A new paper shows supplemental creatine may be great for your gut! I have to admit, I absolutely love when science begins connecting the dots in some of my theories. A recent study published in the journal PNAS does this nicely.
In the study, researchers took a look at the GATM gene which is the rate-limiting step in creatine synthesis. They noticed some abnormalities in the gut of mice with defective GATM genes. Specifically, damaged colonic epithelial cells in these mice weren’t repaired properly and as a result these mice were susceptible to colitis(1).
Another major factor was that mice with the defective gene weren’t able to replenish their mucus layer. The mucus layer prevents bacteria, good or bad, from coming in to contact with your gut wall and activating the immune system.
How supplemental creatine promotes gut health
The mechanism behind this is simple. Epithelial cells and the mucus layer reproduce very rapidly and both are dependent on a rapid rate of ATP production. Animals with a defect in the GATM gene don’t synthesize enough creatine. As a result, damaged epithelial cells don’t get replenished fast enough and this causes the intestinal barrier to become compromised. A so called “leaky gut”.
Look at it this way. Creatine is the fastest source of recharging ADP to ATP because it takes place in the cytosol of cells. Low creatine synthesis will create a gap in the seamless flow of ATP being used by these cells and this can cause cell death and poor cell renewal. The solution to this problem is simple as demonstrated by this study: take supplemental creatine. Mice in this study saw a resolution in their colitis with supplemental creatine.
This brings together 2 important concepts I’ve discussed on this blog previously. First, sufficient creatine is absolutely necessary for supporting a healthy gut. This also brings in people with methylation problems, who are likely more prone to gut disorders.
Methylating creatine takes up approximately 40% of the methyl groups created during the methylation cycle. If you have SNPs in the methylation or choline cycles that impair methylation, this will lead to poor creatine synthesis which will impair your mucosal defense system.
I’ve gone over these things in previous blogs. You can take a look at how methylation, creatine, and “leaky gut” are related here. You can also take a look at how creatine functions in energy metabolism with a specific emphasis on gut motility here.
Conclusion
Creatine supplementation provides a simple, cheap solution to improving your gut health. In my opinion, ensuring an adequate creatine supply is one of the first things you need to do to improve your gut health. But how much should you take?
The typical recommended dosage is 5g/day, taken with food. You can take it all at once, or spread it throughout the day. Some people experience stomach upset, so you can tweak the dosage lower as there is likely a benefit at half the recommended dose.
Every single process in the gut is dependent on sufficient ATP. Gaps in the flow of ATP in the gut will certainly impair the digestive process from enzyme secretion to motility to barrier integrity. Supplementing with creatine can seal those energy gaps.
People often focus on supplementing with things like glutamine because there’s evidence it will help seal a “leaky gut”. The problem is it won’t do anything without adequate creatine levels. Oddly enough, I don’t recall ever seeing a gut health supplement that includes creatine as one of its ingredients. This recent study indicates that this is likely a mistake.
Interested in learning more about gut health? Join the private facebook group here where I discuss a bunch of other “outside of the box” concepts in private blogs and discussion in the group. You won’t find this stuff anywhere else.
Is creatine safe to take if you have the MTHFR genetic mutation?
Yup, in fact it should help because it would lower your methylation demand(Creatine uses up 40% of the methyl groups you make). Of course, run anything you take by your healthcare provider.
Some companies used to mix it with baking soda. Just make sure you get a pure 100% creatine monohydrate. I use creapure.
Didn’t realize creatine also helps with your gut 😮
I knew creatine is great for strenght and muscle gains, but
it seems like it also has some positive health benefits as well.
Thanks for this info!
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Do you suggest a loading phase? What doses are recommended for women?
Nope, no phase. Half a teaspoon is likely more than enough to start, then you can try more if you need. A whole teaspoon is the typical dose, but I prefer to start low and work up.
How long does it usually take to see gut health benefits from taking creatine and lecithin?
I’d say a couple of months, with some minor benefits happening relatively quickly with the creatine.
By the way is the Facebook group still active? I tried to join a few days ago but haven’t gotten a response. It still says “pending.”
Yup, just approved you. Sorry for the delay, I get a lot of requests from people who end up being hackers so I don’t typically approve people that don’t have info that coincides with this group’s focus. I suppose it’s my fault for using hack in the name. 🙂
Hello,
Great article!My question is how long can we take Creatine and do we have to rest for some time?
Thanks
Hi, Great blog!
Do you recommend Creatine HCL or Creatine Monohydrate for gut purposes?
Monohydrate, it’s cheaper, highly effective, and the most well-studied.
I have ibs ,sibo,leaky gut and creatine cause me serious trouble)loose stools,diarrhea,gas,bloating) but,i have used in the past for workout and worked perfect,now i can t tolerate anymore.How can get the benefits when i have this problems?
Hey Giorgos,
Creatine is an osmolyte so it can pull water in to the gut. The best way to limit this is to use a low dose and/or spread out your dosage throughout the day. Maybe start with 1/4 tsp once a day and work up to 4.
Thanks for reading,
Dave
Dave,
Could bloating and subsequent gas be a sign of feeding beneficial bacteria in the colon and (hopefully) healing it? I have IBD (Crohn’s) and just started taking about 1-2mg of creatine in my morning shake about a week ago with some noticeable improvements in energy plus decreased inflammation.
Despite lots more gas, my BMs are solid and easy to pass, so I am not concerned about continuing to supplement with creatine unless you feel otherwise? Thank you for the great content!
W
Very interesting. As far as I’m aware creatine is safe to take (within recommended dosages) daily?? Or would you recommend a cut off of 2-3 months or so?
You don’t necessarily need to take time off if that’s what you’re asking. If you’re not interested in athletic performance, you can probably take half the dosage as well.
does one require phosphate supplementation as well or is that readily available in veggies or meat? if so how much? thk
No need to supplement phosphate.
Very interesting Dave, I went vegan and dropped creatine from my supplements and had gut issues, I went off the Vegan diet but it still persisted, after exhausting everything I’m now trying the creatine again as when I used it everyday before I had a cast iron gut! Let’s see if this is the missing puzzle piece!
Can I use a heavy red meat diet instead of creatine supplementation?