Brawny Brains: Creatine pills may aid memory and cognition
By Ben Harder
The popular muscle-building supplement creatine can boost performance on mental tests. Students preparing for exams might benefit from taking creatine in much the way that some competitive athletes do, an Australian neurochemist suggests.
Creatine, an amino acid produced by the body and also obtained from meat in a person’s diet, helps cells store ready-to-use energy. When taken during weight training, pills containing synthetic creatine accelerate gains in muscle strength. Creatine’s popularity among athletes and body builders fuels a market of more than $200 million per year for the pills in the United States.