Different Life | 024 | Is Creatine Worth Taking? The Truth About Strength, Brain Health, and Aging

Episode Summary

Creatine has long been associated with bodybuilders, powerlifters, and gym culture, but recent research is changing that perception. In this episode, Gary and Peter unpack what creatine actually does inside the body and why scientists are increasingly interested in its potential benefits beyond athletic performance.

The conversation explores the science behind creatine's role in energy production, its effects on strength and muscle performance, and the growing body of evidence suggesting possible benefits for brain function and cognitive performance. They also address common misconceptions, including whether creatine is a steroid, whether it causes unhealthy weight gain, and whether women should consider taking it.

Along the way, Gary and Peter discuss their own supplement routines, the importance of personalized blood work, why most people should focus on the basics before chasing expensive supplements, and how advances in AI may change the future of preventative healthcare.

Helping you build a healthier, capable, more meaningful life.

Key Topics Discussed

What creatine actually is
How creatine produces energy for muscles
Why creatine is one of the most researched supplements available
Why creatine is no longer just for bodybuilders
Potential cognitive and brain health benefits
Creatine and healthy aging
Creatine for women
Water weight versus fat gain
Recommended daily dosing discussed in current research
Vitamin D supplementation
Fish oil and heart health
Personalized blood testing
The future of AI in healthcare
Why simple habits beat supplement overload

Chapters with Timestamps

00:00 Behind the scenes of podcast recording

01:30 Doing hard things and building routines

04:00 Why our phones steal our attention

05:00 The fascinating story of General Magic

09:45 Is creatine only for bodybuilders?

11:15 What creatine actually is

13:00 How creatine improves strength and performance

15:00 Safety, research, and side effects

17:00 Brain health and cognitive benefits

19:00 Should women take creatine?

24:00 Supplement overload vs. simple habits

25:00 Vitamin D, fish oil, and personalized nutrition

29:00 Blood testing and the future of AI in healthcare

31:30 Final thoughts: Is creatine worth taking?

Notable Quotes

"Creatine isn't just for gym bros anymore.""Low-hanging fruit beats chasing the newest supplement.""The basics done consistently usually matter the most.""The downside is so low for most people, and the potential benefits are significant."

Resources Mentioned

General Magic (Documentary)
https://www.generalmagicthemovie.com/

Function Health
https://www.functionhealth.com/

AG1
https://drinkag1.com/

Huberman Lab Podcast
https://www.hubermanlab.com/

Connect With Us Here:
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@WholeHealthSolutions
Website: https://wholehealthsolutions.life/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wholehealthsolutions.life
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wholehealthsolutions.life
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/whole-health-solutions-sports-performance

Creators and Guests

Host

Gary Donia

Gary Donia, MSPT is a physical therapist and Chief Operations Officer at Whole Health Solutions and Sports Performance. With more than 20 years of experience, he helps individuals and athletes recover from injury, build strength, and improve long-term physical capability. Gary focuses on identifying root causes, creating practical plans, and guiding people toward sustainable health and performance. In addition to his clinical work, he coaches high school and Legion baseball, applying movement principles to develop resilient, confident athletes. He lives in Townsend, Massachusetts, with his wife Jessica and their two sons, and is passionate about helping people build healthier, more capable lives both on and off the field.

Host

Peter Brouillard

Peter Brouillard, DPT is the Founder and CEO of Whole Health Solutions and Sports Performance. As a physical therapist and strength coach, he works with individuals and athletes to recover from injury, build strength, and develop long-term resilience. Peter takes a whole-body approach to health, integrating exercise, lifestyle habits, and performance principles to help people exceed their goals and unlock their potential. His focus is on practical strategies that create lasting change, not quick fixes. He is passionate about empowering people to take ownership of their health and build lives defined by capability, confidence, and meaningful progress.

What is Different Life?

Most people don’t need more motivation. They need a different approach. Hosted by Gary Donia and Peter Brouillard, Different Life draws on years of experience helping people navigate pain, movement, recovery, and performance — but the conversation goes far beyond health alone.

We talk about:
• Strength training as a life skill
• Back pain, mobility, and injury recovery
• Pelvic floor health and durability
• Sleep, stress, hormones, and energy
• Performance and longevity over 40
• Discipline, habits, and identity shifts
• Parenting and modeling health
• Relationship-based healthcare

We discuss these not as isolated topics, but as part of a bigger question: What does it look like to live differently, not just try to live better?
If you feel stuck in patterns that no longer fit who you want to become, this show is for you. Because better often keeps you in the same cycles. Different changes your trajectory.

DL024
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Gary: [00:00:00] Peter, welcome back.

We are here again. Yeah.

Feels like we were just here. We were.

Peter: Weird.

Gary: All

Peter: Wonder what

happened ... a

Gary: minutes ago- Yeah ... recording the last

Wide: last

Gary: Everything's set up. Wonder if people

Wide: know

Peter: that's

Gary: what happens. they can tell 'cause we're wearing the same thing.

Peter: I think so.

Do you think like-

Wide: Should

Gary: we like- Two shows in a row. Yeah. Should we have like- Oh, and

you you didn't change our artwork

Peter: either. a dead giveaway. Total fail.

Same clothes,

Gary: yeah. Anyway, behind the scenes- at the pod. You- people are

Peter: people know. I bet you

Gary: most people do this, right? You gotta record multiple I think so. Just makes sense. You're already

set up. Yeah. You're ready

You're ready to go. more or it'll be obvious.

Yeah. Yeah, that's right. You're sitting for too

long- and

then it's not good

Peter: Um,

Gary: I, in the last show, I made a conscious effort to not

wiggle.

think

Peter: I wiggled more than

Wide: yeah.

Gary: think I wiggled a little And

I think I did a pretty good

Peter: You did.

Gary: Yeah. it,

Peter: I think it was okay. It was. I've

Gary: it was. I've also

Peter: made,

like,

an effort to, like, not.

Gary: look at this,

Peter: because I

have, like, a timer over

here.

Gary: Um,

but it goes... It shuts off. And

so,

I'm looking for areas to improve

Peter: could keep your screen settings

on always on. [00:01:00]

Gary: I could do ... that, or we could get

Peter: a little

timer.

Hmm.

Gary: You know? I

Peter: idea. Anyway,

Gary: like that Yeah. we'll see It's a good idea Anyway, uh, what's the hardest

thing you've done this week?

Peter: Continue to get up at

4:00 in the morning and come

Gary: That's Yeah. That's hard. for

Peter: Yeah, because I

would rather not. Yeah. I would rather sleep. Yeah. I

almost didn't this morning, and then I basically called myself

some names and it shook-

Gary: I thought when the alarm goes off at 4:00 you

just like-

Peter: I do, but

I intent-

Gary: You rise like- I do

Lazarus

Peter: I do, 0 to 300. but

Gary: I intentionally

Peter: try to- ... like on

days that I don't

have to get up at 4:00, which is not very common-

Gary: Yeah ...

Peter: I

try to get up at 5:00- to get the extra hour of sleep- 'cause I know sleep is

so important.

Mm-hmm.

I just, at this

Gary: But yeah, today

Peter: wasn't even really hard.

Gary: don't know, I guess I don't have

Peter: I

guess maybe I'm failing at doing hard things this week. I don't

Gary: doing hard things this week. I Yeah.

Peter: I... um- The Week's young, too.

Gary: it It's only

Tuesday. I I didn't have...

Well, I you know, like

the

last week. Didn't

have to be like an

actual

today-

Peter: thought it was like, Yeah. Just in

Gary: general over the last

Peter: week. Yeah, what about you?

[00:02:00] Uh, that's a great question. I

Gary: obviously I'm on my little weight

loss journey. Yep.

So I think like that's, that's can be difficult at times. Uh, I, think the hardest thing has been finding time,

Peter: uh, enough

time to

Gary: read

and do my

Peter: meditation.

Your morning is-- that's not happening anymore in the morning?

Gary: So I s- I...

Doing it in the

morning, I

wanna do it, I wanna do it more in the afternoon- in

addition.

Peter: What's blocking Um,

Gary: when I when I think about doing it, I'm like, "Ooh, I feel like I would fall

asleep I do it," like in the afternoon. Yeah. Because

Peter: you've been falling asleep. Because it,

like stops... Yeah,

Gary: it like stops... Yeah, it's like even

it's like at 5:00,

which is

not when I'm... Like,

I'm not- Mm-hmm ... tired, But I know if I

sit for whatever reason

to just read-

or do, like, meditation or something, I feel like

I would fall asleep. And so I like

convince

myself that that's the case. So maybe I should go back to my mantra

of last time, I'm

just not gonna do

Yeah, I'm just not gonna fall asleep. I'm just

not gonna fall asleep. Yeah. Even if I read like

a little bit. I'd like to read a little

bit more my

mornings.

because I s- start here so early,

aren't

as long

as they used to So I

used

Peter: to read a lot

Gary: more. I

would get through [00:03:00] a book a lot quicker.

Peter: 'Cause you

start at 5:00

instead of 6:00

instead of 6:00 sometimes. but I

used

Gary: still get up at 4:00.

Yeah ... and so I'd have these

long mornings. Now I have a little bit of a quicker morning. I

Peter: still

Gary: to

read most

mornings,

Peter: but not a lot. It might

be only a

Gary: few pages or whatever, so it's

just taking me

longer.

I think that's probably

something, you know, finding more time.

So I have done a

few

Peter: afternoons,

Gary: but I wanna do it, like, more regularly 'cause I don't really

Peter: have-

Gary: whole lot going on. Like, once I leave here, you

know, we get here so early, so we leave

here kind of early. you know, we put in a

full day and we do whatever. I go

home and I go to the and I do what...

And then, but

Peter: I have time.

You

know-

Gary: my kids don't require a lot

Peter: out

of me

Gary: they're

off doing

their

things.

And

so it's, it's... I'd like to do more of that. I'm just

having

trouble ...I'll work

it. Just gotta convince myself that I feel like that's just an

and

Wide: then

I end up

Gary: scrolling or doing

Peter: Oh, yeah, your phone should be

totally And

Gary: I don't

like, fall asleep while

Peter: the phone Maybe, maybe you have

your dedicated reading hours where you have to read at a certain time of the the day.

Gary: It's [00:04:00] probably the best way to do it is

just say, "Yeah, from this time to

this time- Mm-hmm

like, I'm just gonna

read."

The best You No

Peter: working on work. No looking at your phone.

Gary: That's become the default.

The computer and the phone- Mm-hmm. have become the

default. Mm-hmm. It's probably the hardest thing. I don't think I've

Peter: had-

Gary: Too many other difficult

things probably.

Things are going pretty

well right

Peter: now. I I think

the har- I think the phone

is the hardest for most people. Like, if you, if you don't, if you're the type of person that doesn't want to be on the

phone. Yeah. boy, it feels like such a pull, bro. Oh, my God, it's like a magnet.

Gary: so

Peter: many things. I, you know what I

think it is?

I think there's too many damn things that we have on our phone

that gives us, like-

Gary: Permission to go

Peter: Permission

permission to do the thing. Yeah. So there's always- there's always some thought that leads to the phone. Yeah, Oh, I gotta check the thing. Yeah. I gotta do the thing.

Gary: a great

freaking

design.

Like, they're

Peter: pretty

gross.

Gary: I

watched a

great documentary the other day- called,

um,

Something

Magic. Um,[00:05:00]

I'll think of it later. Anyway, it's

Peter: about-

There's even a- timer

It's even

Wide: timer for you. What's this? It's, it's even a timer.

Peter: know.

It's everything. It's right here.

It does

everything. Yeah.

Yeah.

Gary: yeah.

Peter: so

so lame.

Wide: So, handy.

Gary: Slowly. It's the story '

of a company that existed,

probably one of

the, one of the m- a company, with the most brilliant

people to ever be

involved in the early stages of sort of what we now know as, Like,

the internet and technology and computers. They were all part

of this one company-

and It was Something Magic. The name of the company was Something Magic. Okay. Anyway, um, not Something Magic, but a- another word

and then

Magic. Oh. And

Peter: then,

Gary: um,

and they basically

in the '80s had come up with The concept

of this, of the iPhone. '

Peter: 80s.

had They just didn't have the

technology to do

it?

Gary: Yes, and they wanted,

they wanted

to build this

Peter: Yeah. And They It

Gary: so great.

like they show the

old... They had drawings. The guy who, like started the

company- Yeah ... still has, like, the

Peter: drawings. Well, there was, like, an iPhone

on Star

Gary: Trek- [00:06:00] Yeah,

Peter: they even mentioned- ... It was amazing the show they even mentioned Star... They even mentioned

Gary: in there, like, iWatch. But what I loved about it

was, like,

this group of just brilliant

people that, that have gone on to found, um... One of the

Peter: guys

Gary: founded Nest

Peter: Thermostats.

Gary: Um, um, you

know...

the, the thermostats in your house.

Yeah ... like he

Peter: he founded that

guy

Gary: founded

LinkedIn.

Another guy was, like, one of the main

guys in, like, Google Plus. Another

Peter: guy... Like, you just name, like, the all-star team of-

Gary: Hmm

like, brilliant people that were

Peter: Yeah ...all part

this

but they failed.

Gary: They... The company failed

for two reasons. One, they

were, they

Peter: were

too there was no

Gary: People couldn't imagine a world in

which you were carrying around,

like a, a

Peter: phone- With all this ... or computer. Yeah. There was no network

Gary: for phones really.

Yeah. Right? There just wa- didn't really exist, like,

to, do this. Um, and the technology

just

wasn't there

to create, like,

Peter: you know... But they

Gary: had

created, essentially,

out of that

company, they created the

Peter: touch screen? for

Gary: things. or, they, they brought that technology along.

Hmm. Um, the USB port, um, that we all now

Peter: use. Yeah. Um, and

then,

Gary: you know, if you look at the old, they- Th- the best part about [00:07:00] this

documentary

is that they had the foresight to, like, film while they... they

had a film crew there while they were doing it. Yeah, So you

can actually see what they

were working on, and he had

basically a hallway with doors,

which is similar to, like what is, like, Windows, you know?

Like, a... And

Peter: They had

Gary: all these different,

a hallway with Like, that was, like, the

Peter: On the screen?

Gary: the screen? Yeah, the screen.

And so you would, like, go

in different doors to do

different

Peter: those were like folders?

Yeah,

Gary: kind of. Like,

there was folders or,

like apps, if you will, right?

They had, like, essentially the early

version of apps.

They had created the earliest

version of like emojis. Mm. like,

emoticons. They had all these little,

like thing. basically everything that we know as normal today- Yeah ... in

the '80s, like,

uh, late, mid to late '80s, these people had already come

with

Peter: this. And what's the name of this documentary?

Gary: Ah, I gotta... Let me look it up.

Excuse me for,

um, Excuse me for

looking

it on a Netflix platform? It was on Tubi,

Peter: actually.

Jesus. Who the

hell watches

Gary: that mean...

Wide: so I

Gary: had to look it up 'cause I heard

it on

a podcast.

Um, and so I had to

look

up where I [00:08:00] could, like, watch

Peter: And you watched it

Gary: Um, General

Wide: Magic-

is the

Gary: of the company. It's also the name

of the

Peter: documentary,

Gary: and It's

on... You can find it- on Tubi

and,

it- It's

Peter: a cool

name for a conceptual... They're literally trying to

create magic.

Yes. Yeah.

Gary: And they were... It's fascinating.

I love,

um... I don't remember how we got onto this topic, but I just

Peter: love

Gary: stories like that because nobody ever know- knew about this company, but what they created and what they invented and what

Peter: they

Gary: came up

changed world. Yeah. And they talk about it in, in that all the

Peter: time. And then they were actually an

Gary: offshoot of Apple. The guy who started

it had-- w- was working at Apple, came up with this,

like, idea, and they

Peter: were like, "Okay,

Gary: sounds like great, but we're

gonna make It its own, like, little company."

Mm-hmm. You know? Because

we don't think it's really fits into Apple."

Yeah. And sure enough, like, Apple's the one who then brought it forward down the road when- Yeah

it was ready.

Peter: Um-

Gary: but Yeah.

Wide: I love,

Gary: I mean, I love stuff like... Talking about, like, doing hard things. These people were trying to make something.

The main

Peter: reason they failed, though, and I'll

tell

Gary: you the main

reason,

we've talked about this a little bit recently, is that they had

So they had no

[00:09:00] management,

basically. They're just a bunch of brilliant people, and what they loved is they could just work on whatever they wanted whenever they wanted.

It Yeah. It was, like, super creative, and they thought this was, like, the greatest

thing. But nobody had,

like, a real clear vision of like, okay,

well, what's the deadline?"

Like, "When's this thing

Mm. Like,

what are we supposed to do? So without any

kind

of constraint,

it just sort of eventually there

Peter: was, no product.

know? Yeah ... They

Gary: had no plan,

and so it failed. But,

but it was... But the,

question is was it really a failure? Like, not really. It led to the, it led to

Peter: iPhone,

Gary: eventually.

It started something. Yeah. Yeah. It

Peter: It started

something, Yeah.

Gary: anyway, um,

I noticed a few seconds ago that you called me bro.

Yeah

you said bro. No, I Yeah. No.

You totally did.

Peter: Uh- Wait, was that true?

Gary: Yeah ... So Ava's

Peter: background, Hey, Ava ...and Ava just confirmed

that she

Gary: me bro.

Peter: Oh. Anyway,

Gary: which I thought '

was, uh, pretty appropriate For this week's episode because I wanna know,

Peter: is creatine-

for bros?

bros? Or is it for hoes?

Gary: So when I [00:10:00] was growing

up, speaking of the

'80s- Yeah

right?

and

'90s,

Peter: in my, like,

Gary: early

gym days, the only people who

took,

like, creatine- was, like,

My brother

Yeah. ...

who was like a gym bro-

Yeah ... at the time, and that was kind of it. Like, if you went to, like, Gold's

Gym- Yeah, and maybe on ' roids.

Peter: Yeah, steroid, steroid Jack Russ. Yeah. For sure. Like,

Gary: you also

took

creatine- Yeah to get,

like,

pumped.

Peter: If you took your lifting seriously ... You know, that's what that's what people told me.

Yeah. then You took creatine.

Gary: And then there were some

other

things. I remember there was

Peter: one that, like,

Gary: you look,

Wide: like

Peter: more veiny. Mm-hmm. Like

Gary: remember My brother used to take

something. I forget what it

Peter: No

Gary: So that his... I don't know. Maybe- No-Xplode. But it would, like, make his arms look,

like, more veiny- Yeah ...And, like, just,

Peter: just,

Gary: ripped. Some

ripped. My brother

used to, be, like,

Wide: jacked-

Peter: Yeah ... back in the

day. What happened?

Gary: I

think he still is in pretty good shape now. I think he's been working

Peter: out a lot. Yeah. Nice. Um,

Gary: but, like, I remember, like, in high school

and, and, and that age

range, I mean, he was, like, he worked out all the time, and he

took all this stuff. And So I...

And, and

Wide: then in the

Gary: I would get,

know,

Muscle

Magazine

Yeah and all this stuff,

Yeah ...which I'm [00:11:00] sure you

probably still have a pers- uh, a subscription to, You're like, the only one-

Peter: it gets

sent to.

Um- It's Like, when I click on my Instagram, all I see is, like,

Gary: Yeah,

right.

Peter: So

Gary: But that was- So- ... sort of it.

Peter: Like,

Gary: but

I know, like,

again, it's, similar to, like, the episode we did on GLP-1s. it's, like, this thing

Peter: that's in

Gary: people's, Like, universe now. I think they hear a lot about it on, you know, p- on Instagram and other

Peter: Become

vogue

to the general

population.

Gary: yeah. So is it for bros?

or is it-

for everybody?

Peter: And, and,

why? So

I guess

Gary: the

question is just, well, what

is it?

Peter: Yeah.

Gary: You know, That's a good place To start. Like, what is

Peter: creatine?

It's an energy

It's

Gary: Like a Red Bull?

Peter: So

it's,

a fuel, it's a

fuel for- Yeah

Gary: Okay ... for our cells.

Peter: So it's,

Gary: So we already have

it, like, in our

body. Yeah.

Like, it naturally

pr- we actually

naturally- Mm-hmm ... get some of it

from, like, what? Food?

Peter: So

it's- Or

Gary: is it not really ...

it's held,

it's held

in muscle

tissue. Yeah.

get-

Stored

there. So

Peter: get it- Does

Gary: body make it, or do

consume it, like, nor- as from a part of our diet?

That's a good

Peter: question. I

don't know. To be honest, [00:12:00] I don't know- if it's synthesized- or if produced.

Yeah. I I think it might be synthesized.

Gary: Yeah. I'm It's a great question. it.

While you're talking, I'm gonna look It

up. Okay. But we have it. It's a good quality podcast.

And generally,

Peter: you get it from, uh, you get more of it

from red meat, 'cause there's more, there's

more of creatine in red meat than there is, like, whiter meat,

like that.

Mm-hmm.

Gary: Um-

It's synthesized

synthesized in right?

Peter: Synthesized. I can't... T-H-S-N-S- Synthesized.

Gary: Synthesized. Synthetized. My

Peter: My tongue,

like,

s- Synth

Gary: had to go to

speech therapy when I was a kid. Do you

Peter: know that? Oh, yes. Um,

Gary: and

there's a word that I can't say, so everybody feel free to- Yeah ... make your comments about my speech

Peter: synthesized

in the what?

Gary: in the liver, kidneys, and

pancreas from the amino acids

arginine,

arginine, glycine, and

meth-a something.

Peter: Arginine,

Gary: Thionine. It methionine All right, yeah.

And our, uh, your body typically makes about one to

two grams

per day with the rest acquired through animal-based foods like red

meat and seafood.

Yeah.

Around 95% of the body's

creatine is stored in skeletal muscle to help [00:13:00] quickly

generate ATP for energy during high intensity... Actually, was this all, was this

what you were gonna say Yeah. All right. But it sounds like

Peter: you know what

you're talking about. As

That sounds like you know what you're talking about. it's an, energy... it's basically so... Okay, so then there you go. so arginine,

um, methionine are, those are supplements that

people will

take- Yeah ... as

byproduct to help this sy- to help this process.

Make you go faster. Correct. Yeah, yeah. creatine- Yeah

Yeah.

Gary: And

Peter: an, it's basically an

energy

and that energy system is used for explosive movements. yeah, And so the general thought

is, is You, get maybe one and a half

two more reps out of a set. Like let's say you're doing bench press, for

instance.

Yeah. And if you were fully loaded with creatine versus not, let's say you're doing a set

12 without creatine, and then you're done.

You literally can't do a 13th rep. Maybe you get to 13 and a half

Gary: Well, then I should

Wide: stop

Gary: taking it.

Because I don't wanna

do more

Wide: reps.

Peter: so

yeah, so you

don't even

use it 'cause you don't even go to failure.

So you essentially never get to the

point-

I'm

storing mine for when I need it.

I Oh, I see.

Oh, I

Gary: keeping

Peter: It's just so funny. Keeping it. you You're

[00:14:00] like overflowing.

It's

like coming out of

your pores. so much.

Wide: I have so much PC.

Gary: creatine.

I stop at eight

reps.

Peter: It is

so, much I stop at

eight

reps. It is used for maximal

effort- is not a strength of

yours. No. And

it's used for getting the last

drop of, like, force out of your muscles because- there's that extra energy depot that you can pull

from.

Gary: Is

essentially Is

Peter: essentially what it is. Is it is it,

what it

Gary: is it at all similar to

steroid?

'Cause I think some people

think that

Peter: Not even

Gary: people s- sometimes put

the two things together. Not

me. Yeah, I

understand. that was a I

am asking

for the people.

Peter: Yeah,

Steroids and creatine have

nothing to do with each other.

Yeah. At, like, at

all. They're not even... They're just taken by the same

Gary: people.

Peter: Yeah.

Gary: Well,

Wide: I mean.

Peter: think because

That's all that I mean ...They don't do the

Wide: thing ... I

Peter: thing

Gary: I think because they're linked with

Peter: bodybuilders-

Mm-hmm. Yeah, totally ...

Gary: right? the bodybuilders

of the past- Mm ... who were many of them

on steroids and- Yeah ... probably some of them now, too.

Creatine- is- I don't know ... essentially,

Peter: of all of the things that you can

find in

Gary: a GNC, if

there's

1,000 [00:15:00] maybe there's

Peter: four that

actually aren't bullshit

Gary: Yeah.

Peter: creatine is one of those.

Yeah.

It's been studied forever. It's been studied, I believe, since the

'80s-

for a long time. It's been well-studied. Thousands and thousands of robust

studies that point to creatine being mostly harmless,

like,

mostly, like, no side effects. Yeah ... think the only side effect that can even be pointed

to is in some people- Mm-hmm

you get some version of, like, d- like watery stool, like diarrhea if you take so... But it's dose-dependent, meaning

if you take too much

for your digestive handle it- Yeah

you can kinda, like, your body's like, "Well, I gotta get rid of this," But that's not a common one.

Gary: And I think some people, if they already

have an underlying, like, kidney disorder or something like

that-

Peter: maybe can't

Gary: filter quick

enough yeah, there's

some- something there,

Peter: And again, dose dependent, how much

taking.

Gary: are

probably always good

things to discuss with your doctor before starting.

Peter: Yeah,

sure.

Gary: That's our

Wide: general

Gary: disclaimer.

Peter: Okay,

not, not advocating anyone take creatine.

Gary: We're, just,

uh, two, two

Peter: Very

Gary: ...who

Wide: who don't

Gary: advocate- Yes ... taking anything. Yeah. Like, just[00:16:00]

just talk to your doctor,

Peter: Yes ... But we're

Gary: you what we know.

Peter: However-

creatine is one of those

well-studied things that

is mostly benign, that has shown to

have maybe a 3% extra boost of

strength at

Gary: tail end of your set,

Peter: and you might gain two to four

pounds of weight, initially after,

like, your muscles have soaked it up, and that

has to do

with, uh, water

weight

because water

will attach to creatine.

Gary: Yeah, like when I wanna

lose weight, I stop taking my

Yeah,

Peter: And then you immediately dump the water that the creatine was attached

Gary: to. For the record, I have not done that. I still take

Peter: that. I still take it. But that's assuming that you use the

Gary: I do use it. Oh,

Peter: are you oh, you mean like-

Yes ...use it physically. Effort, effortful, yes. it.

just

Gary: storing it

Wide: it.

Peter: hanging

around.

Wide: um,

Gary: okay,

Peter: from, that's from a muscular

perspective. My understanding

Gary: is that there's also some

other you know, people have b- pointed to some

other, uh, effects that creatine has. Mm.

Peter: This is

why it's

become more

popular. Um, Yeah.

Gary: Yeah. This has become more

popular.

[00:17:00] I

think it's actually the

reason I am more interested in taking

it-

Peter: Yeah ...

Gary: Yeah ... uh, is for some of the other effects. So what

are some of those other things

that now has been, you know, at least reported as- Yeah ... potential

Peter: soon it went out of bro-sphere- Yeah ... Which is a very niche

Gary: market.

Yeah.

became

Peter: of this,

like, like the general population could benefit from it- Yeah ... outside of the gym,

and especially groups

women have taken to it and then this

has like,

widely, um, distributed information in circles of women health even more specifically, in like the health and wellness

sphere.

Um,

so then in

the last probably three years it's become more

popularized because in recent

studies it has shown to enhance

cognitive, um, benefits,

Gary: so

Peter: uh, exe- especially like, executive function.

Mm-hmm. And

it, it's on the backbone of, of

same system. So

what is executive function? It's the ability of your brain to problem solve

and

think through, like, and patterns of

behavior [00:18:00] and things like that

So you tend to be, like, better at, like, your job, right, or

your

studies or things like that where you have to use

your brain to think.

Conversation.

Gary: Right. the

Peter: The brain

Gary: uses a ton of Ton of energy. Right. It's extremely

Wide: metabolic. So it would make sense

Peter: that

Gary: if

you have

something

that can,

You

know, boost energy,

Peter: a last,

like, you'll get

a little bit more out of

it, right? Yeah. Again, very

Gary: small

Peter: amount, but has been a-

Gary: I think this is where all mine goes. Okay. 'Cause it's definitely not going the workouts.

The money is going to the brain energy because I do a lot of

that

type

Peter: Um, the difference with that

is the, the,

Wide: tests,

Peter: uh, the,

research has looked at higher doses.

like a classic, like, bro dose

was like, five, uh, five grams-

Yeah ... which is

Wide: is

Peter: a teaspoon. Yeah

Um, this is more, uh, 10 grams or more.

Some people even

advocate

Gary: advocate 20. So I gotta up my dose. I take

five-

every morning. So

Peter: for the, cognitive

benefits-

the recommendation is somewhere like, a[00:19:00]

Gary: I will do

Peter: that. two scooperoonis. Yeah. Yeah. it

Gary: Yeah, it doesn't taste like anything. It just goes

Peter: in

my, like- Yeah.

Wide: Yeah ... my, I add

Gary: it my

AG1-

Peter: in the morning. Yeah ...

you don't even know it's, like, what's happening. it's,

just in there. Yeah. You do

Gary: the

thing. It's AG1 protein powder

and creatine-

Peter: protein powder. Yeah. I take every morning. Yeah. So

up it to 10, some people will do 20.

Um, I do- I am not

educated enough

to know if there's a with

that.

Gary: people can

look It, up or talk to their doctor. So for, women, you mentioned

women, it's

been e- especially, you

know,

Peter: time. whatever reason, they got in that sphere I think a little bit- more, like, are marketed to.

Women

are also tend to be the deciders when It- comes to buying things, I think it's become more widely

Gary: spread. Sure. I

I think concern I've heard

from women is, "Is It gonna make me bulky?

Peter: You've heard that?

Gary: like

Peter: if

Gary: I take

creatine,

Peter: am I gonna get bulky?

Gary: Is it?

it? 'Cause people-- women don't like big people. Yeah,

Peter: it's associated with weight

Gary: [00:20:00] It's not like- a great

word to use for like a woman.

Like, Hey, you're looking..." Remember that time you des- you

described a woman as robust?

Peter: desc- you described a, woman as robust?

Yeah. She was stout.

Yeah. that.

was- But you were

giving her a

Wide: That

Peter: was a comment. I was like

Wide: I was like, I

Gary: was like- I was like, "Peter, I don't

think you can call women ro- robust."

She was so excited.

It'd be the same thing

Peter: as saying, "Hey, you're

Gary: looking, like, nice and bulky today."

Peter: Yeah, looking-

th-

thick.

Yeah. Thick's kind

of a compliment.

Gary: So like for you it's

like a, compliment- For you- No,

Peter: no. No. Women like- women like the

Gary: I don't

think we... I don't think we're experts

on what women

Wide: like. I

Peter: like. I think I,

I think

I've heard that- ... Yeah ...in

a, like a positive light. like

Gary: a- Maybe.

Peter: Like

a thick

girl or

something

Gary: that. Yeah, I

Peter: know.

Gary: I don't

know. God.

Peter: Eva's in

Gary: the background saying, "Oh my God."

She's like dying. Um- Uh,

Peter: but robust

and stout-

Yeah ... definitely not a n-

normal thing that women

would

like.

Gary: But you

Wide: But

Peter: I think that, that's a true compliment- Yeah ...

from me. Yeah. Because

it means that you're like- Strong ......I, I think of it as

like a strong- Yeah ... capable- Yeah

functional

woman. To

me, that's great.

Gary: that. so if I, [00:21:00] if

a woman, Ava, Mm ...who's the

other room laughing at us and being like, "I can't, um, we're definitely not putting

Peter: this on the air." No, it's okay. Um,

Gary: if she were to take it, is she gonna get like all bulky or is she gonna gain

weight? You mentioned weight. gain, 'cause that's not great.

People like to scale. Yeah. And so what's gonna

Peter: So women tend to be more sensitive

with weight gain, right? Yeah. So they're

absolutely...

There's 100% chance gonna gain some weight. I don't know the amount.

That depends upon how much muscle mass you have. The more muscle mass you have, the more weight you're gonna gain because the more you're gonna store and the more water you're gonna hold

onto. It's totally dependent upon water weight.

Yeah. You're not gaining fat. You're not gaining muscle

in The first couple of weeks of starting to take creatine, and that's when the water weight It doesn't mean you'll be bloated. It doesn't go to your belly.

Gary: It's just

Peter: distributed in

your bo- in your muscles, in your body widely.

You don't notice a difference,

um, in terms of, like, how you look, but yeah, there'll be a little

bit of

water weight

Gary: Do you take

it?

Peter: do

you take? 10.

Gary: How

much do you take the

Peter: morning glass [00:22:00] of

Gary: Have you always taken 10 or

do,

you go up to 10 when you learned about the brain

Peter: Yeah ... the benefits?

Mm-hmm. I went up to 10. I s- Yeah ... I would always just classically take five, and then probably a couple of

Gary: years

ago Do

you have any, like negative side

effects when you

went to 10?

Did

you do a loading dose? I

know sometimes people will do, Like a loading dose

Peter: when

they start creatine. It's not recommended anymore. That was, that, that was, like, 20 years ago that was recommended, is

you start with like mega dosing for a couple of weeks and then you go down to five.

That's not necessarily, Like,

you

don't need to do that. just- take, just take the amount that you're, that you're shooting for,

long as... it. it doesn't s- so.

it'll be in your system

for a little while, but

you do have to

take it daily if you want the continued, like

effects of it. I'll be honest, I've never noticed whether I'm on it or not.

Like,

don't, I don't know if I'm not sensitive enough to

it. I just know that there's essentially no side effects. I know that there's a lot of robust

research

Gary: that

shows

Peter: it has this

effect. so okay. It's low-hanging fruit. I just- I'm just taking one of my

Gary: Like

you can't use robust to talk about the

research And to give, like... a woman a compliment. [00:23:00]

Peter: think so.

so.

Gary: can't

Peter: be, like,

Gary: one in the same. I like...

Peter: cause

you

got that word into my head.

Gary: Yeah.

Yeah. there was like... there was

a great "Seinfeld" episode where, like Elaine was dating a

doctor and he called her breathtaking.

And then she was

all happy like, "Oh, my God, he called me breathtaking." But then the same doctor, who was like, a pediatrician- Hmm ... uh, was looking at this baby that

Elaine thought was really

ugly, and he called the baby

breathtaking. And Elaine was like, "Oh,

Peter: Oh. is ugly in my, in my eyes?" Why is he breathtaking? That's such

a great-

Gary: It's,

Peter: like, robot, Yeah ... that's

a great theme.

Gary: Yeah.

the

show. Um, okay, so that's interesting. So what else?

So, um, I was listening to Huberman the other day. I tried at

least.

Peter: But he's, he's too, he's too monotone for you

Gary: So, "Well, yeah. Whatever. I- don't care about... yeah, It, looked like,

it was gonna be a

good

episode, right? It was about male, uh, hormones, right? So I was like, "Oh, this might be interesting. and it

became, [00:24:00] 40 minutes of a litany of

supplements- ...that he thinks you should take or you could take to improve,

like, your male hormone, right?

And

said to

Jess, I was like, well at

that

point, wouldn't I- yeah, might as well just take testosterone."

Like, I'm taking like 20 different thi- L-beta, blah, blah, blah. And like, you know, like,

uh- Names made

up ashwagandha-

Peter: Ashwagandha

Ashwagandha. Yeah

Gary: Yeah or another. And I was just like, he just went on and on with this other guy that was

Peter: my

God, like at that point I'm 20 things

deep.

Gary: Wouldn't I take like the shot?

So the reason I bring that up is like, well, I'm just curious, since

you, you take creatine, like in the morning. What other

supplements

do you take along with it? Like I mentioned, I do

like the AG1, which kinda covers a

lot of almost like vitamins

like that, I don't wanna take

like a million pills.

And I thought like

oh, AG1 might be a nice little- Mm ... like thing.

Peter: so do you do an- do you take anything

else in

creatine? to creatine

Gary: from just a pure like

supplementation perspective? You know what I mean?

Peter: for everybody who's listening, if you want [00:25:00] to

take

the most...

To take supplements that are the

most specific to you, I would highly recommend get blood work done- Mm

that shows if you're deficient in any of these

areas. Yeah. And then directly supplement instead of what we all do, is we take a multi because

it's blanket dose of vi- of vitamins that we may or may not be deficient in. Yeah. Um, that's the best way to do it,

is you essentially screen what am I deficient

in,

So I will have a combination of

that I don't, I haven't gotten vitamin

screens in a while, but I was low a

long time ago on vitamin D. Mm. Like most of us, I think like 77% of us in the northeast are low on vitamin D.

And so because of

that, I think that's a fairly

reasonable medication for most of us to supplement with.

Mm. Um, because it's so important for functions from immune

system

to our focus, to our energy levels, to our hormones, to our bone health. There's a lot of like really important things [00:26:00] that vitamin D does.

So because of that, I supplement with

4,000 IUs of vitamin D. that, keeps me somewhere 35 and

55,

on the reference

range.

that,

for me specifically, keeps me somewhere

around or something like that when I

get

tested, so. Yeah. So

I just try and keep myself right in the middle of the reference range. And then I take that along with

K2,

um, '

Wide: Cause

Gary: that helps-

like absorb ...which, which

Peter: helps with absorption.

Yeah. And then I also,

um,

and then I take that with

um,

it? So

it's D3, it's

K2,

and then

if you're getting the calcium, making sure you're getting enough calcium with it- Mm ...that. helps

with getting the calcium to the bones. Where it needs, where like people who are,

uh, prone to osteo- osteoporosis will have

trouble with that,

So that's kind of like the trifecta- Yeah. that you want to[00:27:00]

and then

you want to do that in the morning with a fatty meal, or it doesn't have to be the morning,

but you wanna take it with

a fatty meal- Yeah. 'Cause that allows for better digestion,

Gary: Yeah,

'cause it's

a, fat

dissolvable- 'cause It absorbs- Like in the fat- Yeah

Peter: Yeah

as opposed to just having

it be in water.

Um, and then outside of that, it's the creatine.

Mm-hmm. Um,

Gary: and then

Peter: that's, I don't- You

still do

Gary: fish oil? You used to do fish

Peter: oil.

Yeah.

Gary: sorry.

Peter: So yeah, dear lord. That's in the fridge. Yeah. It's a

tablespoon. So I do a tablespoon of,

fish oil. Yeah.

That's a lot. I'd have to take probably 10 pills if I wanted that same amount in pill form.

Yeah. And

the reason

why is

that it's been,

been

shown pretty consistently that a a mega dose of EPA,

DHA,

um, can reduce-

your, uh, LDLs and total

cholesterol-

by a pretty good

If they're high.

Wide: Yeah.

Gary: So So not a whole

Peter: lot-

Gary: pretty, that's a pretty low

amount of like supplementation.

I [00:28:00] mean, compared to,

like,

some of these people out there, I mean, some of these people are taking a crazy

amount of

Peter: Yeah.

Yeah, I

prefer to just try to focus

on the basics instead of having like A medicine take some of the, the supplements that you're most likely to be deficient every six

Gary: I

take a Metamucil,

The generic version of that.

Peter: that you

Gary: don't eat enough

Peter: fruits and that You don't eat enough fruits and vegetables

get, to get

fiber?

in? I

think I

Gary: probably do now. I just started... I had

done it for a long time, and I- just

kinda

like it and I don't know. I find that that's helpful to get a little extra

Peter: You

notice a difference in how you digest food?

Gary: A long time ago, I noticed, when

I first started taking it, like it-

certainly changed my

overall gut health. Yeah, Like I

felt like

it just became... I just

felt like a lot better, less

bloated, just generally healthy.

When you first start, you actually, I,

I, I felt like a little bit more bloated- but then as

my body like adjusted to

it- Yeah ... I immediately,

felt like le- generally

less bloated

and

just

better

Peter: digestion

other [00:29:00] supplements for you besides

Gary: and Metamucil?

Peter: Metamucil? AG1

Gary: protein.

Peter: do you know where you're at with your vitamin D?

Gary: No, I have to test it... I'm gonna... Jess And I are gonna do Function Health.

Peter: I did that.

Gary: Yeah,

Peter: Yeah, I have a membership on that. Do you

Mm-hmm. I did it three months ago. Yeah. it's good. It's Like,

160- That's a

lot ...like

Gary: values.

Peter: Yeah. Um, some of

them aren't necessary,

but at least it tests for way

more than

what, like, a standard doctor's

blood screen Unless you

ask

Gary: it. I just like the idea I can go, go out And get

twice a year. Mm-hmm. You know, it's simple. I don't have to go get like, an order or do

any- I mean, th- that's essentially, all you order from them. You don't have

Peter: to go get your

Yeah, just

Gary: give me the blood. I just need the

blood work.

I don't need a... And

then I

think of where,

where healthcare is

heading, I

think that that's essentially gonna, like, that's like the one of the

it's like a precursor to what

it's going to be, right? Like, your doctor essentially

is gonna be some kind of like robot that's gonna like

look

Peter: at- Just do these

Gary: things. yeah, because '

I look at that, like 160 of those together, right? Most

Peter: doctors can't

correlate all that

Gary: information and put

all of those dots

together.

Peter: And it will give you a

summary [00:30:00] based upon- all of of that

information.

Gary: certain

combinations of these things- Yeah

might

mean something, right? It, but taken

alone- right, they don't show the whole picture. they don't show the whole

and I don't, and I'm not saying that

doctors aren't capable of this I just think that without enough experience

Wide: to-

Peter: And they don't have

Gary: enough time- and enough time, and then, you know, 'cause it could take...

Think of

all the

different combinations could exist of, like, you have

this and this it might be this, Yeah. right? like you could have

this thing. So I think that where we're heading with this is that the, the

Peter: AI

Gary: AI AI systems as it healthcare- be

Peter: gonna, be able to identify

things way better

Gary: yeah, it's gonna take all this

information And say, "Hey," like, "You may not know it yet, but, like, you might have this thing

Peter: going on- Mm ......and you

Gary: might

wanna like, get that, you know, addressed now."

Peter: You could literally create

a ChatGPT Right ...essentially

store all of your health information- Yeah ... and then have it give you its summary like a doctor would.

Right ...Essentially be your primary care doctor. Right. And, like, put all of

the information together.

Yeah. That's where it's going, for

Gary: And

look for [00:31:00] trends And, look for patterns and

look for whatever, and you can find

Peter: stuff. And then you can take that. Now you become a more

Gary: knowledgeable/annoying,

client,

Patient. And go to your

doctor and be like, "Hey," like, "This

is what

I'm, I'm seeing." because they're still gonna be the ones that

control, like,

the system. Mm-hmm. You know what I mean? In terms

of writing orders

Yeah ... Yeah ...getting tests done

or ...the

uh, uh, you know, further testing. I don't think for

long. I think, like, things, I think,

things are gonna change over the

next, like-

Mm ... decade or less be- with

this because-

Peter: People are gonna be- ...

Gary: the information

more consumers of than they are,

like, That

Peter: process has already started.

Correct

Gary: I

Wide: But I

think

Gary: with this

it's gonna be

even more. Yeah. I just think the information's

Yeah, because

Peter: doctors hold information. Yeah. Once information becomes more widespread- Yeah

they

hold

Gary: they hold less power. It, like, democratizes it'll be

Peter: interesting. All

right, so creatine

Gary: is not just

for bros.

Most people probably should- take it, but please discuss

it with your doctor.

I'm sure there's

some, some people out there who should

not. Yep. But the downside is so low for most people

that it's [00:32:00] probably a good thing to add to your thing. You're

not gonna get bulky. It has so many positive benefits.

Peter: Yeah.

Gary: Uh, negative side effects are,

are

minimal. It's super

Peter: low hanging fruit.

Gary: Yeah.

So, awesome. Well, thank you very

much. Yeah. Until next

time.