The BRUTALLY Honest Truth About CREATINE & RED LIGHT Therapy... | The Muscle Growth Doctor

Summary

In this enlightening discussion, the speaker addresses common misconceptions about creatine, particularly its association with bodybuilding and gender-specific use. Highlighting creatine's extensive benefits beyond muscle growth, such as improving bone density, brain health, and acting as a powerful antioxidant, the conversation sheds light on its safe and versatile application for both men and women. Additionally, the dialogue explores the effectiveness of red light therapy in tissue recovery and overall health, challenging previous skepticism and underscoring the importance of evidence-based supplement use and holistic recovery methods.

Takeaways

• 💪 Creatine is beneficial for individuals beyond bodybuilders, including women, and has a broad range of applications.
• 📚 Examine.com is recommended as an unbiased resource for researching supplements, including creatine, for various health and fitness goals.
• 🦲 Creatine supports muscle strength and size, with extensive research backing its effectiveness for diverse groups including men, women, and the elderly.
• ✅ The safety profile of creatine is excellent, posing no risk of hormonal imbalances or oxidative stress, making it a safe supplement for long-term use.
• 📡 Creatine serves as a rapid fuel source for the body, enhancing energy production with a direct one-to-one conversion to ATP.
• 👍 Studies indicate creatine's potential benefits in bone health, particularly in postmenopausal women, without adverse effects even at high dosages.
• 🛡️ Creatine is also linked to improvements in mood, brain health, and neurological function, acting as a preferred energy source for brain cells.
• 🖥️ Red light therapy, initially underestimated, has been shown to have significant health benefits, including skin health, injury recovery, and hormone balance.
• ☀️ Red light wavelengths penetrate skin and tissues, activating beneficial physiological changes and mimicking some effects of sunlight exposure.
• ⚡ Creatine and red light therapy represent tools in a holistic approach to health, supporting physical recovery, muscle health, and overall wellbeing.

Q & A

Is creatine only for bodybuilders, or can it be beneficial for others as well?

Creatine is not only for bodybuilders; it has been studied in various demographics including men, women, young, old, and even astronauts. It can improve muscle strength and size and has a good safety profile.

What is the typical magnitude of effect one can expect from taking creatine?

The magnitude of effect from taking creatine typically ranges from a 3% to 12% improvement in muscle strength and size.

Does creatine have any applications beyond muscle growth and performance enhancement?

Yes, beyond muscle growth, creatine has been studied for its potential benefits in bone health, mood enhancement, brain health, and as a mild antioxidant, among others.

What is the typical dosage of creatine recommended for general use?

The typical dosage of creatine recommended for general use is 5 grams per day.

Are there any studies on creatine usage in specific populations like postmenopausal women?

Yes, there are studies on creatine usage in specific populations, such as a two-year study on postmenopausal women using 20 grams per day, showing no adverse effects and potential benefits for bone density.

What role does creatine play in the body's metabolism?

Creatine serves as a fast-acting fuel source in the body's metabolism, aiding in the production of ATP, the body's energy currency, especially under conditions of high-energy demand.

What misconceptions exist about creatine and its association with steroids?

A common misconception is that creatine is a steroid, likely stemming from its association with high-profile doping scandals in sports. However, creatine is not a hormone or steroid; it is a naturally occurring compound in the body and in foods.

How does red light therapy work and what are its potential benefits?

Red light therapy works by using specific wavelengths of light to penetrate the skin and stimulate cellular processes. Potential benefits include improved skin health, faster injury recovery, hormonal balance, and enhanced muscle recovery.

Is there any evidence to support the use of red light therapy in improving vision or aiding post-surgery recovery?

Yes, there is evidence suggesting that red light therapy can improve vision and aid in post-surgery recovery, particularly by enhancing tissue repair and reducing inflammation.

What is the significance of the wavelengths used in red light therapy, and how do they affect the body?

The wavelengths around 640 nm and 850 nm used in red light therapy are significant because they can penetrate the skin and tissues, activating various biological processes that can aid in healing and cellular function.

Outlines

00:00

💡 Misconceptions About Creatine

The script starts with a personal anecdote about a debate concerning creatine's appropriateness for women, stemming from common misconceptions that it's solely for bodybuilders. The discussion transitions into an informative segment about the benefits and research surrounding creatine, emphasizing its wide-ranging utility beyond just muscle growth. It highlights creatine's effectiveness for various demographics, including women, and its role in enhancing muscle strength, size, and potentially bone health. The narrator dispels myths about creatine, pointing to its safe profile and versatile benefits, including neurological advantages and its function as a rapid fuel source. The segment underscores the importance of relying on unbiased resources like Examine.com for supplement information and encourages a broader understanding of creatine's applications in health and fitness.

05:02

🔴 The Role of Red Light Therapy

This section explores the narrator's changed perspective on red light therapy, initially skeptical, now acknowledging its scientifically backed benefits. It details how red light therapy, using specific wavelengths, penetrates the skin to stimulate a variety of positive biological responses, including skin health, hormone balance, and injury recovery. The script explains the therapy's applications in improving muscle recovery, potentially enhancing vision, and supporting athletes' rehabilitation post-surgery. While not deemed essential for everyone, red light therapy is presented as a valuable tool for those who can afford it or have specific health goals, highlighting its growing importance in the health and wellness field. The call to subscribe to the channel concludes the segment, aiming to grow the audience for further informative content.

Keywords

💡Creatine

Creatine is a naturally occurring compound that is used as a supplement to improve muscle strength and performance. It is often associated with bodybuilding but is also beneficial for various populations, including women and older adults. The video discusses the misconception that creatine is only for bodybuilders and emphasizes its broader benefits, such as improving bone health and brain function.

💡Examine.com

Examine.com is a website and company mentioned in the video as an unbiased source of information on supplements. It provides evidence-based information on the effectiveness and safety of various supplements, allowing users to research supplements by name or by specific health goals, such as fat loss or brain function.

💡Magnitude of effect

Magnitude of effect refers to the quantitative measure of how much a particular intervention, such as taking creatine, can influence a specific outcome. The video mentions that creatine can typically improve muscle strength and size by 3-12%, which is considered a significant magnitude of effect for a supplement with a good safety profile.

💡Fuel source

The video explains that creatine is a fuel source for the body, similar to carbohydrates and fats. It is a fast-acting fuel that can quickly generate energy (ATP) for various physiological processes, including muscle contraction and brain function.

💡Bone health

The video highlights recent research suggesting that creatine may have beneficial effects on bone health, especially in postmenopausal women. A study is mentioned where a higher dose of creatine (20 grams per day) was given to this population for two years, leading to improvements in some bone markers without any adverse effects.

💡Neurological health

The video discusses creatine's potential benefits for neurological health and the brain. Creatine is a preferred fuel source for astrocytes, which are cells in the central nervous system, and it has been studied in the context of traumatic brain injury and long-term brain health.

💡Red light therapy

Red light therapy involves exposing the body to specific wavelengths of light (around 640 and 850 nanometers). The video discusses how these wavelengths can penetrate deeper into the skin and tissue, activating various physiological processes that are beneficial for skin health, injury recovery, hormone balance, and vision improvement.

💡Wavelength

Wavelength refers to the distance between two consecutive crests or troughs in a wave, in this case, light waves. The video mentions specific wavelengths around 640 and 850 nanometers that are used in red light therapy and can penetrate deeper into the body's tissues.

💡Tissue penetration

Tissue penetration refers to the ability of certain wavelengths of light to pass through the skin and reach deeper layers of tissue. The video emphasizes that the wavelengths used in red light therapy can penetrate past the skin layer, allowing them to activate physiological processes within the underlying tissues and potentially promote healing or recovery.

💡Endocrine system

The endocrine system is a collection of glands that produce and secrete hormones into the bloodstream to regulate various bodily functions. The video suggests that red light therapy may have the ability to influence hormone balances within the endocrine system, potentially leading to beneficial effects on overall health and recovery.

Highlights

Debate over creatine's suitability for women and its association with bodybuilding.

Recommendation of Examine.com as an unbiased source for supplement information.

Creatine improves muscle strength and size with extensive research backing.

Creatine's safety profile is highlighted, emphasizing its non-hormonal, non-mineral nature.

Creatine acts as a fast, efficient fuel source in metabolism, alongside carbohydrates and fats.

Discussion on creatine's historical association with performance enhancement and misconceptions.

Study on postmenopausal women shows creatine's potential to improve bone density without adverse effects.

Creatine's benefits extend beyond muscle to brain health, mood enhancement, and antioxidant properties.

Shift in perspective on red light therapy based on substantial research findings.

Red light therapy's ability to penetrate tissue and stimulate beneficial physiological changes.

Applications of red light therapy in skin health, injury recovery, hormone balance, and muscle soreness.

Use of red light therapy in professional sports for accelerated recovery from injuries.

The nuanced recommendation of red light therapy based on individual needs and professional requirements.

Encouragement for viewers to subscribe to the channel for more insightful content.

Transcripts

had a big debate this Christmas with my

girlfriend about creatine so we're in

Cape Town in South Africa and I went and

bought creatine and I put it on the

table and I was like I'm going to start

taking creatine right that's so me not

really knowing what it is what it's for

that's all right and she picked it up

and then looked at the label and gave it

back to me and she said creatine's not

for women and she she felt and I think a

lot of people feel this this is why I

wanted to ask you it is she thinks that

she thought creatine was for

bodybuilders and I Googled it and

Googled it and show her the Google thing

and she was oh amazing and she started

taking creatine but I imagine there's a

lot of people out there that think

creatine is for people that want to just

get stacked great question um sometimes

you you get deep in your own world and

you forget you know what people really

think out of that the world so there's a

website and a company called

examine.com I have you know no

affiliation with them but is it is an

unbiased place so you can go to and you

can ask that question for any supplement

you can ask about creatine or you can

ask about Arginine or you know Tong Le

or whatever you want you can also ask it

by the adaptation so what are the best

supplements for fat loss for brain

function for cardiovascular health and

it'll give you answers based on there so

it's a really phenomenal site so when

you ask does it

work well work for what and work how

much that's the two questions right work

for what so in the case of creatine it

improves say muscle strength probably

why she had that muscle size okay what's

the weight of the evidence lots of

studies hundreds and hundreds of studies

men women young old children all kinds

of stuff right uh astronauts space

flight um bed rest tons and tons of

research okay check that box What's the

magnitude of effect you're probably

looking at somewhere between a 3 to

12% okay that's a pretty good magnitude

of effect um for something that has an

insanely good risk profile meaning like

you can't cause imbalances with it it's

not a hormone um it's not a mineral

Minal so it's not causing oxidative

stress anywhere it's like really really

robust in there and so when you look at

it you go okay

great pretty easy Choice here

um I'm not it's not like the hormone

stuff like I said where like you're

turning on something it's a fuel source

so in fact remember earlier when I said

metabolism you're either using

carbohydrates or fat as a fuel actually

creatine is the third one it's a faster

one so the stochiometry is one to one so

you can break down one molecule of

phosphor gives you one molecule

of ATP it's the fastest one but it gives

you the lowest energetic output M so

it's a fuel and because of this there is

extensive research on Performance Based

things this is where it started in fact

I remember as a kid when the entire

Balco and steroid thing hit baseball in

the early

2000s was like on that list and

that's where this entire Association

came because Mark Maguire and Barry

Bonds were using all of of course

allegedly whatever performance enhancing

drugs they were not using and they were

also using things like creatine and so

that just kind of got lumped in as like

oh it's a steroid it's like a because it

came from the that world and most of the

evidence and most of the research was on

that fortunately the last 20 years

honestly people have sort of left that

with creatin because we know the answer

there more interesting stuff is coming

in things like bone health now my friend

Darren kando just finished a really

great study two years study on postm

pusle women at 20 gram a day typical

dosage for is 5 gram so your

typical bodybuilder at the gym is using

five grams a day he put this in

postmenopausal women forx the dose and

did it for two years no adverse effects

no kidney issues no problems uh improved

some of the bone markers I think in the

actual like the femur area I remember

exactly it didn't improve others it's

not a miracle it's not a Panacea but it

was like Hey it didn't do anything bad

potential to help bone ra density in a

in a a population that really needs it

from just a simple fuel it's kind of

rather than thinking about it like a

mineral or a vitamin or a hormone think

it more of like protein powder like it's

just it's a it's a nutrient that you get

that that fuels it in addition there's

been at least two trials that I can

think of off the top of my head that

have shown that it may enhance things

like

mood uh there's a ton of research on

traumatic brain injury long-term

physical brain health um because it is

such a fast fuel source it's actually a

preferred fuel source in your

brain the your astrocytes which are kind

of like the the central nervous system

cells thrive on Creatine so they

absolutely love it so it is it is U um

neurological as well so it'll help the

neurological system nervous system um as

well as brain and tons and tons of stuff

going is an antioxidant anti has some

like mild antioxidant properties and a

bunch of other stuff so um while I

understand a lot of people still here

and think about it as like the muscle

thing that's because because that's

where it's came from and the dominant

research but really I would encourage

people to look at um more of the last 20

years what people that are doing creting

research the topics they're actually

studying and it's not muscle growth in

young healthy guys does red light play a

role because for Christmas she got me

two massive red light um I don't even

know what they are they're just like

panels yeah there's a lot of data on H

on red light therapy this is actually a

good example of something that um that I

missed the boat on like I've changed my

tune on this one big time I I didn't

think that there was anything here and I

was wrong about that one there there's a

lot of research um what is red light

therapy doing I'm in my head I was like

maybe it's mimicking the Sun or

something I don't know okay so there's a

couple of wavelengths there's one around

like 640 is nanometers and another about

850 nanometers plus or minus here and

what what we looking at here is red

light therapy in those wavelengths have

an ability to cross and get into tissue

so they can get past your skin lever and

they activate a whole series of Cascades

um of things that are that are

beneficial for skin Health um we've seen

injury um we've actually seen changes in

endocrine system hormone balances for

them um there's that again it's pretty

impressive what it's actually doing

because it can get in and stimulate um

it absolutely can mimic there's actually

data on uh it potentially improves

Vision when actually like in the eye um

work with your your eye doctors on that

one please your opthalmologist and stuff

um but you can actually see that you'll

see this a lot for overall Global

recovery again for muscle soreness and

muscle damage um it can actually benefit

those as well I have them there there's

a bunch coming out but they actually get

hypers specific and like focus it on a

certain area of your body that that is

damaged and tissue um we've used them l

a lot with athletes coming back from

surgery specifically so one of our

quarterbacks this year had a pretty um

gnarly lower body injury at the very

beginning of the season and we were get

him back in pretty good shape pretty

fast and and we used many different

things but red light was certainly one

of them I haven't found many people yet

where I'm like you definitely have to go

get red light it's one of those things

where I'm like oh you got it oh cool

like I would do it or like hey you have

a $60 million contract this year in the

line well we're doing everything like

like bring it all on um that that's kind

of where I I stand with it so it's it's

another area that I I am paying

attention to more and more to see what

more things come out but really the

ability for those

um those wavelengths to penetrate skin

to actually get into tissue is what's

causing active change uh inside your

actual

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