2. Creatine
Woman Eating Meat
Every athlete, bodybuilder and gym enthusiast knows about creatine.
It is the most popular muscle building supplement in the world, for good reason.
Scientific studies consistently show that creatine supplementation can increase muscle mass and strength (10).
The way creatine functions is that it forms an energy reserve, where it is able to quickly recycle ATP in our cells.
ATP is the “energy currency” of cells, what the energy from our foods and body fat stores ultimately get turned into.
During workouts that consume a lot of energy in a short amount of time, creatine gives us more strength and helps us last longer (11).
Creatine is actually not an essential nutrient, because the liver can produce it out of other amino acids. However, this conversion process appears to be inefficient.
About 95% of the creatine in the body is stored in skeletal muscle. However, creatine is also concentrated in the brain.
The same way that our muscles require energy to do work, our brain needs energy to do various things… like thinking.
Vegetarians who take creatine supplements see improvements in cognitive performance, especially in more complex tasks, while there is no difference in non-vegetarians (12, 13).
This implies that vegetarians have a deficiency of creatine that is adversely affecting their brain function.
Vegetarians also have a lower amount of creatine in skeletal muscle. Creatine supplements are particularly effective at improving athletic performance in this group (14).
If you must avoid meat, consider supplementing with some Creatine Monohydrate. It will definitely make you stronger and may even make you smarter as well.
Bottom Line: Creatine is an important nutrient in muscle and brain that helps to supply energy. Studies show that vegetarians have a deficiency in creatine that leads to adverse effects on muscle and brain function.