Liposomal creatine - why can your brain benefit the most from it?

When you hear "creatine", your first thoughts probably go to the gym and bodybuilding. No wonder, because for many years it was associated almost exclusively with building muscle mass. Meanwhile, the conclusions of the authors of the latest scientific research increasingly clearly indicate that creatine is one of the most effective dietary supplements supporting brain function, especially in women.

Your brain consumes the most energy in your body

The brain constitutes only about 2% of body weight, and yet it absorbs about 20% of the body's total daily energy requirement [1]. This is a huge metabolic cost, making the brain extremely sensitive to any energy deficiency.

Where does this energy come from? Simply put, from ATP (adenosine triphosphate). And at this point the role of creatine is crucial. An enzyme called creatine phosphokinase (CK) catalyzes the reaction in which creatine and ATP create phosphocreatine (PCr). It serves as an energy reserve that the body's cells can use in situations of increased demand [2]. 

Brain tissue, similarly to skeletal muscles and heart muscle, is one of the tissues with the highest demand for ATP. This means that creatine can play a strategic role not only during training, but also - which is particularly important for us - in everyday mental work.

KWomen have a special reason to use liposomal creatine

For many years, the vast majority of scientific research on creatine was conducted on men. However, when scientists began to analyze the results by gender, it turned out that women may derive the greatest cognitive benefits from supplementing their diet with this substance.

The meta-analysis published in 2024 in Frontiers in Nutrition turned out to be groundbreaking. It included 16 randomized clinical trials involving as many as 492 participants aged 20 to 76 years. Its authors found that dietary supplementation with creatine monohydrate significantly improves memory, attention span and information processing speed. Additionally, this effect was more pronounced in the studied women than in men [3].

Why? This is most likely due to the fact that women, especially those who limit meat consumption in their diet or follow a vegetarian or vegan diet, have lower base creatine resources in their tissues. 

Endogenous (internal) synthesis covers only about half of the daily requirement, and the rest should come from the diet, mainly from red meat and fish [4]. Due to the lack of full saturation of creatine reserves even when using a mixed (or omnivorous) diet, which provides an average of 0-1.5 g of creatine, with a daily requirement of approximately 2-4 g, the use of dietary creatine supplementation is particularly justified [4].

Memory, focus, speed of thinking - what does science say?

A meta-analysis published in 2024 [3] assessed the impact of dietary creatine supplementation on four key areas of cognitive function:

1. memory - statistically significant improvement (certainty of evidence: moderate according to the GRADE methodology),
2. attention span - statistically significant improvement,
3. speed of information processing - statistically significant improvement, with the highest effect (d = 0.49),
4. executive functions - promising results, but require further research.

The authors of the study emphasize that the benefits were especially observed in women and people with comorbidities. Interestingly, the duration of supplementation (short- vs. long-term) had no significant impact on the observed effect.

The dose of creatine matters - especially for the brain

The authors of the latest scientific articles have observed that the human brain may need higher doses of creatine than the muscles to experience real benefits from dietary supplementation. The main cause of this phenomenon is the blood-brain barrier, through which the permeability of creatine is limited and a compensatory reduction in its internal synthesis, as a natural response to the supplementation introduced into the diet [5].

In one of the latest articles, the authors stated that higher doses of creatine monohydrate are probably necessary for optimal saturation of the brain's energy reserves. 

Additionally, researchers theorized that especially in states of metabolic stress (e.g. sleep deficiency, hypoxia, mental fatigue, brain injuries), the effectiveness of dietary supplementation is most noticeable [6]. These conclusions are relatively new, so together we are very curious about further scientific reports.

Fatigue, stress, sleep deprivation - when does the brain need support the most?

If you belong to the group of people who work a lot, both at work and at home, and sleep for a short time, it is in such situations that creatine may work most effectively. This, of course, does not change the fact that effective sleep and regeneration are still very important for the body's homeostasis.

Again in 2024, a study was published by Gordji-Nejad et al. in Scientific Reports [7], in which the authors showed that a single high dose of creatine (0.35 g/kg body weight) improved cognitive functions and changed brain metabolism in people functioning without sleep for 21 hours. The positive effect was noted just 3.5 hours after taking the dietary supplement. 

The peak was reached after 4 hours and lasted up to 9 hours. Of the 15 study participants, 8 were female. Creatine prevented brain acidification, improved the availability of phosphocreatine and maintained the ability to process information, which deteriorated in the placebo group.

The observations of Watanabe et al. [8] in a study conducted in 2002 concerned a reduced feeling of mental fatigue when performing repeated mathematical calculations and an increased consumption of oxygen in the brain in study participants who took 8 g of creatine daily for 5 days. 

However, the most convincing scientific evidence confirming the effectiveness of dietary creatine supplementation mainly concerns states of acute metabolic stress - sleep deprivation, hypoxia, intense mental effort [9].

N-acetyl L-tyrosine - additional support for neurotransmitters

N-acetyl L-tyrosine is a form of tyrosine, which is a precursor of neurotransmitters (dopamine and norepinephrine). They support communication between neurons and influence cognitive abilities [8]. The authors of scientific research indicate that tyrosine has an exceptionally beneficial effect in conditions of increased exposure to stress and cognitive overload. It is in these situations that neurotransmitter stores may be depleted [10].

Liposomal creatine - what makes it different?

In Flow Creatine was used creatine in liposomal form. Liposomes are microscopic lipid vesicles surrounding active substance molecules. They facilitate their transport through cell membranes. The results of stability studies showed that liposomes containing creatine remain stable for up to 90 days when stored at room temperature (±25°C) [11].

Liposomal technology is not just a hypothesis and its effectiveness is very well documented for other active substances. 

In a double-blind, randomized study (i.e. neither the patient nor the person conducting the study knew who received vitamin C in liposomal form and who received vitamin C in the classic form) it was shown that vitamin C in liposomal form reached a 27% higher maximum concentration in plasma and a 21% higher total absorption during the day, compared to standard vitamin C. Additionally, in leukocytes the difference was +20% and +8%, respectively [12]. 

In turn, in another clinical study on the liposomal form of drugs, the authors clearly stated that this technology can protect the active substance against degradation and extend the time of its circulation in the body and improve tissue distribution. This form of drugs has been confirmed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which approved Patisiran, the world's first RNA interference therapy in liposomal form [13].

The fact is that research on liposomal creatine is relatively new and still under development, however vitamin C and some drugs, the liposomal form significantly improves bioavailability.

Who is liposomal creatine - Flow Creatine from Supercinic best for?

Taking into account current scientific knowledge, dietary supplementation with creatine is particularly valuable for women who:

• they limit their meat consumption or follow a plant-based diet because they therefore have lower initial creatine resources,
• they work mentally intensively and want to support memory and the speed of information processing,
• are exposed to chronic fatigue or sleep deprivation, because especially then the brain draws the most from the creatine energy reserve,
• are in the 18-60 age group in which the cognitive effects of dietary supplementation have been best documented [3].

Summary - the effect of liposomal creatine on the brain

In scientific journals, creatine is no longer perceived only as a dietary supplement for people training gym. 

Growing scientific evidence shows that when used regularly, especially by women with lower baseline resources, mentally active or exposed to stress and sleep deprivation, it can actually support memory, focus and speed of thinking. Flow Creatine from Supersonic combines creatine in a modern liposomal form with N-acetyl L-tyrosine, creating a product aimed not at the figure, but at a well-functioning brain every day.

Sources

1. Forbes SC, Cordingley DM, Cornish SM, Gualano B, Roschel H, Ostojic SM, et al. Effects of creatine supplementation on brain function and health. Nutrients. 2022;14(5):921. doi:10.3390/nu14050921.
2. Aujla RS, Zubair M. Creatine Phosphokinase. In: StatPearls. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024.
3. Xu C, Bi S, Zhang W, Luo L. The effects of creatine supplementation on cognitive function in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Front Nutr. 2024;11:1424972. doi:10.3389/fnut.2024.1424972.
4. Kreider RB, Jäger R, Purpura M. Bioavailability, efficacy, safety, and regulatory status of creatine and related compounds: a critical review. Nutrients. 2022;14(5):1035. doi:10.3390/nu14051035.
5. Dolan E, Gualano B, Rawson ES. Beyond muscle: the effects of creatine supplementation on brain creatine, cognitive processing, and traumatic brain injury. Eur J Sports Sci. 2019;19(1):1–14. doi:10.1080/17461391.2018.1500644.
6. Fabiano N, Candow D. Creatine supplementation: more is likely better for brain bioenergetics, health and function. J Psychiatry Brain Sci. 2025;10(4):e250006. doi:10.20900/jpbs.20250006.
7. Gordji-Nejad A, Matusch A, Kleedörfer S, Patel HJ, Drzezga A, Elmenhorst D, et al. Single dose creatine improves cognitive performance and induces changes in cerebral high energy phosphates during sleep deprivation. Sci Rep. 2024;14(1):4937. doi:10.1038/s41598-024-54249-9.
8. Watanabe A, Kato N, Kato T. Effects of creatine on mental fatigue and cerebral hemoglobin oxygenation. Neurosci Res. 2002;42(4):279–85. doi:10.1016/S0168-0102(02)00007-X.
9. Ramh C. Case study and protocol for insulin resistance and performance in life and sports. Clin Med Eng Live. 2024;2:1–13.
10. Bloemendaal M, Froböse MI, Wegman J, Zandbelt BB, van de Rest O, Cools R, et al. Neuro-cognitive effects of acute tyrosine administration on reactive and proactive response inhibition in healthy older adults. eNeuro. 2018;5(2):ENEURO.0035-17.2018. doi:10.1523/ENEURO.0035-17.2018.
11. Pereira R, Krawczak KW, Muller EI, Pinto AGI, Duarte MMMF, Rhoden CRB, et al. Production, characterization and stability of liposomes containing creatine. Disciplinarum Scientia Ciênc Nat Tecnol. 2024;24(3):1–9. doi:10.37779/nt.v24i3.4738.
12. Purpura M, Jäger R, Godavarthi A, Bhaskarachar D, Tinsley GM. Liposomal delivery enhances absorption of vitamin C into plasma and leukocytes: a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trial. Eur J Nutr. 2024;63(8):3037–46. doi:10.1007/s00394-024-03487-8.
13. Salehi B, Stroi M, Katsaros G, Karampelas O, Fotopoulos S, Rajkovic V, et al. Regulatory considerations specific to liposome drug development as complex drug products. Front Drug Deliv. 2022;2:901281. doi:10.3389/fddev.2022.901281.

Frequently asked questions - liposomal creatine and the brain

What is liposomal creatine?

Liposomal creatine is a form of creatine in which creatine molecules are enclosed in liposomes, i.e. microscopic fatty structures. The purpose of such technology is to protect the active ingredient and potentially support its transport in the body.

What is the best creatine for the brain?

Research suggests that creatine supplementation may support selected areas of brain function, especially in situations of increased workload, such as sleep deprivation, intense mental work, aging or a diet with a low supply of creatine. The most reasonable choice to start with is well-tested creatine monohydrate in a regular, adjusted dose.