Taking creatine supplements at 10 or 20 grams per day for six weeks does not change the level of oxygen in the prefrontal cortex of healthy young adults when they perform memory or decision-making tasks.

We analyzed one assertion on this topic and found that taking creatine supplements at 10 or 20 grams per day for six weeks does not change the level of oxygen in the prefrontal cortex of healthy young adults during memory or decision-making tasks [1]. This is the only piece of evidence we’ve reviewed so far, and it does not suggest any increase or decrease in oxygen levels in that brain region as a result of supplementation. The prefrontal cortex is the part of the brain involved in focus, planning, and short-term memory. Oxygen levels there can reflect how hard that area is working during mental tasks. Some people wonder if creatine — a compound naturally found in muscle and brain tissue — might boost brain energy and, in turn, change how much oxygen the brain uses during thinking. But based on what we’ve seen, this particular dose and duration of creatine didn’t appear to shift those oxygen levels in young, healthy adults. We only have one assertion to work with, and it doesn’t show a change. That doesn’t mean creatine has no effect on the brain — it just means, in this specific case, under these conditions, we didn’t find evidence of altered oxygenation. More studies with different doses, longer timeframes, or different populations might show something else. For now, if you’re taking creatine for muscle or energy and wondering whether it’s changing how your brain uses oxygen during tasks like studying or problem-solving, the evidence we’ve reviewed so far suggests it’s not happening in the way this one study looked at it.