The Study
Effects of 6 weeks of high-dose creatine monohydrate supplementation with or without guanidinoacetic acid on cognitive function
This study gave different supplements to people and then tested how fast they could answer questions on a computer. It found that one combo of supplements made people a bit quicker at some tasks, but not always. It doesn't prove the supplements make you smarter overall—just that they might help you react faster in certain tests.
Analysis score
Maximum 90 for a randomized controlled trial.
Where the score came from
Scientists gave healthy adults either creatine, a creatine-building chemical, both, or nothing, then tested how fast they reacted to tasks.
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 568 / 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.
- 1Faster reactions and fewer mistakes on attention tasks could mean better focus and quicker thinking under pressure — useful for driving, gaming, or fast-paced jobs.
- 2People who took both creatine and the chemical reacted 28.7% faster on simple reaction tests and 38.8% faster on tricky decision tests.
- 3They also made 9.1% fewer mistakes on a vigilance task.
- 4Memory tests didn't improve.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition
Year
2025
Authors
Jisun Chun, Khatereh Babakhani, Drew E. Gonzalez, B. Dickerson, R. Sowinski, Christopher J. Rasmussen, R. Kreider
Related Content
Claims (6)
Creatine supplementation increases brain energy metabolism, leading to improved cognitive performance and decreased mental fatigue.
In healthy adults aged 26–55 who are recreationally active, daily intake of 10 grams of creatine monohydrate and 2 grams of guanidinoacetic acid for six weeks reduces reaction time in cognitive tasks by 28.7% for YES responses and by 18.1% for overall responses.
Taking 10 grams of creatine monohydrate and 2 grams of guanidinoacetic acid daily for six weeks improves reaction time accuracy by 38.8% during a cognitive test that measures executive control, compared to taking creatine monohydrate alone.
Taking 10 grams of creatine monohydrate and 2 grams of guanidinoacetic acid daily for six weeks improves performance on the Digit Vigilance test by 9.1% compared to taking guanidinoacetic acid alone.
Taking 10 grams of creatine monohydrate and 2 grams of guanidinoacetic acid daily for six weeks does not change performance on tests of working memory or spatial memory in healthy adults.
Taking 10 grams of creatine monohydrate and 2 grams of guanidinoacetic acid daily for six weeks does not improve memory recall or accuracy on word and picture recognition tests, but it is linked to slightly faster reaction times.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.