Key Takeaways

  • Creatine is not just for bodybuilders — it improves cognitive function, neuroprotection, cellular energy, and may have anti-aging effects
  • Creatine monohydrate is the only form worth buying. All other forms (HCl, ethyl ester, buffered) are marketing with no additional benefit.
  • Dose: 3–5g daily. No loading phase needed. Just take it every day, any time.
  • RM40–80 for a 3-month supply on Shopee — one of the cheapest and most effective supplements available
  • Safety: 500+ studies over 30+ years. No evidence of kidney damage, liver damage, or dehydration in healthy individuals.
  • Hair loss myth: Based on a single small study that's never been replicated. Unlikely to cause hair loss.
  • Women benefit equally — creatine is not a male supplement

What Is Creatine?

Creatine is a naturally occurring molecule found in your muscles and brain. Your body makes about 1g per day from amino acids (glycine, arginine, methionine), and you get another 1–2g from food — primarily red meat and fish.

Creatine's primary role is recycling ATP (adenosine triphosphate) — your cells' energy currency. When a cell needs quick energy, it breaks ATP into ADP. Creatine phosphate donates its phosphate group to regenerate ATP. More creatine = faster ATP recycling = more cellular energy available.

This matters not just in muscles, but everywhere cells need energy — especially the brain, which consumes 20% of your body's energy despite being 2% of your mass.

Beyond Muscle: Creatine's Cognitive Benefits

The biohacking community's interest in creatine goes far beyond gym performance. The research on cognitive benefits is compelling:

Memory & Processing Speed

  • A meta-analysis in Experimental Gerontology (2018) found creatine supplementation improved short-term memory and reasoning across multiple studies
  • Effects are most pronounced in vegetarians (who have lower baseline creatine from diet) and older adults
  • Sleep-deprived individuals showed significant cognitive improvement with creatine — relevant for shift workers and new parents

Neuroprotection

  • Creatine is being researched for traumatic brain injury (TBI) — the brain's creatine stores are depleted after concussion
  • Animal studies show protective effects against Parkinson's and Alzheimer's pathology
  • May protect against age-related cognitive decline by maintaining brain energy reserves

Mood & Depression

  • Several studies have shown creatine augmentation improves response to SSRI antidepressants in women with major depressive disorder
  • The mechanism likely involves improved brain energy metabolism in areas affected by depression

Dr. Peter Attia's Perspective

Dr. Attia, a longevity-focused physician, takes creatine daily and considers it one of the few supplements with a genuinely strong evidence base. He recommends it broadly — not just for athletes but for cognitive health and aging.

Physical Performance Benefits

The physical benefits are extensively documented (this is the most studied supplement in sports science):

  • Strength: 5–15% increase in high-intensity exercise performance
  • Power: Improved sprint performance and explosive movements
  • Muscle growth: Increases training volume (more reps with same weight), leading to greater hypertrophy
  • Recovery: Faster ATP regeneration between sets and between training sessions
  • Hydration: Creatine pulls water into muscle cells (intracellular hydration — this is beneficial, not "bloating")

How to Take Creatine

Dosing

  • Daily dose: 3–5g (one level teaspoon of powder)
  • No loading phase needed: The old "20g/day for 5 days" protocol saturates muscles faster but causes GI distress. 3–5g daily reaches full saturation in 3–4 weeks. Same result, no discomfort.
  • Timing doesn't matter: Morning, evening, pre-workout, post-workout — it all works. Just take it consistently.
  • With food or without: Both fine. Taking with carbs may slightly improve uptake, but the difference is minimal.

Which Form to Buy

Form Verdict Price (RM)
Creatine Monohydrate ✅ The gold standard. Buy this. RM40–80 / 500g (3-month supply)
Creatine HCl ❌ More expensive, no proven benefit over monohydrate RM80–150 / 100g
Buffered (Kre-Alkalyn) ❌ Marketing claims debunked in studies RM60–120
Creatine Ethyl Ester ❌ Actually less effective than monohydrate RM70–130
Micronized Monohydrate ✅ Same as monohydrate, just finer powder (dissolves better) RM50–100

Bottom line: Buy creatine monohydrate. Micronized is a nice-to-have. Everything else is a waste of money. Look for "Creapure" branding (German-manufactured, highest purity) if you want the premium option.

Where to Buy in Malaysia

  • Shopee: Search "creatine monohydrate" — RM40–80 for 500g. Brands: ON (Optimum Nutrition), MuscleTech, MyProtein, Dymatize
  • Lazada: Similar pricing and brands
  • GNC Malaysia: Available in-store but typically 20–40% more expensive than online
  • MyProtein Malaysia: Direct website with frequent sales (50% off is common)
  • iHerb: Ships to Malaysia, good for Creapure brands — check import duties on orders over RM500

Safety: 30 Years of Research

Creatine is one of the most extensively studied supplements in existence. The safety data is overwhelming:

Kidney Function

  • Creatine is metabolised into creatinine, which is excreted by the kidneys
  • Supplementation raises creatinine levels in blood tests — this is a measurement artifact, not kidney damage
  • Multiple long-term studies (including 5-year studies) show no negative impact on kidney function in healthy individuals
  • Tell your doctor you take creatine if getting blood work — elevated creatinine will otherwise trigger false alarms
  • If you have pre-existing kidney disease, consult your nephrologist before supplementing

Dehydration Myth

  • Creatine draws water into cells (intracellular), not out of circulation
  • No evidence of increased dehydration or cramping in controlled studies
  • In Malaysia's tropical climate, drink adequate water regardless (2–3L/day minimum)

Hair Loss Myth

This is the most common concern in online forums. Here's the full story:

  • A single study in 2009 (rugby players in South Africa) found a 56% increase in DHT (dihydrotestosterone) during a loading phase
  • DHT is associated with male pattern baldness in genetically susceptible individuals
  • This study has never been replicated. No subsequent study has found the same DHT increase.
  • The International Society of Sports Nutrition's 2021 position statement: "There is no direct evidence that creatine supplementation causes hair loss."
  • Honest take: If you have strong genetic predisposition to male pattern baldness (family history), you might choose to be cautious. For everyone else, the evidence doesn't support this concern.

Creatine for Women

Creatine is massively underused by women, largely due to gym culture associating it with "bulking up." This is a misconception:

  • Women have ~70–80% lower muscle creatine stores than men, meaning they may benefit even more from supplementation
  • Cognitive benefits apply equally to both sexes
  • Mood benefits: The depression research specifically showed benefits in women
  • "Bloating" concern: The initial water retention (1–2kg) is intracellular — it makes muscles look fuller, not puffy
  • Bone health: Emerging research suggests creatine + resistance training may improve bone mineral density in postmenopausal women
  • Pregnancy: Limited research — consult your OB-GYN before supplementing during pregnancy

Creatine for Vegetarians & Vegans

If you don't eat meat or fish, your dietary creatine intake is essentially zero. Your body synthesizes ~1g/day endogenously, but this leaves muscle and brain stores well below saturation.

  • Vegetarians typically have 20–30% lower muscle creatine than omnivores
  • Supplementation produces larger cognitive improvements in vegetarians vs. omnivores
  • Creatine monohydrate is synthetically produced — it's vegan-friendly (no animal sources)
  • For the growing vegetarian/vegan community in Malaysia (especially among Indian Malaysians and health-conscious urbanites), creatine is arguably the most important single supplement

Combining Creatine with Your Stack

  • Exercise: Creatine + resistance training is the foundational combination. Take daily regardless of training days (you're maintaining saturation, not dosing for a workout).
  • Nootropics: Creatine + lion's mane + omega-3 is a solid cognitive stack. Creatine provides brain energy, lion's mane promotes NGF, omega-3 supports membrane integrity.
  • Sleep optimization: Creatine may partially offset the cognitive effects of sleep deprivation — useful but not a substitute for actual sleep.
  • Cold plunge: No direct interaction, but creatine supports recovery from training combined with cold exposure protocols.
  • Caffeine: Old studies suggested caffeine blocks creatine. More recent research shows no meaningful interaction at normal doses. Take both without worry.

Common Questions

"Do I need to cycle creatine?"

No. There's no evidence that cycling provides any benefit. Take 3–5g daily, indefinitely. Your body doesn't build tolerance to creatine.

"Will it make me gain weight?"

You'll gain 1–2kg of water weight in the first 2–4 weeks as muscles become fully saturated. This is intracellular water (good — cellular hydration), not fat or visible bloating. After saturation, weight stabilizes.

"I'm not an athlete — should I still take it?"

Yes. The cognitive, neuroprotective, and cellular energy benefits apply regardless of athletic activity. If you're a knowledge worker, student, or aging adult, the brain benefits alone justify supplementation.

"What about creatine and fasting?"

Creatine has essentially zero calories. Taking it during a fasting window won't break your fast.

The Bottom Line

At RM40–80 for a 3-month supply, creatine monohydrate is the highest-value supplement available in Malaysia. It has 30+ years of safety data, hundreds of studies confirming efficacy, and benefits that extend far beyond the gym — cognitive function, neuroprotection, mood, and cellular energy.

Take 3–5g daily. Buy monohydrate (nothing else). Don't overthink timing. Just be consistent. This is one of the few supplements that virtually every evidence-based health expert — from Peter Attia to Andrew Huberman to Layne Norton — personally takes and recommends.

For a complete Malaysian biohacking guide, check our hub page for more evidence-based protocols.