Lift Free And Diet Hard with Andrew Coates
#497 Dr. Darren Candow - Creatine and Your Brain, Performance, Bone Health, and Sleep
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 SUPPORT THE SHOW If this episode helped you better understand what creatine can—and cannot—do: • Subscribe and check out more episodes • Share the episode on social media and tag @andrewcoatesfitness • Send it to someone who still thinks creatine is only for bodybuilders FOLLOW ANDREW COATES Instagram: @andrewcoatesfitness https://www.andrewcoatesfitness.com PARTNERS AND RESOURCES RP STRENGTH APP Use code COATESRP: https://www.rpstrength.com/coates JUST BITE ME MEALS Use code ANDREWCOATESFITNESS for 10% off: https://justbitememeals.com MACROSFIRST — FREE PREMIUM TRIAL • Download MacrosFirst • Begin setting up your account • When asked, “How did you hear about us?” enter: ANDREW KNKG BAGS — 15% OFF https://www.knkg.com/Andrew59676 VERSA GRIPPS https://www.versagripps.com/andrewcoates TRAINHEROIC — FREE 90-DAY TRIAL • Visit: https://www.trainheroic.com/liftfree • Reply to the email you receive or email trials@trainheroic.com • Let them know Andrew sent you L1 BIOMECHANICS AND ASSESSMENT COURSE Use code COATES: https://pro.activelifeprofessional.com/assessmentworkshopevents
