The Study
The effects of creatine supplementation on cognitive performance—a randomised controlled study
This study tried to see if taking creatine makes your brain work better, like remembering more numbers or solving puzzles faster. It found a tiny hint that maybe it helps a little with one memory task, but not enough to be sure. So we can't say it definitely helps — just that it might, a little.
Analysis score
Maximum 90 for a randomized controlled trial.
Where the score came from
Scientists gave people a daily powder (creatine) or a fake one for 6 weeks and tested their memory and thinking skills to see if creatine helped.
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 590 / 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.
- 1The changes were so tiny they wouldn’t make a person feel smarter in daily life — like gaining 1–2.5 IQ points, which is less than the difference between two people of similar ability.
- 2People who took creatine remembered 0.41 more numbers in a memory test (barely noticeable) and solved 0.23 more puzzles — but neither change was big enough to be sure it wasn’t random.
- 3They also felt more side effects like stomach upset.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
BMC Medicine
Year
2023
Authors
J. F. Sandkühler, Xenia A K Kersting, A. Faust, Eva Kathrin Königs, G. Altman, U. Ettinger, S. Lux, A. Philipsen, Helge Müller, Jan Brauner
Related Content
Claims (6)
In healthy young adults, taking 5 grams of creatine monohydrate daily for six weeks is associated with a very small increase in backward digit span performance but no meaningful change in abstract reasoning or other cognitive tasks.
Taking 5 grams of creatine daily for six weeks does not change performance on tests of abstract reasoning in healthy young adults.
Taking 5 grams of creatine daily for six weeks does not improve cognitive performance more in vegetarians than in people who eat meat.
Taking 5 grams of creatine daily for six weeks is linked to a 4.25 times higher rate of minor, self-reported side effects compared to taking a placebo, with no serious health events reported.
A large, well-conducted study found that creatine has only a small and uncertain effect on backward digit span performance, and the previously reported large benefit was not supported by the data.
Creatine supplementation increases brain energy metabolism, leading to improved cognitive performance and decreased mental fatigue.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.