, the promise of a super-brain is a marketing invention built on a physiological misunderstanding.
We tracked the citations from the wellness narrative back to the clinical trials. The evidence shows a clear dissociation. Muscle tissue acts like a sponge for creatine, but the brain is much harder to penetrate. It has strict uptake rules that block most of what you swallow from crossing the blood-brain barrier. This suggests the ‘boost’ seen in vegetarians is actually a repair job; they are simply filling a deficit. For a well-rested omnivore, there is no deficit to fill, and the benefits vanish.
Common Questions
- Does creatine make you smarter?
Only if you are a vegetarian or severely sleep-deprived. For a healthy omnivore getting 1–2g of creatine from diet, the brain appears to have a ‘saturation ceiling’. The 2008 Rawson study on young, healthy adults showed zero cognitive benefit compared to placebo. - Is it safe for everyone?
The standard 5g dose is safe for healthy kidneys. However, for individuals with Bipolar Disorder, creatine can act as a mood destabiliser. Trials by Roitman (2007) and Toniolo (2018) both recorded patients switching into mania or hypomania following supplementation. - Why do so many people claim it works for focus?
The effect is real for specific groups. It acts as a buffer during metabolic stress, such as sleep deprivation. If you are exhausted, it helps keep the lights on. Marketing confuses this ‘rescue’ effect with a baseline performance boost. - What is the ‘Brain Dose’?
This is the Dosage Disconnect. To increase brain creatine levels significantly in a healthy adult, studies suggest you need 20g per day for four weeks. This is four times the standard ‘muscle dose’ sold on the label. We have no long-term safety data for filtration of that dosage.
The Vegetarian Gap – The Creatine Intelligence Illusion
The "universal brain boost" claimed by creatine marketing vanishes in clinical trials of healthy omnivores. An investigation into the gap between the vegetarian "deficit" and the omnivore "ceiling."
Creatine and Bipolar Disorder – The Manic Switch Risk
Clinical trials consistently exclude bipolar patients to sanitise safety data. This investigation tracks the suppressed signal of "manic switching" from the 2007 Roitman incident to the 2018 Toniolo confirmation, revealing a significant hazard for consumers.
The AlzChem Loop – Inside the Creatine Consensus Factory
Influencers call it a universal brain booster. European regulators rejected the claim. We audited the funding trail to discover why the science on social media doesn’t match the official safety records.