Popular sports supplement may help shield the brain from damage linked to gut inflammation
The gut-brain axis is a two-way biochemical hotline, with messages zipping back and forth all day long. When the gut is chronically inflamed, inflammatory signals travel through the body to the brain and trigger neuroinflammation. The hippocampus, which governs memory, learning and mood, is especially vulnerable, so its disruption can affect how you think, remember and feel.
A recent study published in Brain, Behaviour, and Immunity explored how chronic ulcerative colitis, a form of inflammatory bowel disease, affects the brain and whether a popular sports supplement, creatine, can provide protection. To investigate, researchers induced chronic colitis in rats and monitored their recovery with or without creatine supplementation.
Results showed that chronic colitis caused inflammation in the hippocampus and activated brain immune cells, with males experiencing more severe consequences, including greater hippocampal inflammation, neuronal damage, and impaired neuronal activation. Daily creatine supplementation was found to normalize energy stores, prevent inflammation, and stop brain immune cell activation in both male and female rats.
The hippocampus, responsible for memory, learning, and mood, is particularly vulnerable to gut inflammation. Creatine, naturally produced by the body from amino acids, acts like a rapid energy source, restoring ATP levels and helping brain cells survive inflammation. While the findings are promising, further research is needed to determine if creatine can improve memory, mood, and human disease.
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