The Creatine Gummy Scandal

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Today’s Health Upgrade

• A surprising way to protect Vitamin D

• The bitter truth about creatine gummies

• How to control your dreams

• A simple meal swap to improve heart health

On Our Radar 
The Workout That Protects Your Vitamin D

As the days get shorter and the sun disappears, most people watch their vitamin D levels fall as the temperature drops. But there might be a way to fight back, even if you can’t spend more time in the sun. 

Just 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week can prevent the typical 20% winter decline in vitamin D levels.

Researchers followed 60 sedentary adults with overweight or obesity through the darker months. Participants were divided into three groups: exercise only, exercise plus weight loss, or no change. While the control group saw their vitamin D levels plummet by about 20 percent over winter, those who exercised maintained stable levels. 

Researchers believe that exercise improves the body’s vitamin D metabolism, possibly by boosting vitamin D levels and enhancing its use. In other words, movement itself might help your body retain more Vitamin D.

If you live in a place where winter sunlight is scarce, your workouts might do more than strengthen your heart and muscles; they can help your body preserve an essential nutrient.

The 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity can be achieved through any type of exercise, such as brisk walking, cycling, or swimming. That’s just 30 minutes a day, five days a week. Even if your weight doesn’t change, your vitamin D levels might thank you for it.

Together With Momentous 
The Bitter Truth About Creatine Gummies

They look like candy, taste like candy, and promise muscle gains and a cognitive boost. But when scientists tested the most popular creatine gummies, the results were anything but sweet.

Independent lab tests found that most creatine gummies contained almost no creatine, and some even had zero grams.

To see if these trendy gummies live up to their labels, SuppCo, a supplement testing platform, purchased 11 creatine products (5 powders and six gummies) from Amazon and sent them to an ISO-accredited independent lab. All five powders passed easily, hitting their label claims within 98 to 101 percent accuracy. 

But four out of six gummies failed the most basic quality tests.

The most shocking result: One top-selling gummy with more than 50,000 sales claimed 5 grams per serving but actually contained just 0.005 grams, which is less than 0.1% of what was listed. 

Another brand delivered only 0.025 grams per serving, meaning you’d need 800 gummies to equal a regular dose. And two other brands contained no detectable creatine at all.

Researchers also found elevated creatinine levels, a byproduct of creatine breakdown. Many people mistake higher levels of creatinine in the body as a problem when it’s often not and completely healthy

But when they show up in a supplement, that’s a sign the gummies’ heat and moisture-filled manufacturing process likely destroyed the active ingredient before it even reached the package.

So while creatine itself is one of the most studied, safest, and most effective supplements on the planet — consistently shown to improve strength, recovery, and muscle growth — the gummy form just isn’t reliable yet. It’s not impossible to make a good one, but formulating a heat-stable, evenly distributed gummy with 5 grams of intact creatine is challenging, and many brands appear to cut corners. 

If you want guaranteed results, stick with tested and proven creatine monohydrate powder. Look for products that are third-party verified (like NSF Certified or Informed Sport) to ensure purity and accuracy. 

And if you want a fun, delicious way to get creatine, the best alternative is Creatine Chews from Momentous. They have the taste and enjoyment of eating sweet tarts (without all the sugar), but with the same quality and purity guarantee as powder. 

As an APC reader, use the code PUMPCLUB for up to 35% OFF your first order (14% off one-timer purchases and 35% off subscription). It will work on Creatine chews, their unflavored creatine monohydrate powder, or their flavored versions.

Instant Health Boost 
How To Train Your Brain To Have Better Dreams

What if you could rewrite your dreams before they happen? New research shows you can — and it only takes five minutes a day.

A two-step bedtime technique reduced nightmares by 84 percent without medication or complicated tech.

In a high-quality randomized controlled trial, researchers studied adults diagnosed with chronic nightmare disorder. Over two weeks, participants imagined positive versions of their nightmares before bed. Half of them also paired their new dream scripts with a simple sound, which researchers replayed during REM sleep.

The results were dramatic. Those who used both the visualization and sound cue saw their nightmares drop from nearly three per week to less than one every two months. Even imagining a positive version with the sound cue worked well, cutting nightmares by 60 percent. But adding the sound cue strengthened and prolonged the effects, with benefits still evident three months later.

The researchers believe this works because the brain remains partially receptive to external cues during REM sleep. By linking a specific sound to positive dream imagery while awake, the cue can “remind” your sleeping brain to replay healthier dream scripts rather than old, fear-based ones. In essence, participants learned to reprogram their dreams, turning unsettling patterns into peaceful ones.

If you want to see how it works, write down a recurring bad dream or fear before bed. Then, create a new ending: one where you feel calm, safe, or in control. While rehearsing that version, play a short, distinct sound (like soft chimes) or smell a calming scent (like lavender). Repeat nightly for 1 to 2 weeks, then use that same cue quietly while you sleep.

Even without the sound cue, rehearsal alone can cut nightmares in half. But with consistency, this simple routine might help you turn bedtime into better rest and reclaim your dreams as a place of recovery, not fear.

Nutrition
The Two-Meal Swap That Improves Your Heart Health

You don’t have to give up steak or burgers to boost your heart health. A new study shows that simply swapping a few servings of red or processed meat each week for lentils, beans, or chickpeas can make a meaningful difference, without losing out on protein or flavor.

Replacing just 2 to 3 meat meals per week with legumes increased fiber by 45 percent and reduced LDL cholesterol, all while keeping protein intake the same.

Researchers ran a 6-week randomized controlled trial with 60 healthy men to test what happens when red and processed meat are partially replaced with non-soy legumes like beans, lentils, peas, and chickpeas. The legume group improved several key nutrition and health markers: fiber intake increased by 45%, folate rose by 34%, and magnesium rose by 12%, while saturated fat decreased by 15%. Even better, LDL cholesterol fell by and gut microbiome diversity improved, without changes in muscle mass, body weight, or total protein intake (roughly 1.3 g/kg/day).

The researchers believe the benefits came from higher fiber and phytonutrient intake, both of which support cholesterol regulation and healthy gut bacteria. Unlike strict vegetarian plans, this was a partial substitution, which suggests you can reap significant benefits from small, consistent shifts.

If you want to protect your heart and improve nutrition without overhauling your diet, try swapping just two meals per week: make lentil bolognese instead of beef, black bean tacos instead of pork, or chickpea curry instead of sausage. Combine legumes with whole grains for complete protein, season them like your favorite meat dishes, and you’ll get all the taste with extra heart protection.

Progress doesn’t mean perfection. It just means choosing better, a few meals at a time.

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Publisher: Arnold Schwarzenegger​

Editors-in-chief: Adam Bornstein and Daniel Ketchell