The effects of creatine supplementation on cognitive performance-a randomised controlled study

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#humans #creatine #bayes-theorem #dietary-supplements #brain

The effects of creatine supplementation on cognitive performance-a randomised controlled study

Sandkühler et al., 2023 | BMC Med | Rct

Citation

Sandkühler Julia Fabienne, Kersting Xenia, ... Brauner Jan. The effects of creatine supplementation on cognitive performance-a randomised controlled study. BMC Med. 2023-Nov-15;21(1):440. doi:10.1186/s12916-023-03146-5

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Creatine is an organic compound that facilitates the recycling of energy-providing adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in muscle and brain tissue. It is a safe, well-studied supplement for strength training. Previous studies have shown that supplementation increases brain creatine levels, which might increase cognitive performance. The results of studies that have tested cognitive performance differ greatly, possibly due to different populations, supplementation regimens, and cognitive tasks. This is the largest study on the effect of creatine supplementation on cognitive performance to date. METHODS: Our trial was preregistered, cross-over, double-blind, placebo-controlled, and randomised, with daily supplementation of 5 g for 6 weeks each. We tested participants on Raven's Advanced Progressive Matrices (RAPM) and on the Backward Digit Span (BDS). In addition, we included eight exploratory cognitive tests. About half of our 123 participants were vegetarians and half were omnivores. RESULTS: Bayesian evidence supported a small beneficial effect of creatine. The creatine effect bordered significance for BDS (p = 0.064, η2P = 0.029) but not RAPM (p = 0.327, η2P = 0.008). There was no indication that creatine improved the performance of our exploratory cognitive tasks. Side effects were reported significantly more often for creatine than for placebo supplementation (p = 0.002, RR = 4.25). Vegetarians did not benefit more from creatine than omnivores. CONCLUSIONS: Our study, in combination with the literature, implies that creatine might have a small beneficial effect. Larger studies are needed to confirm or rule out this effect. Given the safety and broad availability of creatine, this is well worth investigating; a small effect could have large benefits when scaled over time and over many people. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The trial was prospectively registered (drks.de identifier: DRKS00017250, https://osf.io/xpwkc/ ).

Key Findings

Bayesian evidence supported a small beneficial effect of creatine. The creatine effect bordered significance for BDS (p = 0.064, η2P = 0.029) but not RAPM (p = 0.327, η2P = 0.008). There was no indication that creatine improved the performance of our exploratory cognitive tasks. Side effects were reported significantly more often for creatine than for placebo supplementation (p = 0.002, RR = 4.25). Vegetarians did not benefit more from creatine than omnivores.

Outcomes Measured

  • Requires manual extraction

Population

Field Value
Population See abstract
Sample Size 123
Age Range See abstract
Condition cognitive

MeSH Terms

  • Humans
  • Creatine
  • Bayes Theorem
  • Dietary Supplements
  • Brain
  • Double-Blind Method
  • Cognition

Evidence Classification

  • Level: Rct
  • Publication Types: Randomized Controlled Trial, Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Vertical: creatine-cognition

Provenance

Source extracted via PubMed E-utilities API on 2026-04-09