We're talking about creatine.

The supplement aisle is loud right now. Each one arrives with a podcast tour and a flood of TikToks. Meanwhile, the cheapest, most boring supplement in the aisle, on shelves since the mid-1990s, is quietly having its biggest year in decades.

What is creatine
Creatine is a molecule your body makes naturally and that you also get from food, mostly meat and fish. About 95% of it is stored in muscle, where it helps regenerate ATP, the molecule used to store energy. About 5% of it is stored in the brain and organs, while the rest is stored in muscle, where higher creatine levels mean your cells can recycle energy faster during short bursts of high demand, like intense physical activity.

For thirty years, creatine was treated as a sports supplement. Take 5 grams a day while you're lifting weights and you might gain muscle a little faster. The search supporting this practice is among the most replicated in nutrition science.

So what changed?

The second act
A 2026 systematic review in Nutrition Reviews looked at creatine supplementation in adults over 55 and found a consistent association with improvements in cognition, particularly memory and processing speed. A separate 2026 narrative review in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition examined creatine's role in healthy aging and concluded it helps preserves muscle mass, bone density, and brain function in older adults

Researchers have also begun studying creatine as a potential treatment for mild Alzheimer’s disease. The evidence is still early, but the idea is straightforward: the aging brain appears to become less efficient at producing energy, and creatine helps support cellular energy production.

Creatine isn’t a miracle cure for cognitive decline, and the new research isn’t claiming it is. But it’s remarkable that after three decades of research and thousands of studies, scientists are still uncovering new potential benefits—including for brain health.

Why it took thirty years
Creatine had an image problem. Because it became so closely associated with bodybuilding and sports performance, most of the research naturally focused on young athletes rather than older adults. The few studies that did examine aging were typically small and underpowered, making it difficult to draw firm conclusions. Only in the past few years—driven by larger trials, better methods, and a growing interest in healthy aging—has the evidence begun to accumulate.

There was also little commercial incentive to push the field forward. Creatine monohydrate isn’t patented, so no company stands to make billions by proving a new benefit. That means fewer blockbuster clinical trials, less marketing, and far less public attention than a patented drug would receive.

In retrospect, it’s a reminder that scientific progress doesn’t simply follow the most important questions—it often follows incentives. For decades, the incentives around creatine pointed toward sports performance. Only recently have they shifted toward healthy aging.

The Felix view
Creatine monohydrate is one of the few supplements that clears our clinical bar: consistent evidence, a plausible biological mechanism, and an excellent long-term safety record.



For most adults, the recommendation is simple: 3–5 grams of creatine monohydrate per day. No loading phase. No cycling. No premium formulations. The plain generic powder is the version that has been studied the most—and the one we recommend.



The broader lesson isn’t really about creatine. It’s about how longevity science works. We often assume that newer means better, but that’s rarely true. Sometimes the most important discoveries come from looking at familiar interventions through a different lens.

TLDR: After thirty years of research, creatine has evolved from a sports supplement into one of the strongest evidence-backed supplements for healthy aging. The benefits are modest but real, the safety record is excellent, and 3–5 g/day of plain creatine monohydrate is all you need.

→ Read more: Creatine and cognition in aging (Nutrition Reviews, 2026)

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That's it for this month's Later.

Until next time: lift something, eat the plants, get the sleep, see your friends. And maybe add a scoop of creatine.

— Felix Longevity