Supplements · Metabolic & Cardiometabolic
creatine improves cognitive function
In plain terms: Does creatine supplementation improve cognition?
Leans support Supplements 🔬 Includes disconfirming
Part of: 🧪 creatine
RefutedContestedStrong support
consensus score 0.50
Partly — creatine helps cognition mainly in specific situations (older adults, vegetarians, sleep deprivation); the largest trial in healthy young adults found no reliable benefit, so 'awesome cognitive benefits' overstates it for most people.
📅 Last reviewed: 2026-07-14 ⓘ
Evidence ladder
How far up the ladder this claim has climbed. A high consensus on a low rung means "consistent so far," not "proven in people."
Top evidence so far: All trials, pooled (Meta-analysis)
MechanismIn-vitroAnimalObservationalRCTMeta-analysis
How the studies fall
12 support 1 contradict 2 tested null 8 mixed · 23 sources, 13 independent groups · 2 superseded — pooled inside a review, counted once
The evidence (25)
| Source | Grade | Stance | Quality | Finding |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marshall S et al 2026 · study_type: meta-analysis | observational | mixed | low | Systematic review of 6 studies (1542 participants, healthy older adults 55+, mostly women) on creatine/dietary creatine intake and cognition: 5/6 (83%) studies reported positive relationship, particularly memory and attention; only 2 were d |
| Williams NB et al 2026 · study_type: meta-analysis | meta-analysis | supports | low | Systematic review of 5 human studies (2006-2025) on creatine during acute sleep deprivation: narrative synthesis found a positive trend for cognitive/psychomotor/mood outcomes, varying by domain, but authors call evidence sparse. |
| Rong H et al 2026 · study_type: meta-analysis | meta-analysis | mixed | moderate | Narrative review of exercise+supplement combinations (including creatine among many supplements) on cognition in older adults: several studies reported positive cognitive outcomes vs control, but none showed a statistically significant syne |
| Sal-Sarria S et al 2026 · study_type: meta-analysis | meta-analysis | supports | moderate | Systematic review (PRISMA) of 19 rodent studies (2015-2026): creatine improved learning/memory in most studies, effect moderated by administration route (intranasal>oral), duration, sex; spans healthy animals and disease models. |
| Moriarty 2023 · Brain Sci | RCT | tested-null | low | Creatine produced only limited dose-dependent changes in cognitive performance in healthy young adults. |
| Roschel 2021 · Nutrients | observational | supports | low | Review: creatine shows therapeutic/ergogenic potential for brain health, though human cognitive data remain limited. |
| Ostojic SM. 2025 · study_type: mechanism | observational | supports | low | Editorial/policy review framing creatine insufficiency (e.g., in vegetarians, older adults) as contributing to 'adverse outcomes including impaired cognition,' arguing for food-policy integration; no original cognitive-outcome data. |
| Machado M. 2026 · study_type: mechanism | mechanism | mixed | low | Commentary article (no original methods) arguing consistent clinical evidence for cognitive benefit in older adults 'remains limited,' with uncertainty over whether supplemented creatine crosses the blood-brain barrier sufficiently; calls c |
| Xu 2024 · Front Nutr | meta-analysis | supports | moderate | SR+meta-analysis: creatine improved aspects of cognitive function in adults, with potential to delay cognitive decline. |
| Kerksick C et al 2026 · study_type: meta-analysis | observational | supports | low | Narrative review of creatine as ergogenic aid across populations: states creatine 'may support occupational readiness' via improved cognition (among other outcomes) in tactical/military populations, with 'possible neuroprotective' implicati |
| Kaufman 2025 · Am J Lifestyle Med | observational | mixed | low | Critical aging-supplement review: creatine cognitive benefits in healthy aging are modest and not yet consistent. |
| Li N. 2025 · study_type: meta-analysis | observational | supports | low | Narrative review of creatine+exercise in aging: reports 'modest improvements' in memory, processing speed, executive function, especially in those with lower baseline creatine, when creatine is combined with resistance training in older adu |
| Forbes 2022 · Nutrients | observational | supports | low | Review: preliminary evidence creatine benefits brain function, especially under stress (sleep deprivation, fatigue). |
| Ben Maaoui K et al 2025 · study_type: RCT | RCT | supports | moderate | Randomized double-blind crossover trial, 14 physically active men: 7-day creatine monohydrate loading (20g/day) significantly improved digit cancellation test cognitive performance (d=0.77, p=0.013) vs placebo, alongside improved subjective |
| Benton 2011 · Br J Nutr | RCT | mixed | moderate | Creatine improved memory in vegetarians but not omnivores, showing benefit is population-dependent. |
| Prokopidis 2023 · Nutr Rev | meta-analysis | supports | moderate | SR+meta-analysis: creatine improved memory in healthy individuals, most clearly in older adults; effects modest. |
| McMorris 2007 · Neuropsychol Dev Cogn B Aging Neuropsychol Cogn | RCT | supports | low | Creatine improved several memory and recall tasks in elderly participants versus placebo. ↩ SUPERSEDED — pooled in the review above, counted once |
| Abarca M et al 2026 · study_type: meta-analysis | meta-analysis | supports | low | Narrative review (Spanish, preclinical + clinical) concludes creatine has shown 'significant effect' as enhancer of cognitive function dimensions and adjuvant for affective disorders, based on prior observational/experimental studies and sy |
| Gordji-Nejad 2026 · Nutrients | RCT | supports | moderate | A single high dose of creatine reduced sleep-deprivation-induced cognitive deterioration. |
| Fernandez-Garrido J et al 2026 · study_type: RCT | RCT | mixed | moderate | 16-week RCT in 103 older adults (68±4.6y): creatine (3g/day) + resistance training conferred 'complementary, modality-specific benefits' on neurocognitive biomarkers/oxidative-inflammatory markers alongside exercise, and creatine-alone redu |
| Rawson 2008 · Physiol Behav | RCT | contradicts | moderate | Six weeks of creatine did not improve any cognitive or psychomotor measure in non-sleep-deprived young adults. |
| Avgerinos 2018 · Exp Gerontol | meta-analysis | mixed | moderate | Creatine improved short-term memory and reasoning in healthy adults but effects on other cognitive domains were inconsistent. |
| Sandkuhler 2023 · BMC Med | RCT | mixed | high | RCT: creatine did not significantly improve cognitive performance in healthy young adults on the primary outcome (consistent with benefit only under metabolic stress). |
| Alves 2013 · PLoS One | RCT | tested-null | moderate | Creatine with or without strength training did not significantly improve cognitive measures in older women. |
| McMorris 2006 · Psychopharmacology | RCT | supports | moderate | Creatine lessened cognitive and mood decline during sleep deprivation with mild exercise. ↩ SUPERSEDED — pooled in the review above, counted once |
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