Effects of creatine supplementation on memory in healthy individuals: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
Level 1 - systematic review of randomized trials
Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
PubMed 35984306 · doi:10.1093/nutrit/nuac064
What was done
A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) searched PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and Scopus from inception until September 2021 to determine the effects of creatine supplementation compared with placebo on memory performance in healthy humans. Ten RCTs met inclusion criteria for the systematic review, with 8 included in the meta-analysis.
What was found
Creatine supplementation improved memory performance compared with placebo overall (SMD = 0.29; 95% CI, 0.04–0.53; I² = 66%; P = 0.02). Subgroup analysis showed significant memory improvement in older adults aged 66–76 years (SMD = 0.88; 95% CI, 0.22–1.55; I² = 83%; P = 0.009), but no effect in younger participants aged 11–31 years (SMD = 0.03; 95% CI, -0.14 to 0.20; I² = 0%; P = 0.72). Creatine dose (~2.2–20 g/day), duration (5 days to 24 weeks), sex, and geographic origin did not alter findings.
Why it matters
These findings suggest that creatine supplementation may selectively enhance memory performance in older adults, offering a low-cost nutritional strategy targeting brain bioenergetics in healthy aging.
Limits
The meta-analysis included only 8 RCTs, and the total participant count was not reported in the abstract. Heterogeneity was substantial overall (I² = 66%) and high in the older subgroup (I² = 83%). Intervention protocols varied widely in dosing (2.2 to 20 g/day) and duration (5 days to 24 weeks), and no benefit was observed in younger populations.
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