Does creatine make your brain work better?
Creatine and improvement in cognitive function: Evaluation of a health claim pursuant to article 13(5) of regulation (EC) No 1924/2006
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Creatine’s proposed mechanism — boosting brain energy via phosphocreatine — was deemed 'weak' despite being biologically plausible.
Everyone assumes if creatine helps muscles, it must help the brain — but the science says the brain doesn’t respond the same way, even when the theory makes sense.
Practical Takeaways
Stop spending money on creatine for brain power — save it for muscle gains if that’s your goal.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Creatine’s proposed mechanism — boosting brain energy via phosphocreatine — was deemed 'weak' despite being biologically plausible.
Everyone assumes if creatine helps muscles, it must help the brain — but the science says the brain doesn’t respond the same way, even when the theory makes sense.
Practical Takeaways
Stop spending money on creatine for brain power — save it for muscle gains if that’s your goal.
Publication
Journal
EFSA Journal
Year
2024
Authors
Dominique Turck, T. Bohn, Montaña Cámara, Jacqueline Castenmiller, S. de Henauw, K. Hirsch‐Ernst, Á. Jos, A. Maciuk, I. Mangelsdorf, Breige McNulty, A. Naska, K. Pentieva, F. Thies, Ionut Craciun, T. Fiolet, A. Siani
Related Content
Claims (5)
Taking creatine every day for six weeks or more doesn't make your memory, focus, or thinking skills any better if you're a healthy adult.
Taking creatine supplements doesn't seem to help people with fibromyalgia, bipolar depression, or Huntington’s disease think better or remember things more clearly, based on studies that looked at it.
Taking creatine for a week at a high dose doesn't reliably make your brain work better—maybe it helps a little with one type of quick thinking test, but it doesn't help with memory, focus, or other brain skills.
Taking creatine powder at a high dose for a week doesn't make your brain work better in general — except for one tiny improvement in a specific test that measures how quickly you can ignore distractions. Your memory, focus, and decision-making don't improve at all.
Taking creatine supplements, even for several weeks or at different doses, doesn't make your brain work better if you're a healthy person — whether you're a kid, a vegetarian, or an older adult.