The benefits of creatine extend beyond muscle function.
While many lifters take creatine for muscle growth and performance, a lesser-known effect is its ability to cross the blood-brain barrier and boost brain creatine reserves.
Emerging research offers a glimpse of creatine's potential to improve cognitive health. Let’s look at:
- How creatine works in the brain
- Research into creatine’s impact on brain health
- How to use creatine for cognitive health
Creatine Basics
Creatine is an important component of the body's energy production system, especially under stressful conditions such as intense exercise.
Creatine is stored as phosphocreatine, an energy substrate the body can draw on to rapidly produce ATP when energy demand is high.
While some creatine is available from the diet and is naturally stored by the body, creatine supplementation has been shown to increase stored phosphocreatine levels in tissues with high energy demands, such as muscle and brain. [1]
In muscle tissue, these additional stores allow for increased force, power, endurance, and mass. [2] There is a wealth of quality research that confirms these effects.
But the exact impact on the brain is less clearly defined.
Creatine And The Brain
Despite making up only 2% of body mass, the brain consumes 20% of the body's energy. It’s an energy-intensive organ.
The function of synapses, as well as the production of neurotransmitters, requires a consistent supply of energy. The brain, like muscle tissue, maintains a relatively high level of creatine and phosphocreatine as a buffer against delays in energy production. [3]
The critical role of creatine in the brain becomes more apparent when we look at individuals with genetic creatine deficiency disorders. Developmental delays, intellectual disability, and behavioral disorders are common due to the absence of creatine. [4] Thankfully, in many cases, creatine supplementation can reverse these effects.
Taking a creatine supplement increases stored creatine and phosphocreatine in the brain, especially in regions with lower baseline levels. [5]
In addition to boosting stored creatine for energy production, supplementation may support brain health by:
Research is ongoing to clarify the mechanisms by which creatine influences brain function. There is much to learn about how and why creatine affects the brain, and how that knowledge can be used to support cognitive health.
Current studies on creatine and the brain have shown promise in several areas of cognition.
Creatine and Memory
Memory storage is an energy-demanding cognitive process.
A recent meta-analysis pooled the results of 8 studies examining the effects of creatine on memory in healthy adults. A total of 225 participants were enrolled in trials comparing the effects of creatine supplementation versus a placebo on memory performance. [8]
Participants taking creatine performed better on memory-related tasks, with the effects being more pronounced in individuals aged 65 and older.
These results were confirmed in a previous large meta-analysis that included 16 studies and nearly 500 participants. [9] Researchers found a significant improvement in memory in individuals supplementing with creatine.
The creatine doses used in many of these studies were higher than the doses commonly recommended for fitness benefits. While 5 grams/day is an effective dose for strength and muscular performance, a majority of trials examining cognitive benefits use a dose of 10-20 grams/day. We’ll look closer at that in a moment.
Creatine and Alzheimer's Dementia
Creatine’s ability to improve the brain’s energy production has led to the question of whether it may be beneficial for those with neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia.
Research in this area is limited, though promising.
A recent pilot study in 20 individuals with Alzheimer's disease found that a 20-gram/day dose of creatine over 8 weeks resulted in an 11% increase in brain creatine concentration and improvements in memory, executive function, and reading recognition. [10]
While this was a small, single-arm pilot study, the results lay the groundwork for larger, randomized trials. It is too soon to say whether these promising results will hold up under further testing. Still, creatine’s safety profile, low cost, and ease of access make its therapeutic potential especially interesting.
Creatine and Depression
Several studies in the 2010’s suggested a positive effect of creatine supplementation on symptoms of depression in individuals with poor response to first-line treatments. [11] [12] [13]
A 2025 randomized, placebo-controlled pilot study examined the effects of creatine supplementation in individuals with depression who also underwent cognitive behavioral therapy. [14] The group receiving 5 grams/day of creatine experienced significantly greater improvement in their depression symptoms.
Again, larger trials are needed to confirm these preliminary results, but creatine’s impact on the brain appears to extend to mood regulation, which offers hope to those with depression.
Creatine Dose For Cognitive Health
Creatine has a limited capacity to cross the blood-brain barrier. Although it does cross, research suggests that a higher supplemental dose is required to increase creatine concentrations in the brain. [15]
Further studies are needed to clarify the dose most likely to provide benefit in different cognitive conditions. However, current research suggests a dose in the range of 10-20 grams/day is likely necessary for brain health.
Final Word
Creatine is a safe, effective, and low-cost supplement with a long history of use in the fitness world. Both men and women benefit from including creatine in their daily fitness routine.
Its impact on cognitive health is an emerging field with considerable promise.
Exercising, eating a healthy diet, getting good sleep, and managing stress are important lifestyle factors that protect the brain as you age. The targeted use of quality supplements is another tool in your well-being toolbox.
A wealth of studies are ongoing to provide detailed guidance on how creatine can support cognitive health.
For now, creatine has enough known benefits to make it a worthwhile addition. We include 5 grams in our Recovery formula to give you all the muscle-boosting benefits.
References
1. Persky, A M, and G A Brazeau. “Clinical pharmacology of the dietary supplement creatine monohydrate.” Pharmacological reviews vol. 53,2 (2001): 161-76.
2. Kreider, Richard B et al. “International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: safety and efficacy of creatine supplementation in exercise, sport, and medicine.” Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition vol. 14 18. 13 Jun. 2017, doi:10.1186/s12970-017-0173-z
3. Pan, J W, and K Takahashi. “Cerebral energetic effects of creatine supplementation in humans.” American journal of physiology. Regulatory, integrative and comparative physiology vol. 292,4 (2007): R1745-50. doi:10.1152/ajpregu.00717.2006
4. Joncquel-Chevalier Curt, Marie et al. “Creatine biosynthesis and transport in health and disease.” Biochimie vol. 119 (2015): 146-65. doi:10.1016/j.biochi.2015.10.022
5. Prokopidis, Konstantinos et al. “Effects of creatine supplementation on memory in healthy individuals: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.” Nutrition reviews vol. 81,4 (2023): 416-427. doi:10.1093/nutrit/nuac064
6. Ostojic, Sergej M, and László Rátgéber. “Creatine as a mitochondrial theranostic in predictive, preventive, and personalized medicine.” The EPMA journal vol. 16,3 541-553. 1 Sep. 2025, doi:10.1007/s13167-025-00420-9
7. Sestili, Piero et al. “Creatine as an antioxidant.” Amino acids vol. 40,5 (2011): 1385-96. doi:10.1007/s00726-011-0875-5
8. Prokopidis, Konstantinos et al. “Effects of creatine supplementation on memory in healthy individuals: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.” Nutrition reviews vol. 81,4 (2023): 416-427. doi:10.1093/nutrit/nuac064
9. Xu, Chen et al. “The effects of creatine supplementation on cognitive function in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis.” Frontiers in nutrition vol. 11 1424972. 12 Jul. 2024, doi:10.3389/fnut.2024.1424972
10. Smith, Aaron N et al. “Creatine monohydrate pilot in Alzheimer's: Feasibility, brain creatine, and cognition.” Alzheimer's & dementia (New York, N. Y.) vol. 11,2 e70101. 19 May. 2025, doi:10.1002/trc2.70101
11. Lyoo, In Kyoon et al. “A randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled trial of oral creatine monohydrate augmentation for enhanced response to a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor in women with major depressive disorder.” The American journal of psychiatry vol. 169,9 (2012): 937-945. doi:10.1176/appi.ajp.2012.12010009
12. Kious, Brent M et al. “An Open-Label Pilot Study of Combined Augmentation With Creatine Monohydrate and 5-Hydroxytryptophan for Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor- or Serotonin-Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitor-Resistant Depression in Adult Women.” Journal of clinical psychopharmacology vol. 37,5 (2017): 578-583. doi:10.1097/JCP.0000000000000754
13. Yoon, Sujung et al. “Effects of Creatine Monohydrate Augmentation on Brain Metabolic and Network Outcome Measures in Women With Major Depressive Disorder.” Biological psychiatry vol. 80,6 (2016): 439-447. doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2015.11.027
14. Sherpa, Nima Norbu et al. “Efficacy and safety profile of oral creatine monohydrate in add-on to cognitive-behavioural therapy in depression: An 8-week pilot, double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled feasibility and exploratory trial in an under-resourced area.” European neuropsychopharmacology : the journal of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology vol. 90 (2025): 28-35. doi:10.1016/j.euroneuro.2024.10.004
15. Roschel, Hamilton et al. “Creatine Supplementation and Brain Health.” Nutrients vol. 13,2 586. 10 Feb. 2021, doi:10.3390/nu13020586
