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Creatine’s Energizing Effects May Benefit Alzheimer’s Patients, New Study Shows
Currently, about 1 in 9 people age 65 and over are living with Alzheimer’s disease—about 7.2 million Americans. By 2050, that number is projected to reach 12.7 million by 2050. The need to find effective therapies to slow the progression of this degenerative disease is top-of-mind for scientists and physicians.
One such option is creatine. Yes, creatine—aka the go-to supplement for gym bros and fitness enthusiasts (although it helps everyone build muscle). This compound is vital in energy supply—for muscles and the brain.
In a first-of-its-kind study, researchers found that creatine supplements may improve measures of cognitive function for those with Alzheimer’s. Here’s what you need to know.
About the study
This was the first clinical trial to test creatine monohydrate in patients with Alzheimer's disease.
Previous research in mice has shown positive results on creatine monohydrate in sustaining brain energy.
Plus, human clinical trials show it supports memory in healthy individuals. So researchers hypothesized that creatine supplementation would be feasible for Alzheimer’s patients, increase brain creatine levels, and improve cognitive performance.
To test that, 20 people with clinically confirmed Alzheimer’s disease took 20 grams of creatine a day for eight weeks.
At weeks four and eight, blood samples were drawn to confirm whether each person was taking their creatine dose daily. And, brain creatine levels measured and cognitive tests were taken at the beginning of the study and at the end of eight weeks.
Creatine supplements, brain creatine levels & improved cognition
Overall, the results from this pilot study were overwhelmingly positive.
- Blood creatine levels were significantly higher at both 4 and 8 weeks compared to the start (indicating that the supplement was being absorbed effectively)
- Creatine levels in the brain increased by 11% (meaning creatine is actually reaching the brain, not just circulating in the blood).
Several measures of cognitive function improved:
- Global cognition (overall thinking processes)
- Problem-solving
- Processing new information
- List sorting
- Oral reading
- Attention and inhibitory control
The researchers expected that creatine might help memory and skills like planning, attention, and problem-solving because these are usually the most impaired in Alzheimer’s. What was a (pleasant) unexpected finding was the benefit on other areas of brain function—like the reading test.
Now, it’s important to note that there was no control group in this study. It only measured individual change pre- and post-creatine supplementation. This is a common practice in pilot studies, which are designed to assess the feasibility of an intervention to guide future studies—not get into the nitty-gritty of the efficacy.
Overall, this pilot study was a success as it achieved the key goals typical of a well-designed pilot: demonstrating feasibility, ensuring safety, and showing early signs of promise for future research.
RELATED READ: The 5 Best Creatine Monohydrate Supplements
How does creatine impact cognition?
Brain cells typically rely on glucose for energy. However, Alzheimer’s disease alters glucose metabolism, putting brain cells in a chronic energy deficit.
Creatine in the brain can be used to generate energy (in the form of ATP). So boosting creatine levels in the brain may improve the brain’s ability to produce and use energy and contribute to some of the benefits this study revealed.
How much creatine to take for cognition
The authors of the study did not specifically mention why they landed on 20 grams of creatine monohydrate a day (split into two 10-gram doses).
That amount aligns with what is known as a loading dose1 in the fitness world. This means it’s a larger amount of creatine typically used in the short term to increase the body's creatine access and stores quickly.
After the body is properly "loaded," people then typically shift to a daily dose of 5 grams.
Possibly, researchers landed on this larger (but still safe) dose of the compound due to help counter the known energy deficits of the disease.
However, research in healthy adults shows that a daily dose of 5 to 10 grams of creatine is sufficient for promoting healthy cognition (as well as muscle health).
This 2023 meta-analysis showed that creatine supplementation in healthy adults significantly improved memory, especially for those 66-76 years of age.
The takeaway
The brain health benefits of creatine continue to stack up. This new study of Alzheimer’s patients is the first to show that this readily available and affordable supplement may be used with other treatment options to target Alzheimer's-related brain changes.
It will be exciting to see the results of larger-scale, placebo-controlled trials that will likely stem from this pilot trial.