The Study
450 Eight weeks of creatine monohydrate supplementation is feasible and associated with increased brain creatine in patients with AD
This study watched what happened when 20 people with Alzheimer’s took a supplement for eight weeks. They saw that creatine went up in their blood and brain, but they didn’t compare them to people who didn’t take it. So we can’t say the supplement caused the change—it might’ve been something else.
Analysis score
Maximum 90 for a randomized controlled trial.
Where the score came from
Scientists gave older adults with memory problems a daily spoonful of creatine powder for two months to see if it helped their brains store more energy.
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 531 / 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 — higher brain creatine may help brain cells work better, which could slow memory loss, but this study didn’t test memory improvement.
- 2Brain creatine went up by 11% (from 330 to 367 units), and blood creatine jumped from 0.6 to 15.0 mg/dL.
- 39 out of 10 people took it every day.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Journal of Clinical and Translational Science
Year
2025
Authors
Aaron N. Smith, Matthew K. Taylor, Choi In-Young, Phil Lee, Emma Kelly, Tanu Aroa, Faith N Waitsman
Related Content
Claims (4)
Taking 20 grams of creatine monohydrate every day for eight weeks raises blood creatine levels from an average of 0.6 mg/dL to 15.0 mg/dL in adults diagnosed with probable Alzheimer’s disease.
In adults with probable Alzheimer’s disease, taking 20 grams of creatine monohydrate daily for eight weeks was feasible, and 95% of participants followed the regimen at least 80% of the time based on self-reports and caregiver tracking.
In adults aged 73±6 years with probable Alzheimer’s disease, taking 20 grams of creatine monohydrate daily for eight weeks is feasible and linked to an 11% increase in brain creatine levels measured by proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy.
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.