The standard 5g daily dose of creatine is mostly absorbed by muscles, especially in active individuals. To achieve cognitive benefits, a higher dose of 10g or more is necessary for the excess to cross the blood-brain barrier and support brain energy production.
The common practice of 'loading' creatine with high initial doses is primarily a tool used in scientific studies to saturate muscles quickly and shorten experiment timelines. For a typical user, a consistent daily maintenance dose achieves the same result over a month, making the loading phase unnecessary.
Even when total calories are held constant, compressing your eating window (e.g., fasting for 18 hours) provides metabolic benefits that simple calorie restriction does not. Studies show this approach leads to superior improvements in glucose regulation and blood pressure control.
Creatine is widely known for muscle performance, but its more significant, lesser-known benefit is enhancing brain function. It is particularly effective during periods of stress, sleep deprivation, or high cognitive demand by helping the brain regenerate energy more quickly.
Unlike the gradual loading for muscle benefits, a single high dose of creatine (25-30g) offers immediate cognitive effects. It can fully negate the mental deficits from severe sleep deprivation and even boost performance beyond a normal, well-rested baseline.
The fear that creatine causes hair loss originates from one 2009 study that found increased DHT levels but did not measure actual hair loss. This finding has never been replicated, and subsequent randomized controlled trials show no significant impact on hair outcomes or DHT levels versus a placebo.