Effects of creatine supplementation on cognitive function of healthy individuals: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials
Research snapshot:
2018 systematic review finds creatine supplementation may enhance short-term memory and reasoning in healthy individuals.
2018 |
Systematic review |
Creatine |
Cognitive function |
Overview.
This systematic review examines the effects of oral creatine supplementation on cognitive function in healthy individuals, finding potential improvements in short-term memory and intelligence/reasoning.
Background.
A team of researchers associated with the Hellenic Airforce General Hospital, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, and the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens conducted this study, which was published in the journal 'Experimental Gerontology'.
Objectives.
The aim of this systematic review is to investigate the effects of oral creatine administration on cognitive function in healthy individuals, particularly focusing on memory, executive function, attention, and reasoning. The researchers sought to determine whether creatine supplementation could improve these cognitive domains.
Study design.
The study included six randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with a total of 281 participants. The trials were conducted in various countries such as Japan, USA, Australia, and the UK. The study designs included double-blind RCTs and one cross-over RCT. Participants were supplemented with either creatine or placebo and underwent various cognitive tasks before and after supplementation.
Results.
The results indicated that creatine supplementation may improve short-term memory and intelligence/reasoning in healthy individuals. However, the effects on long-term memory, spatial memory, executive function, and attention were unclear. Vegetarians showed better improvements in memory tasks compared to meat-eaters. Young adults did not exhibit significant improvements in cognitive tasks after creatine supplementation.
Conclusions.
The review suggests that creatine supplementation may have beneficial effects on certain cognitive functions, particularly in short-term memory and intelligence/reasoning. However, the evidence for other cognitive domains is inconclusive. The researchers highlight the need for larger sample sizes and studies on patients with dementias or cognitive impairment.
Original paper.
Konstantinos I. Avgerinos, Nikolaos Spyrou, Konstantinos I. Bougioukas, Dimitrios Kapogiannis, 'Effects of creatine supplementation on cognitive function of healthy individuals: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials,' Experimental Gerontology, 108, 166–173, doi: 10.1016/j.exger.2018.04.013
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