The Study
Effects of Creatine Monohydrate Augmentation on Brain Metabolic and Network Outcome Measures in Women With Major Depressive Disorder.
This study gave some women with depression either a supplement or a fake pill, while both groups took the same antidepressant. It found that the supplement group felt better and their brains showed changes. But we can't say it works for everyone—just these women in this study.
Analysis score
Maximum 90 for a randomized controlled trial.
Where the score came from
Women with depression took a daily creatine pill along with their antidepressant. Their brains were scanned before and after 8 weeks to see if creatine changed anything.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 548 / 100
Quality score
Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, minimizing bias. The gold standard for testing whether an intervention causes an effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes — the improvement in brain markers and mood suggests creatine may help antidepressants work better by boosting brain energy and communication.
- 2Women who took creatine felt better than those who took a placebo.
- 3Their brains showed more N-acetylaspartate (a sign of healthy energy use) and stronger connections between key brain regions.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Biological psychiatry
Year
2016
Authors
Sujung Yoon, Jieun E. Kim, Jaeuk Hwang, Tae-Suk Kim, H. Kang, E. Namgung, Soonhyun Ban, Subin Oh, Jeong-Nam Yang, P. Renshaw, I. Lyoo
Related Content
Claims (4)
Women with major depressive disorder have lower levels of N-acetylaspartate and reduced connectivity in key brain network hubs compared to women without the disorder, reflecting differences in brain energy use and structural wiring.
In women with major depressive disorder, taking creatine monohydrate along with escitalopram for 8 weeks results in higher levels of N-acetylaspartate in the prefrontal brain region.
In women with major depressive disorder taking escitalopram, taking 10 grams of creatine monohydrate daily for 8 weeks leads to greater improvement in depressive symptoms than a placebo, along with measurable increases in prefrontal N-acetylaspartate and stronger connectivity in key brain network hubs.
Taking creatine supplements raises the amount of creatine in the human brain.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.