Creatine, The “Molecular Battery” of Our Immune System
When most people think of creatine, they think of muscle-building supplements, athletes and bodybuilders. But according to a 2019 scientific study from the Journal for Experimental Medicine, creatine clearly seems to play a very important role in powering and boosting our bodies’ natural immune defenses.
Data points to creatine deficiencies as severely inhibiting cellular immunity, specifically in T cells (white blood cells that help to attack foreign particles and infections).
When T cells face a “bad cell”, the first thing they do is armor up with more creatine receptors in order to try and have enough energy to go and kill the bad cells. In the studies, creatine supplements were provided to animals and the T cell response markedly improved. The animal’s immune response was strongly boosted, and the T cells were able to mitigate and/or kill more bad cells. The study demonstrated that creatine acts as a “molecular battery,” effectively providing much needed bioenergy to power T cell activities. Creatine is also used by every other cell in the body to function effectively – the brain even needs creatine to “think” at its best.
Unfortunately, the body only makes about half of the creatine it needs for our cells to operate and most of us are not getting an adequate amount of additional creatine from our diets. The American diet often does not meet the ideal daily threshold for this important nutrient. Supplements are often recommended to fill that gap, and we’re proud to offer our newest and unique formulation of IMMUNE SUPPORT with patented creatine to help meet that need.
If ensuring appropriate levels of creatine in the body can provide so many benefits, both to our physical strength and well-being, as well as our immune systems, then we need to pay more attention to how we’re getting the nutrient, in what quantities, how often, and if the form is optimally bioavailable. The case for a protein-rich diet and additional supplementation seems clear, and we look forward to unveiling more research and insight from the scientific community on this important topic.