The Swiss Army Knife of Mitochondrial Support

Creatine is one of the most well-known health supplements. It’s often caricatured as something just for gym bros because it helps them build muscle...

But actually, it’s a veritable Mitochondrial Nootropic for all-around human awesomeness.

This article is mostly going to focus on decoding what the human studies are saying about Creatine and how this squares up with the anecdotal experiences of Biohackers online.

Biohacker Review: The Swiss Army Knife of Mitochondrial support supplements

Creatine was one of the first supplements I used out of the behemothic box I received from PureBulk.com because it’s the Swiss Army Knife of Mitochondrial support supplements. I use it as both a Nootropic and workout performance enhancer, which I’ll describe here along with summarizing the most recent science and research done on Creatine.

As a Nootropic

While I won’t call it a smart drug, it does have subtle Nootropic effects; I notice myself being a bit more energized, optimistic, and motivated after taking a few grams of Creatine in the mid-morning. I did stack it with about 800 milligrams of N-Acetyl L-Tyrosine (NALT), which enhanced the Nootropic effects and kept me alert on a few days when I was a little underslept. I did take a heart rate variability measurement with my HeartMath device on this stack and achieved a coherence score of 1.2 while working on my laptop, which is a little of an uptick over my baseline.

Creatine and the Brain

Because the brain and nervous system require such high amounts of energy , it’s logical to assume the neurological system can benefit greatly from creatine — and this is being corroborated by clinical research . A growing number of studies have found that creatine can protect the brain from neurotoxic agents and certain forms of brain injury . (2650-2652)

Mitochondrial Nootropic

Head Strong by Dave Asprey makes the case that optimizing your Mitochondria is the ultimate performance-enhancing Biohack because your Mitochondria are the fundamental energy generation mechanism that underlies everything else. From the book:

Creatine has been a workout staple for decades, but the guys in the weight room probably don’t realize that creatine works by increasing ATP production in your mitochondria. This is what gives your muscles an extra boost of energy. Creatine also benefits your brain. In one study, creatine supplements caused a significant increase in working memory and intelligence. (p. 263)

On the two-week Head Strong program, I recommend the loading phase so that you can feel the creatine’s effects right away. If you do this, be sure to drink a lot of water. (p. 264)

Vs Sleep Deprivation

A 2024 randomized trial found that a single high dose (about 0.35 g/kg) increased brain phosphocreatine and buffered the cognitive hit of overnight sleep loss.

If you’re underslept, reach for some Creatine (and don’t be shy about the dose). It assuages sleep deprivation, jet lag, stress, and fatigue generally because: “The more the brain is stressed, the more Creatine comes to rescue,” according to Dr. Candow.

Creatine stacks well with one of my long-time daily driver Nootropics: L-Tyrosine. My first year as a brand-new dad was surprisingly productive thanks to this stack (and some other lifehacks).

Workout Performance Enhancer

One of the most reliable effects of Creatine is that you’ll be able to push yourself a little harder in the gym. You’ll walk home from the gym a little sorer than usual, but with a proud smile on your face for the gains you’ve made: pushing more weight, achieving more reps, or sweating it out more doing cardio. I stack it with one of my other favorite workout performance enhancers, HMB, for epic workouts that I’d be sore from for days if it wasn’t for the recovery hacks I employ: red light therapy on my muscles, healing PEMF frequencies, and a before-bedtime massage from my lady.

The other thing I like about Creatine is the muscle pump; it does make your muscles look bigger if you take it and work out consistently. HMB has a complementary effect; it essentially preserves muscle mass if you’re slacking on your workouts. So a vain yet economically-minded Biohacker would want to use them both; take 5 grams of Creatine and HMB on workout days to build muscle, and then if you need to take a few weeks off the gym for travel, work, or over the holidays, take just a few grams of Creatine daily as a Nootropic and HMB to preserve your strength gains.

A caveat on workout performance enhancers...

As Jeff Cavaliere of ATHLEAN-X preaches, you earn the right to take workout supplements. You probably shouldn’t be cramming supplements in your mouth your first week or month in the gym - you should put in the work for a couple of months building up foundational strength and competence before turning to supplements. The kinds of performance enhancers I name here do unlock an extra reserve of power and motivation. They can make you overconfident in the gym when you shouldn’t be, risking an injury that will ultimately set you back in your fitness.

A Muscle-Building Biohack

Ben Greenfield, in Boundless, breaks down why Creatine belongs in your bodybuilding armamentarium

With increases in exercise or muscle damage, your physiological need for creatine is increased. Research suggests that creatine supplementation can increase your muscles’ work capacity and power output while enhancing your lean body mass and physical endurance. Outside of the athletic population, creatine has been shown to reduce muscle breakdown and even to support cognitive function, especially in the elderly. Because creatine stores high-energy phosphate groups in the form of phosphocreatine, it releases energy to aid cellular function during stress. This effect causes strength increases after creatine supplementation and can also benefit the brain, bones, muscles, and liver. I recommend 5 g per day, preferably in one to three doses and mixed into warm water or another warm liquid to maximize absorption. (p.581)

History

Creatine was isolated in 1832 by Michel Eugène Chevreul from a water extract of meat. He named it from