Hello and welcome to another edition of The Weekly Dose!

One of the best things about GLP-1 medications like Mounjaro, Wegovy, Ozempic, and Zepbound is that they make eating less genuinely effortless. But here's something worth thinking about: when your appetite drops dramatically, so does the amount of protein and nutrients your muscles depend on. That creates a very real risk of losing muscle right alongside the fat — and most people don't realize it's happening until the scale has already lied to them. Today, we're talking about one supplement that is fundamentally underrated on GLP-1s, backed by decades of research, costs almost nothing, and could be the most impactful thing you add to your routine: creatine monohydrate.

💡 Let's dive in!

📌 Here's what's inside this issue:
✅ Main Topic: 5 Reasons Why Creatine May Be the Most Important Supplement on GLP-1s
✅ Research Recap: Fish Oil May Fight Insulin Resistance Even Without Obesity
✅ Question of the Week: Are you taking any supplements on your GLP-1 journey?

💊 Not on a GLP-1 yet — or looking for a better program? Sprout Health makes it simple to see if you qualify for a GLP-1 program built around your goals. Takes 2 minutes.

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GLP-1 medications are a game-changer for weight loss — but the appetite suppression that makes them so effective also creates a hidden problem. When you eat less, you take in less protein, less energy, and crucially, less creatine from food sources like red meat and fish. The result? Your muscles — and your brain — can start to run on empty. Here's why creatine monohydrate deserves a serious look if you're on any GLP-1 medication.

GLP-1 medications do something remarkable: they quiet the hunger signals that have made weight loss feel impossible for years. But "eating less" doesn't automatically mean "eating smarter." Many people on Mounjaro, Wegovy, Ozempic, and Zepbound find themselves eating significantly less protein than their muscles need — not out of carelessness, but because the appetite suppression is that powerful. Research suggests that a meaningful portion of the total weight lost on GLP-1 medications can come from lean muscle mass rather than fat alone, depending on nutrition and exercise habits. Losing muscle isn't just a cosmetic concern. Muscle is your metabolic engine — the tissue that burns calories at rest, supports your joints, and keeps your energy up. Protecting it during your GLP-1 journey is one of the most empowering decisions you can make. That's where creatine comes in.

Here's what creatine actually does inside your body: it helps your muscles produce ATP — adenosine triphosphate — which is essentially the energy currency your muscle cells run on. When your muscles have more available ATP, they can work harder, recover faster, and hold up better during the caloric deficits that GLP-1 medications create. Research has consistently shown that creatine supplementation helps preserve lean muscle mass during periods of reduced calorie intake — which describes almost every GLP-1 user's experience. Creatine also draws water into muscle cells, which is a good thing. It contributes to what's called cell volumization, a process that supports muscle protein synthesis and helps muscles retain their size even when you're not eating as much as you used to. For someone losing weight on a GLP-1, this is fundamentally important: you want the scale to go down because you're losing fat — not because your muscles are quietly shrinking.

Creatine monohydrate isn't a trend. It isn't a marketing gimmick. It has been studied extensively for decades — across populations ranging from elite athletes to older adults to people managing chronic illness. The International Society of Sports Nutrition has repeatedly called creatine one of the most effective and safe nutritional supplements available for improving exercise performance and body composition. It's not just for bodybuilders. Research has examined creatine in older adults managing age-related muscle loss, in populations recovering from injury, and increasingly in people navigating metabolic health challenges. The safety profile is strong: at standard doses, creatine is well-tolerated and has no established harmful effects in healthy individuals — including most people with type 2 diabetes, though you should always confirm with your provider.

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This one surprises a lot of people. Creatine isn't only stored in muscle — it's also present in the brain, where it plays a crucial role in cognitive energy production. Emerging research shows that creatine supplementation may support cognitive function, improve mental clarity, and even have a positive effect on mood — particularly under conditions of stress, sleep disruption, or dietary restriction. Here's why this is especially relevant on a GLP-1: when you eat significantly less food, you're naturally consuming less creatine from dietary sources like red meat, fish, and poultry. Your body produces some creatine on its own, but that may not be enough to fully meet both muscular and neurological demands — particularly during a period of active weight loss and metabolic change. If you've noticed any brain fog, lower mental energy, or subtle shifts in mood while on your medication, creatine is worth a conversation with your provider. The cognitive benefits are an emerging area of research, but the findings are notably promising.

Here's one of the most empowering things about creatine: the barrier to entry is essentially zero. Creatine monohydrate — the form with all the research behind it — typically costs somewhere between $0.15 and $0.30 per daily serving, depending on the brand. That's it. There's no complicated loading phase required for most people. You don't need to cycle on and off. You don't need to time it around your meals or your workout with any precision. The standard dose is 3–5 grams per day, taken consistently. Mix it into water, juice, a protein shake, or your morning coffee. It's tasteless and dissolves well. That's the entire protocol. For a supplement with this much research and this many potential benefits — especially for someone managing their nutrition on a GLP-1 — creatine is arguably the highest-value addition you can make to your daily routine. Simple, affordable, and profoundly well-studied.

GLP-1 medications create the conditions for weight loss. But the quality of that weight loss — how much comes from fat versus muscle — is crucially determined by what you do alongside the medication. Resistance training is the most powerful tool you have for preserving lean muscle during a caloric deficit. And creatine makes your resistance training meaningfully more effective. Here's the connection: creatine increases the available energy in your muscles during high-effort movements — the kind of effort that sends a signal to your body to preserve and build lean tissue. When your workouts are more productive, your muscles receive a stronger stimulus to stay. And when your muscles stay, your metabolism stays elevated, your body composition improves, and your GLP-1 results last longer after the weight is lost. This is the virtuous cycle worth building: GLP-1 reduces appetite → you create a caloric deficit → creatine + resistance training preserve and strengthen your muscle → your body composition shifts toward lean mass → your results are more durable and more profound.

Worried about losing muscle on your GLP-1? Check out our Complete Guide to GLP-1 Muscle Preservation for the full breakdown.

Start here: add 5g of creatine monohydrate to your daily routine. Mix it into whatever you're already drinking in the morning. That's the entire ask for day one. From there, pair it with resistance training two to three times per week — even bodyweight squats, push-ups, and rows at home count. If you have type 2 diabetes or any kidney-related concerns, run it by your provider first — for most people it's safe, but your provider knows your full picture. The goal isn't complexity. The goal is giving your muscles the support they need while your GLP-1 does its job. These two things — creatine and resistance training — are the most impactful habits you can build right now to make sure the weight you lose stays lost.

Creatine + resistance training + a great GLP-1 program is the stack that changes everything. Sprout Health connects you with licensed clinicians who specialize in GLP-1 weight loss — and getting started is a 2-minute quiz.

👉 Get Your Personalized Plan → Start Here

Most conversations about insulin resistance focus on excess body weight as the primary driver. But researchers from the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) recently published findings in Nutrients that challenge that assumption — and the implications are worth paying attention to, especially if you're managing blood sugar alongside your GLP-1 journey. The study examined omega-3 fish oil in non-obese diabetic rats, meaning the insulin resistance wasn't driven by obesity at all. What they found points to something fundamentally important: inflammation, not just excess weight, may be at the root of insulin resistance — and omega-3s may be a powerful tool against it.

✔️ Finding 1: Omega-3 fish oil supplementation (at a dose of 2g/kg body weight, three times weekly for eight weeks) significantly reduced insulin resistance in non-obese diabetic rats — demonstrating that the benefit isn't dependent on weight loss alone.

✔️ Finding 2: The omega-3s worked by shifting immune cells from a pro-inflammatory state to an anti-inflammatory state — essentially calming the immune-driven inflammation that interferes with the body's ability to use insulin properly.

✔️ Finding 3: Animals receiving fish oil also showed improved blood sugar control, along with meaningful reductions in cholesterol and triglycerides — markers of metabolic health that matter deeply for people managing type 2 diabetes or prediabetes.

This research is a notable reminder that insulin resistance can exist and persist independent of obesity — driven by chronic low-grade inflammation that omega-3 fatty acids appear to directly address. For people on GLP-1s who are already working to improve blood sugar control, this is a compelling reason to talk to your provider about omega-3 fish oil as a complementary addition to your supplement protocol — alongside creatine and adequate protein. The evidence base for fish oil is growing, and its anti-inflammatory mechanism is one that applies regardless of your starting weight.

Read it here: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/05/260530004626.htm

Are you currently taking any supplements as part of your GLP-1 journey?

🟢 Yes — I take creatine (or I'm starting after this issue!)
🔵 Yes — but not creatine. I'm taking protein powder, omega-3s, or something else
🟡 Not yet — I didn't know supplements mattered on a GLP-1
🔴 No — I prefer to keep my protocol simple for now

Hit reply and tell me what you're taking — or what's holding you back. The best responses get featured in next week's issue (with your permission, of course). Your experience might be exactly what someone else needs to read right now.

💌 If this issue was helpful, forward it to someone on a GLP-1 journey who might not know about creatine yet. Sometimes a single email changes someone's entire approach — and this might be that email for someone in your circle.

Did something in today's issue surprise you? Hit reply and let me know. I read every single response, and your feedback is what shapes future issues.

📆 See you next week! — The Weekly Dose Team

P.S. Want to talk supplements, training, and GLP-1 results with people who are living it? The Weekly Dose Skool community is your place. Come join us: https://www.skool.com/the-weekly-dose-8554/about

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