Supplements · Metabolic & Cardiometabolic
creatine improves cognitive function
In plain terms: Does creatine supplementation improve cognition?
Leans support Supplements 💰 Industry COI noted🔬 Includes disconfirming
Part of: 🧪 creatine
RefutedContestedStrong support
consensus score 0.48
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
7 support 3 contradict 0 tested null 4 mixed · 14 sources, 10 independent groups · 2 superseded — pooled inside a review, counted once
What the evidence shows
Creatine helps cognition mainly where the brain is energetically stressed: pooled trials show benefit in older adults, vegetarians and sleep deprivation, with rodent work broadly supportive. In healthy young adults the picture is weaker, and a randomised trial at 10 and 20 grams a day found no benefit on standard testing, so the effect is situational rather than general.
The evidence (25)
| Source | Grade | Stance | Quality | Finding |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marshall S, Kitzan A, Wright J, Bocicariu L, Nagamatsu LS 2026 · Nutrition reviews | 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, Hurley RB, Cevallos ME 2026 · Journal of integrative and complementary medicine | 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, Wan X 2026 · J Am Med Dir Assoc | meta-analysis | mixed | moderate | Narrative review with no pooling: 'A narrative synthesis was conducted to integrate the findings from the included studies.' Creatine is one of ~15 supplements; 'none demonstrated a statistically significant synergistic benefit'. Review — zero weight. |
| Sal-Sarria S, Fernández-Blanco A 2026 · Behavioural brain research | 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 T, Bourbeau K, Dorman K, Runyon L, Glaser N, Brandt J, Hoodjer M, Forbes SC, Candow DG 2023 · Brain Sci | RCT | contradicts | low | Double-blind RCT, n=30 healthy young adults (10/arm), creatine 10 g/d or 20 g/d vs placebo x6 wk; NIH Toolbox fluid battery (processing speed, episodic memory, executive function). Clean null: no group x time effect on any test (interaction p=0.17, 0.95, 0.59); mean % change processing speed CR10 3.6 (-3.4 to 10.6), CR20 19 (-0.19 to 38.2) vs placebo 18.7 (3.9 to 33.5), i.e. placebo improved as much or more; card sort CR20 11.5 vs placebo 4.9 (p=0.59). Authors: 6 wk at 10 or 20 g/d 'does not improve cognitive performance' in healthy young adults. Small n; brain creatine not measured; Candow/Forbes creatine-industry COI declared. |
| Roschel H, Gualano B, Ostojic SM, Rawson ES 2021 · Nutrients | observational | supports | low | Review: creatine shows therapeutic/ergogenic potential for brain health, though human cognitive data remain limited. |
| Ostojic SM 2025 · Public health nutrition | 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 · Nutr Health | mechanism | mixed | low | Commentary, no data: 'Methods: Not applicable (commentary article, no original methods involved).' Concludes 'creatine supplementation for cognition in older adults should be considered a hypothesis rather than an established clinical practice.' Review — zero weight. |
| Xu C, Bi S, Zhang W, Luo L 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, Gonzalez D, Stout J, Forbes S, Candow D, Ziegenfuss T, Marshall R, Schwesig R, Kreider R 2026 · Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition | 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 MW, DeParis S, Oppezzo M, Mah C, Roche M, Frehlich L, Fredericson M 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 · Frontiers in nutrition | 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 SC, Cordingley DM, Cornish SM, Gualano B, Roschel H, Ostojic SM, Rawson ES, Roy BD, Prokopidis K, Giannos P, Candow DG 2022 · Nutrients | observational | supports | low | Review: preliminary evidence creatine benefits brain function, especially under stress (sleep deprivation, fatigue). |
| Ben Maaoui K, Delleli S, Mahdi N, Jebabli A, Del Coso J, Chtourou H, Ardigò LP, Ouergui I 2025 · Nutrients | 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 D, Donohoe R 2011 · Br J Nutr | RCT | mixed | moderate | Creatine improved memory in vegetarians but not omnivores, showing benefit is population-dependent. |
| Prokopidis K, Giannos P, Triantafyllidis KK, Kechagias KS, Forbes SC, Candow DG 2023 · Nutr Rev | meta-analysis | supports | moderate | SR+meta-analysis: creatine improved memory in healthy individuals, most clearly in older adults; effects modest. |
| McMorris T, Mielcarz G, Harris RC, Swain JP, Howard A 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, González A, Dosal I, León I, Arancibia M 2026 · Revista medica de Chile | 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 A, Matusch A, Hengstler L, Beer S, Kroll T, Klein S, Elmenhorst D, Bauer A, Drzezga A 2026 · Nutrients | RCT | supports | moderate | A single high dose of creatine reduced sleep-deprivation-induced cognitive deterioration. |
| Fernandez-Garrido J, Martin EG, Saez-Berlanga A, Gargallo-Bayo P, Gene-Morales J, Alix-Fages C, Jiménez-Martínez P, Caballero O, Salvador-Palmer R, Colado JC 2026 · Experimental Gerontology | RCT | mixed | low | 16-wk randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial (NCT06620666), 103 older adults, creatine 3 g/d randomised against placebo across three training conditions. The cognitive endpoint measured was the trail-making test. The abstract's creatine-specific results are 'increasing GPx, reducing IL-6/TNF-alpha and improving strength and function when combined with exercise modalities' and, creatine alone, 'reduced F2-iso and TNF-alpha and improved perceived health versus placebo' - cognition appears in neither list. The 'significant improvements in neurocognitive biomarkers ... (p < 0.05)' quoted previously is the effect of BOTH TRAINING MODALITIES, and BDNF is a neuroplasticity biomarker rather than cognitive performance; it should not be read as a creatine effect on cognition. From the abstract this trial therefore cannot settle creatine vs placebo on the trail-making test - stance held at mixed pending full text, which would resolve it. Product supplied by creatine manufacturer AlzChem Group AG. |
| Rawson ES, Lieberman HR, Walsh TM, Zuber SM, Harhart JM, Matthews TC 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 KI, Spyrou N, Bougioukas KI, Kapogiannis D 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. |
| Sandkühler JF, Kersting X, Faust A, Königs EK, Altman G, Ettinger U, Lux S, Philipsen A, Müller H, Brauner J 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 CR, Merege Filho CA, Benatti FB, Brucki S, Pereira RM, de Sá Pinto AL, Lima FR, Roschel H, Gualano B 2013 · PLoS One | RCT | contradicts | moderate | Alves 2013 24-wk double-blind 2x2 RCT, healthy older women (56 randomised, 47 analysed, 12-13/arm), creatine 5 g/d vs placebo with or without strength training: 'Neither strength training nor creatine supplementation altered any parameter of cognitive performance' (Table 3 between-group p 0.07-0.99; MMSE p=0.12). Null on a directional claim = contradicts. Small, powered on the depression scale not cognition; non-impaired population. |
| McMorris T, Harris RC, Swain J, Corbett J, Collard K, Dyson RJ, Dye L, Hodgson C, Draper N 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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