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MENTAL STRENGTH

BBC Science Focus

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October 2025

Could a supplement used by athletes and bodybuilders help treat depression?

- by IAN TAYLOR Ian is a freelance science writer and the former deputy editor of BBC Science Focus.

MENTAL STRENGTH

With the possible exception of caffeine, there's no (legal) performance-enhancing substance more potent, trusted or well-studied as creatine. In the last three decades, sports science has shown it can significantly increase an athlete's strength, muscle mass, speed and power.

In recent years, though, researchers have built a persuasive case file for creatine's role in wider health and wellbeing. Studies have shown it can improve metabolic health and cognitive performance. It can aid recovery from serious injury and facilitate healthy ageing. There's also growing evidence that it can help not just physical strength, but mental toughness, too.

In 2024, a review concluded that creatine supplementation had multiple positive effects as an adjunctive treatment for depression. Papers have found, for example, that when combined with SSRI antidepressants, the effects of the medication can be stronger.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA BBC Science Focus

BBC Science Focus

BBC Science Focus

DOES MY DOG HAVE ADHD?

Officially, Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a human condition. People are diagnosed with it. Dogs are not. Yet many of its core features, including hyperactivity, impulsivity and distractibility, can be found in dogs.

time to read

1 min

March 2026

BBC Science Focus

BBC Science Focus

DOES MY BRAIN LIVE A LITTLE IN THE PAST?

Yes, your brain does live a little in the past. It can't help it. The information it receives via your senses is always a little out of date. Whether it's light entering the retinas in your eyes, or sounds vibrating the hairs in your ears, it not only takes time for the data to arrive, but your brain then has to process it.

time to read

2 mins

March 2026

BBC Science Focus

BBC Science Focus

ASTRONOMY FOR BEGINNERS

RETURN OF THE EVENING STAR (VENUS)

time to read

1 mins

March 2026

BBC Science Focus

BBC Science Focus

CAN YOU STOP YOUR SENSE OF TASTE DULLING AS YOU AGE?

Sometimes I hear people say that food just doesn't taste the same as they get older. It's tempting to blame this on age, but there are other factors at play, too.

time to read

1 mins

March 2026

BBC Science Focus

BBC Science Focus

MICROBIOMES OF THE SUPERAGERS

BY STUDYING THE INCREASING NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO ARE LIVING BEYOND THEIR 100TH BIRTHDAYS, SCIENTISTS ARE DISCOVERING THAT THE SECRET TO REACHING A RIPE OLD AGE IN RUDE HEALTH MIGHT LIE IN OUR GUTS

time to read

8 mins

March 2026

BBC Science Focus

BBC Science Focus

HOW BIG WERE MEDIEVAL WAR HORSES?

You might picture knights charging into battle on towering steeds, but medieval horses were typically no bigger than modern-day ponies.

time to read

1 min

March 2026

BBC Science Focus

BBC Science Focus

FORCES OF HABIT

Could new research on setting up healthy habits resuscitate those stuttering New Year resolutions?

time to read

3 mins

March 2026

BBC Science Focus

BBC Science Focus

5 DANGERS HIDING IN YOUR PROCESSED FOOD

We all know that ultra-processed foods are bad for us, but what ingredients should we particularly try to avoid? And what are they doing to our bodies?

time to read

9 mins

March 2026

BBC Science Focus

BBC Science Focus

Mosquitoes are becoming thirstier for human blood

Habitat loss may be pushing mosquitoes towards human hosts with deadly consequences

time to read

1 mins

March 2026

BBC Science Focus

BBC Science Focus

HOW CAN I GET OVER MY EX?

Relationship breakups can be brutal, just look at the popularity of songs like 'Someone Like You' by Adele, or all the covers of 'Cry Me a River' by Julie London.

time to read

1 mins

March 2026

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