Summary
Because the brain is one of the body’s most energy-demanding organs—and creatine plays a central role in cellular energy metabolism—researchers have wondered whether creatine supplementation might enhance cognitive performance. This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated randomized controlled trials examining creatine’s effects on memory in healthy people. Out of 23 initially identified trials, 10 met the criteria for detailed review, and 8 were included in the pooled analysis. Overall, creatine supplementation produced a modest but significant improvement in memory compared with placebo. The most striking finding came from subgroup analyses: adults aged 66–76 experienced a large improvement in memory, while younger participants showed essentially no effect. Dose, duration of supplementation, sex, and geographic location did not meaningfully alter outcomes, suggesting that creatine’s benefits for memory may be most relevant for older adults whose brain energy metabolism naturally declines with age. These findings support creatine as a potentially useful nutritional strategy for preserving or enhancing memory in later life.
PMID: 35984306
PMCID: PMC9999677
DOI: 10.1093/nutrit/nuac064
Abstract
Context
From an energy perspective, the brain is very metabolically demanding. It is well documented that creatine plays a key role in brain bioenergetics. There is some evidence that creatine supplementation can augment brain creatine stores, which could increase memory.
Objective
A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) was conducted to determine the effects of creatine supplementation on memory performance in healthy humans.
Data sources
The literature was searched through the PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and Scopus databases from inception until September 2021.
Data extraction
Twenty-three eligible RCTs were initially identified. Ten RCTs examining the effect of creatine supplementation compared with placebo on measures of memory in healthy individuals met the inclusion criteria for systematic review, 8 of which were included in the meta-analysis.
Data analysis
Overall, creatine supplementation improved measures of memory compared with placebo (standard mean difference [SMD] = 0.29, 95%CI, 0.04-0.53; I2 = 66%; P = 0.02). Subgroup analyses revealed a significant improvement in memory in older adults (66-76 years) (SMD = 0.88; 95%CI, 0.22-1.55; I2 = 83%; P = 0.009) compared with their younger counterparts (11-31 years) (SMD = 0.03; 95%CI, -0.14 to 0.20; I2 = 0%; P = 0.72). Creatine dose (≈ 2.2-20 g/d), duration of intervention (5 days to 24 weeks), sex, or geographical origin did not influence the findings.
Conclusion
Creatine supplementation enhanced measures of memory performance in healthy individuals, especially in older adults (66-76 years).
Systematic review registration: PROSPERO registration no. 42021281027.
Keywords: ageing; cognition; creatine monohydrate; memory; nutrition.
Prokopidis K, Giannos P, Triantafyllidis KK, Kechagias KS, Forbes SC, Candow DG. Effects of creatine supplementation on memory in healthy individuals: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Nutr Rev. 2023 Mar 10;81(4):416-427. doi: 10.1093/nutrit/nuac064. PMID: 35984306; PMCID: PMC9999677.