Dr. Darren Candow is one of the world’s leading researchers and authorities on creatine and joins me to separate what we know from what is still hype.
Darren joins me to discuss:
• How to sift through the evidence and hype surrounding creatine
• What the research actually says about creatine and brain health
• Whether creatine may have a role in concussion and head-trauma research
• The current evidence around creatine and mental health
• Whether creatine can help mitigate some effects of sleep deprivation
• Creatine and bone health
• How much creatine actually contributes to muscle growth and performance
• Why strength and muscle matter for long-term independence
• How creatine may influence training quality
• Creatine timing and whether the anabolic window matters
• Loading protocols and daily dosing
• Whether creatine may have a role during injury rehabilitation
• How to interpret frightening headlines about creatine and cancer
• Whether creatine has any meaningful role in cancer research
• Creatine safety data, including concerns about kidney health
• Why elevated creatinine does not automatically mean kidney damage
• Whether caffeine interferes with creatine
• The best type of creatine to take
• Why some specialty creatine products may simply cost more without providing additional benefit
• Popular creatine myths
• Microdosing and other exciting areas for future research
• And much more
Follow Darren on Instagram:
@dr.darrencandow
CHAPTERS
00:45 Creatine Basics and Muscle Saturation
04:23 Creatine and Brain Health: Hype vs. Evidence
08:51 Creatine and Sleep Deprivation
13:10 Concussions and Head Trauma
17:51 Creatine and Mental Health
19:47 Safety, Kidney Health, and Creatinine
24:37 Homocysteine, Cancer, and Other Myths
28:37 How Much Muscle Does Creatine Actually Build?
29:27 Strength, Muscle, and Long-Term Independence
30:17 Bone and Brain Health
31:32 Creatine and Training Quality
34:19 The Best Forms of Creatine
37:32 Timing and the Anabolic Window
39:52 Cost, Marketing, and the “Pink Tax”
42:55 The Creatine and Caffeine Myth
45:46 Loading Protocols and Injury Rehabilitation
48:22 Future Research and Microdosing
50:45 Cooking With Creatine and Final Thoughts
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