In this interview, JJ Virgin and a scientific expert clarify what creatine actually is and why it matters far beyond the stereotypical “bro” supplement. Creatine is described as a natural zwitterionic amino‑compound synthesized from arginine, glycine and methionine, with roughly half produced endogenously in the liver and the other half expected from diet. It serves as the rate‑limiting molecule for cellular ATP production, powering every cell’s function. The discussion highlights creatine’s critical roles in brain cognition (≈20% of body’s creatine used for thinking), immune T‑cell activity, heart contractility, and overall mitochondrial health, linking inadequate creatine to many chronic diseases rooted in mitochondrial dysfunction. Dietary sources—primarily red meat and fish—are often insufficient for many Americans, especially vegans, vegetarians, or those limiting animal fats, making supplementation a practical solution for optimal health, recovery, and high‑demand states such as long‑COVID. The conversation also corrects common misconceptions that creatine is a hormone or testosterone booster, positioning it instead as a foundational energy substrate essential for the effective utilization of other nutrients.
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Well, we're gonna unpack creatine and the different types, but I'd love to just start with what is creatine? 'Cause I still think there's a lot of confusion around that. Some people think it's some kind of a hormone. It, it's, you know, raises testosterone. So what exactly is creatine?
Yes. Unfortunately it got a bad rap initially because it was being used by elite male athletes. And so they thought— many people thought it's just something for men, something for athletes.
I— full disclosure, I used to take clients to Gold's Gym in Venice way back when. This was in the '80s, and all the dudes used creatine. And I mean, these were big dudes. They also used steroids.
So—
but I was like, oh, I'm not taking that. Like, definitely not taking that. So that was my— we always thought it was you know, a bro supplement.
Yeah. And for many years it was, even though it's so much more. Creatine, first of all, is a natural molecule in the body. The body makes about half of it. It's a zwitterion, which means that it's got both positive and negative charge on it, but it's an amino compound. It's made up of 3 amino acids, arginine, glycine, and methionine. Most of it is synthesized in the liver and it's responsible for all of the cellular energy of everything in your body. Every cell uses creatine in order to generate optimal cellular energy for that cell to function, to do its job, to repair itself and recover. And besides the half that the body makes, the other half is supposed to come from diet. And I know we'll talk about that later, but it is a natural molecule that But as you inferred, it is key and important. I like to say that it's the most important supplement people can take because you look at all the other great nutrients, vitamin D, zinc, proteins, you know, fish oil and things, but none of them matter as much if the cells don't have enough energy to use those nutrients properly. And the rate-limiting molecule on cellular energy is creatine.
I just had this flash because you look at the rise of Starbucks and clearly people are going there to get energy and you just wonder if we just had had this rise of like creatine, you know, creatine bars or something.
And it's truly the many things that people think about or take for energy are stimulants, psychomotor stimulants, when in fact the body actually is craving functional energy, just the energy to work and do its job normally. The brain cells, the immune cells, anything. So yeah.
Well, let's unpack further then, because, you know, at the very core it's helping your body produce its ATP, make energy. What else does creatine do? What are some of the other benefits?
Well, probably first and foremost, the brain needs it. The, the body and the brain uses about 20% of our creatine just to think on a regular basis. So people that experience brain fog or feel like they're getting forgetful, there's a good chance they may have low volumes of, of creatine in their, in their body. Our T cells, our immune health is dependent on how well our T cells protect us from bad cells. And there was some great research done by Dr. Lily Yang out of UCLA that showed the T cells are absolutely dependent on creatine in order to have enough energy to go neutralize bad molecules or bad compounds in the body, whether it be viruses, cancer cells, bacteria, et cetera. They do their job well if they have ample creatine stores. The, the heart absolutely has to have creatine in order to beat optimally, efficiently, strongly. Really, There isn't a cell in the body whose functioning isn't affected by or dependent upon good creatine stores and the creatine function, um, to help drive the mitochondrial, uh, energy in a cell.
So we've always thought of it as the thing the bros use for big muscles, but the reality is what it's really just helping someone do is produce more energy.
Yes. There are so many disease states right now that are related to poor cellular energy, and cellular energetics is now at the, at the forefront of many medical indication research projects. I saw something recently that said that probably 90% of all chronic diseases are really some form of mitochondrial dysfunction that comes from a lack of mitochondrial energy. And so when you support the mitochondria and the cells with proper energy, um, the whole body just functions in a more healthy, more optimal health sort of way.
So you talked about the fact that your body makes about half of your need, and I would assume that would be the need normal need, like not when things accelerate. Maybe if someone had long COVID or is recovering from something, where are you getting the other half?
The other half is supposed to come from our diet, but unfortunately many Americans have a, a diet that's not rich in creatine foods. And so—
and the creatine foods would be Well, first and foremost, red meat.
And with people that are concerned about fat intake, cholesterol intake, or that are vegan or vegetarian and stuff, obviously some of those sources, red meat or other meats, are, are not as much of a part of their diet. And so anyone that falls into those categories of diet choice or life philosophy and things, absolutely needs a creatine supplement. So yeah, the other half is supposed to come from our diet.
Hold on, though. Can you get enough from diet if you were optimizing your food intake to get creatine within your meat or your fish? Could you actually get enough? Because I've looked at the statistics of someone on a carnivore diet. Sounds like you'd be having to eat a lot.
You do. And you have to also cook it in a specific way, which is not cook it much because heat will destroy the creatine. And so, you know, even if a certain number of ounces of meat has a day's supply of creatine, as soon as you cook it, 80, 90% of that creatine unfortunately is destroyed. So it is difficult to get enough creatine in your diet, especially nowadays. But if somebody were to, consume enough steak tartare or other things, you could get enough from, from your diet. But certainly the modern supplementation of creatine is something that is having good advances and is moving forward in a way that now people can supplement their diet effectively and safely with a, a well-chosen creatine supplement.
