Want To Learn And Remember Languages Better? Use Creatine

I recently turned 40 (yikes!). 😬

Hitting this age milestone, I’m becoming acutely aware of increasing limitations - not just physically - but in my learning as well.

I definitely don’t feel as mentally energized as I did in my late twenties (when I started this blog). Family obligations add to this. As a result, I’ve been looking more and more into the benefits of different kinds of supplementation for guys in my age bracket.

If you’ve been following me for a long time, you’ll know that in addition to learning languages, I weight train and box.

I eat a mostly carnivore diet, which has done wonders for my physical (and mental) well-being over the past few years, with added protein supplementation.

But there’s been one game-changer for me recently.

Creatine (monohydrate).

I started to consistently incorporate creatine into my daily morning routine.

First of all, the improvements with my physical training have been night-and-day different. I’m talking heavier lifts, longer workouts, more overall power (and better outward appearance due to water retention). 💪

But I’m not writing this to talk about my experience at the gym (there are already a bajillion articles online about creatine and weight training anyway).

What I do want to talk about is the cognitive transformation I’m witnessing after supplementing with creatine, which has had a direct impact on language acquisition among other things. 🧠

Creatine puts your brain on cheat mode.

And there are basically zero risks or downsides to consuming it.

WARNING : Some of what I share here may appear to be straight up bro-science and anecdotes, but I will share some scientific studies that absolutely back it up.

Take it or leave it, but it works for me and many others.

What is creatine?

Creatine’s an amino acid derivative.

It’s produced in your body naturally (in your muscle and brain cells), and stimulates production of what’s called adenosine triphosphate (or ATP). This is the primary energy carrier in your cells.

ATP gives your body energy boosts for short, explosive physical training.

More creatine = more ATP = more power.

While natural levels are fine, the normal amount of creatine found in your body (and in the meat you [should] consume) can be supplemented, usually with 5 grams of creatine monohydrate powder daily.

Remember that creatine is an energy producer, not a muscle producer.

This is key when you start to look at its effect on your brain (which needs about 20% of your body’s total energy).

It’s pretty much universally accepted as a safe and completely harmless supplement, and it’s dirt cheap to buy as well.

Cognitive and memory benefits of creatine in my own learning

I’m actively learning several target languages, and my approach to learning has not changed over the years.

I focus on high repetition of lexical chunks as a way to fast-track natural acquisition without grueling time-wasting activities like grammar study.

As I intimated above, I do feel like age is beginning to work against my ability to focus on and retain information.

Learning takes more effort as you age, and running a family can be mentally fatiguing.

Enter creatine.

I’ve used creatine in the past for occasional workouts, but I only recently started supplementing consistently every day.

Initially it was just for physical benefits.

But the cognitive change for me has been undeniable and fast. A near instant improvement in clarity and mental acuity. I believe it has a superhuman effect on learning.

In fact, the first time I noticed it, I thought:

I must have slept really well last night. I haven’t felt this sharp in ages.

My study sessions have been noticeably more productive and longer.

I’m finding that words and lexical chunks that I learn tend to be easier to recall later on. Memory has improved.

What’s also fascinating to me - again, this is purely anecdotal - is my long term recall of things I learned a long time ago seems to have kicked into overdrive.

I can sit down at my desk for extended periods without hitting study slumps and mental fatigue.

If I don’t take creatine, I notice it.

I don’t believe this is a placebo effect because I felt this way before I started looking at any research.

Enough with the bro science - where’s the research?

Creatine’s role in the brain is similar to its function in muscles—it provides energy to neurons. By increasing the availability of phosphocreatine, creatine ensures a steady supply of ATP for neural processes, enhancing brain energy metabolism.

There have been a lot of studies on this over several decades.

The most recent study put out reported on the results of fatigued (sleep deprived) people taking single doses of creatine supplementation, who experienced improved cognitive function about 4 hours after taking it.

Mike Mutzel made a video about the study here:

One of the most well-known and oft-mentioned studies was one in 2003 called Oral creatine monohydrate supplementation improves brain performance, which tested 45 subjects (vegetarians) who supplemented with 5 grams of creatine, and saw significant improvements in working memory and IQ.

Another study in 2006 was performed on elderly participants, also giving them 5 grams of creatine supplementation, and saw significant improvements in their long-term memory and spatial recall.

A different, more recent study tested healthy, younger individuals with creatine supplementation and concluded:

Oral creatine administration may improve short-term memory and intelligence/reasoning of healthy individuals but its effect on other cognitive domains remains unclear. Findings suggest potential benefit for aging and stressed individuals.

Also interestingly:

Generally, there was evidence that short term memory and intelligence/reasoning may be improved by creatine administration.

And:

Vegetarians responded better than meat-eaters in memory tasks but for other cognitive domains no differences were observed.

There are quite a few more studies that seem to be back these conclusions up.

On the topic of aging individuals, there has even been research into the therapeutic benefits of creatine for people with Alzheimer’s.

Some of these studies seem to suggest that young, healthy people - especially those who eat red meat - see less benefit from creatine supplementation. In my experience, as someone who eats a carnivore diet regularly (high levels of red meat), I can attest to the benefits. So it’s not just malnourished vegetarians/vegans who are seeing results.

Here’s another great video by Thomas DeLauer on creatine and IQ that’s also worth watching:

What all this means for language learning

Given the research consensus and anecdotal evidence, the cognitive enhancements provided by creatine could theoretically support various aspects of language learning.

Here’s how:

Vocabulary and lexical chunk retention: Improved memory function can aid in storing and recalling new terms and phrases.
Grammar Rule Comprehension: Enhanced cognitive processing can facilitate understanding complex grammatical structures.
Verbal Fluency: Increased brain energy may improve the speed and fluidity of verbal responses.
Listening Comprehension: Better attention and processing speed can enhance the ability to understand spoken language.

To my knowledge, no specific study exists proving any of these indirect benefits to language learning per se.

But once again, I can anecdotally, attest to improvements in all these areas for myself.

So which creatine supplement to use for cognitive / language learning benefits and how much to take?

Honestly, it really doesn’t matter which creatine monohydrate you use.

It’s a cheap, readily available product with many manufacturers.

Just make sure it’s unflavored with no other additives. It’s a flavorless powder that you mix with water and it’s easy to get down.

You could grab a good quality, inexpensive brand off Amazon like this Sports Research tub for about $18. This is a decent product, but there are some even cheaper brands if you look. A small tub like this one will last you two months.

That’s a standard 5 grams per scoop.

You only need to take it once per day (I take it as soon as I wake up with a glass of water).

Once you start incorporating it into your daily routine, take note of your how you feel and how it affects your cognitive performance.

Share your experience with creatine in the comment section below or shoot me an email and let me know it goes for you.

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