A creatine is one of the favorite supplements of sports practitioners, as it is known for promoting increased strength and physical performance. Now, a new study has shown that a single, high dose of the substance can temporarily improve cognitive performance in those who sleep little. The results were published at the end of April in the scientific journal Scientific Reports.
To the search, 15 participants were recruited and kept awake during the night, having to solve cognitive tasks during this period. Before that, they received a single, high dose of creatine. Three hours later, it was possible to observe a positive effect on the individuals' brain metabolism and cognitive performance. The effect reached its peak after four hours and lasted up to nine hours.
Creatine is a substance that can be found naturally in the body, being produced by the liver, and is made up of three amino acids: glycine, methionine and arginine. It can also be found in foods such as red meat, fish and chicken. Sleep deprivation can lead to changes in brain metabolism that promote cellular uptake of creatine.
According to the study, after using creatine, improvements were observed in processing capacity and short-term memory. “The results suggest that a single, but high, dose of creatine increases reasoning capacity and causes changes in the brain's energy reserves during sleep deprivation,” says Ali Gordjinejad, study coordinator and researcher at the Institute of Neurosciences and Medicine (INM-2), in the Forschungszentrum Jülicha research institution in Germany.
Previous studies have already shown that creatine can improve cognitive performance. This happens because the substance neutralizes the metabolic changes caused by sleep deprivation. However, in previously published research, it had not yet been possible to prove the short-term effect that was observed in the current study.
However, the authors warn of the risk of consuming excess creatine. “For now, however, it is not advisable for people to take such high doses of creatine at home, as high doses of the substance overload the kidneys and can cause health risks,” says Gordjinejad.
“However, if future studies show an increase in cognitive performance at lower doses, creatine could become a serious competitor to coffee during long nights of work,” he adds.
Source: CNN Brasil
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