Creatine as a conditionally essential nutrient

Creatine is a hot subject right now, but I’m guessing you might not know as much about it as you could. Well step into a new creatine masterclass with our friends from Qualia. This episode shows you why it is not just for muscle, but one of the most powerful and well studied upgrades for brain energy, metabolism, sleep resilience, and long term human performance. You will learn how creatine supports mitochondria, buffers ATP, reduces cravings, and helps you think, train, and recover with more energy instead of relying on willpower. 

Watch this episode on YouTube for the full video experience: 

https://www.youtube.com/@DaveAspreyBPR 

Host Dave Asprey sits down with Greg Kelly for a deep, practical masterclass on creatine and energy biology. Greg Kelly is a naturopathic physician, functional medicine expert, and longtime researcher in supplements and nootropics. He has spent decades studying creatine, mitochondrial function, cognition, and performance, and has contributed to peer reviewed research while working directly with athletes, clinicians, and high performers. 

Together, Dave and Greg break down how creatine works at the cellular level, why it matters for cognition, emotional regulation, and metabolism, and how it supports the brain and body during stress, sleep deprivation, dieting, and recovery. They explore neuroplasticity, ATP production, magnesium, methylation, and why energy availability drives discipline, focus, and resilience more effectively than willpower alone. They also explain why creatine matters for women, aging adults, and people dealing with fatigue or obesity, and how creatine supports brain function even when muscle mass is low. 

This conversation connects bodybuilding research with modern longevity science, nootropics, functional medicine, and sleep optimization. Dave and Greg also expose why creatine quality matters, how contaminants can impair mitochondrial function, why some products fail label claims, and how to choose forms that absorb better and cause less bloating. Practical strategies like dosing, timing, stacking with magnesium, and using creatine with hot coffee are all covered, including why Dave uses it with Danger Coffee as part of his Smarter Not Harder approach. 

You’ll Learn: 

• Why creatine acts as an ATP buffer for both muscles and the brain 

• How mitochondria drive cognition, metabolism, and emotional regulation 

• The real dosing debate from low daily maintenance to higher cognitive doses 

• Why women often need more creatine than men 

• How creatine supports performance during sleep deprivation and sleep debt 

• The link between magnesium, creatine phosphate, and ATP production 

• How methylation and TMG relate to creatine synthesis and timing 

• Why creatine can reduce cravings by improving cellular energy 

• How low quality creatine and contaminants can damage mitochondrial function 

• When creatine matters most for longevity, resilience, and human performance 

Dave Asprey is a four time New York Times bestselling author, founder of Bulletproof Coffee, and the father of biohacking. With over 1,000 interviews and 1 million monthly listeners, The Human Upgrade is the top podcast for people who want to take control of their biology, extend their longevity, and optimize every system in the body and mind. Each episode features cutting edge insights in health, performance, neuroscience, supplements, nutrition, hacking, emotional intelligence, and conscious living. 

Episodes are released every Tuesday and Thursday, where Dave asks the questions no one else dares, and brings you real tools to become more resilient, aware, and high performing. 

Thank you to our sponsors! 

• Screenfit | Get your at-home eye training program for 40% off using code DAVE at https://www.screenfit.com/dave 

• ECHO Water | Go to http://echowater.com/dave and use code DAVE10 for 10% off your ECHO Flask 

• NeuroVeda Health | Go to https://www.neurovedahealth.com/aspery to learn more and book your week 

• STEMREGEN | Go to http://stemregen.co/dave30 and use code DAVE30 for 30% off your next order 

Dave Asprey is a four-time New York Times bestselling author, founder of Bulletproof Coffee, and the father of biohacking. With over 1,000 interviews and 1 million monthly listeners, The Human Upgrade brings you the knowledge to take control of your biology, extend your longevity, and optimize every system in your body and mind. Each episode delivers cutting-edge insights in health, performance, neuroscience, supplements, nutrition, biohacking, emotional intelligence, and conscious living. 

New episodes are released every Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday (BONUS). Dave asks the questions no one else will and gives you real tools to become stronger, smarter, and more resilient. 

Keywords: creatine brain energy, creatine ATP buffering, creatine mitochondria, creatine cognitive performance, creatine supplementation science, creatine dosing cognition, creatine sleep deprivation, creatine emotional regulation, creatine cravings metabolism, creatine fatigue brain, creatine women dosing, creatine longevity science, creatine nootropics, creatine brain optimization, ATP brain energy, mitochondrial energy production, magnesium creatine ATP, creatine methylation TMG, creatine bioavailability, danger coffee creatine, dave asprey creatine, greg kelly creatine, smarter not harder energy 

Resources:   

• Go To:  www.qualialife.com/humanupgrade for an automatic extra 15% discount to try Qualia Creatine. 

• Get My 2026 Biohacking Trends Report: https://daveasprey.com/2026-biohacking-trends-report/ 

• Join My Low-Oxalate 30-Day Challenge: https://daveasprey.com/2026-low-ox-reset/ 

• Dave Asprey's Latest News | Go to https://daveasprey.com/ to join Inside Track today.  

• Danger Coffee: https://dangercoffee.com/discount/dave15   

• My Daily Supplements: SuppGrade Labs (15% Off)   

• Favorite Blue Light Blocking Glasses: TrueDark (15% Off)   

• Dave Asprey’s BEYOND Conference: https://beyondconference.com   

• Dave Asprey’s New Book – Heavily Meditated: https://daveasprey.com/heavily-meditated  

• Upgrade Collective: https://www.ourupgradecollective.com   

• Upgrade Labs: https://upgradelabs.com   

• 40 Years of Zen: https://40yearsofzen.com  

Timestamps: 

00:00 – Trailer 

01:25 – Introduction 

04:57 – History of Creatine 

07:47 – How Creatine Works 

12:00 – Dietary Sources of Creatine 

13:30 – Creatine Dosing Guidelines 

18:08 – Cognitive Benefits of Creatine 

19:36 – Bodybuilding vs Biohacking Doses 

22:08 – Kidney Function and Safety 

24:42 – Sleep, Recovery, and Creatine 

26:08 – Bloating and Absorption Issues 

30:53 – Timing, Caffeine, and Coffee Stacks 

34:07 – Different Forms of Creatine 

43:06 – Weight Loss, Obesity, and Metabolism 

45:50 – Testosterone and Hormones 

47:47 – Women and the Menstrual Cycle 

50:12 – Pregnancy and Fertility 

53:44 – Magnesium and ATP Connection 

56:17 – Methylation and TMG 

01:01:18 – Creatine Quality and Contaminants 

01:09:17 – Practical Creatine Tips 

01:15:46 – Creatine for Kids and Teenagers 

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