Creatine For Depression, Sleep & Brain Injuries? | Scott Forbes PhD - Triangle Theory #050

In this episode:- What creatine actually is and how it fuels your body and brain- Creatine for cognition, sleep deprivation and high-stress jobs (firefighters, military, medics)- Kidney damage, blood tests and why most doctors misinterpret creatine users- The hair loss myth and what the research actually shows- Creatine for teenagers: safety vs necessity- Gummies, scams and why third-party testing matters- Loading phases, timing, and the simplest way to take creatine- Depression, brain injuries and emerging creatine research- Why creatine won’t turn you into Mr Olympia, and why that’s good newsAsk yourself while you listen:“Am I chasing supplements to avoid facing how I actually live?”Timestamps:- Creatine is basically stored potential energy in your muscles – and your brain can use it too. (01:43–02:10)- If you’re asking, ‘Do I need creatine if I don’t exercise?’… my first question is, why don’t you exercise? (04:18–04:35)- We think creatine really matters when the brain is under stress – sleep loss, low oxygen, mental fatigue, trauma, disease. (05:10–05:34)- For 99.9% of kids, creatine isn’t necessary. I always ask, why are we giving supplements to children? (08:34–09:18)- Creatine doesn’t damage your kidneys – but it can confuse your bloodwork if your doctor doesn’t understand creatine metabolism. (09:38–11:10)- Some creatine gummies we tested had literally zero creatine in them. They were just candy. (13:25–14:15)- We found no difference taking creatine before or after training. The best time is when you’ll actually take it. (24:15–26:20)- Creatine might help preserve some of those fast-twitch fibres as you age, but you still need to move explosively. (32:07–33:13)- If you’re sleep deprived, creatine can blunt the drop in brain performance – your passing accuracy stays almost the same. (34:31–35:30)- People with depression tend to have lower brain creatine, and in several trials creatine plus meds worked better than meds alone. (37:54–39:15)-The effect size of creatine is small. It’s not going to turn you into Mr Olympia.” (44:16–45:07)📌Find more about Scott's work:https://www.instagram.com/scott_forbes_phd/📌If this episode resonated with you, subscribe to the Triangle Theory newsletter for more insights on self-awareness, psychology, and human growth:https://tr.ee/KM1Gr5S8lG📌If you enjoyed this episode, you can support us by buying us a coffee! :)https://tr.ee/maaifQETDl------------------------------Hey tribe!You can also support us at:Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://3-minute-theory.beehiiv.com/subscribeInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/triangle.theory_/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@triangle.theorySpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/50RW93YVyR3YgEIuNdKIAZ?si=d77d72433a074a34Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/triangle-theory/id1769204627Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TriangleTheorypodPlayer FM: https://player.fm/series/triangle-theoryListen Notes: https://lnns.co/bdxlCwfrYN8Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/triangle-theory-5790906LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/triangle-theory-podcast/