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Creatine and the Ageing Brain: What a 2026 Review Found

11 min read

Creatine is best known as a muscle supplement. A 2026 review in Nutrition Reviews gathered every study it found on creatine and thinking skills in adults aged 55 and over. Six studies with 1,542 people met its criteria, and five of the six linked creatine with better memory or attention. The only randomised trial, rated the highest quality of the six, found no effect.

This guide covers what the review found, why the evidence is weaker than five out of six sounds, how creatine might act in the brain, what doses the studies used, what is known about safety, and how to think about trying it. The short version: the signal is interesting, but it rests mostly on diet surveys and one small, short trial.

5 of 6
Studies in adults over 55 that linked creatine with better memory, attention or processing speed, 4 of them diet surveys
Marshall et al. 2026, 1,542 people
24 weeks
Length of the review's only randomised trial, in which creatine did not change any measure of thinking in older women
Alves et al. 2013, 56 women
~5%
Share of the body's creatine found in the brain and testes, with about 95% in muscle
Kreider et al. 2017, ISSN position stand
8.7%
Average rise in brain creatine after 4 weeks of 20 g a day, in 6 healthy young adults
Dechent et al. 1999
Sources: Marshall et al. 2026, Nutrition Reviews. Alves et al. 2013, PLOS ONE. Kreider et al. 2017, Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. Dechent et al. 1999, American Journal of Physiology.

What the 2026 review found

Samantha Marshall and colleagues at Western University in Canada searched eight databases for studies of creatine and thinking skills in adults aged 55 and over. They excluded studies that tested creatine only alongside another treatment, such as strength training, so the effect of creatine could be seen on its own. Six studies met their criteria, with 1,542 participants, 55.7% of them women, most of them healthy older adults living at home. None of the studies tested people with memory problems or dementia, and the authors call for research in older people with notable memory and thinking problems.

Four of the six were cross-sectional diet surveys. They estimated how much creatine people ate from dietary recall surveys and compared thinking test scores between higher and lower intake groups. Most of the cut-offs used to split the groups were 1 g a day or less, and none was above about 1.6 g, well below a typical supplement dose of between 3 and 5 g. Creatine in food comes mainly from red meat and seafood. All four linked higher intake with better scores on tests of attention, short-term memory or processing speed. One of them, with 1,340 people, made up most of the review's total sample.

Two studies gave creatine supplements. In a 2007 study by Terry McMorris and colleagues, 32 older adults with an average age of about 76 took either a placebo for two weeks or a placebo for one week and then 20 g of creatine a day for one week. The 15 people who took creatine did better on forward number recall, spatial recall and long-term memory, but not on backward number recall. The review also reports no effect on a random number task, though the study's own summary reports one. In a 2013 randomised trial by Christiano Alves and colleagues, 56 women aged 60 to 80 were split into four groups of 14: placebo, creatine, placebo with strength training, or creatine with strength training. Creatine was taken at 20 g a day for 5 days and then 5 g a day, for 24 weeks in total. Neither creatine nor strength training changed any measure of thinking. The trial left out women with heart conditions, high blood pressure, diabetes or other chronic diseases, so its results apply to healthy women.

How the review rated its six studies Number of studies at each quality rating, and what they found Good 1, no effect Fair 2, both linked Poor 3, all linked 0 1 2 3
Source: Marshall et al. 2026, Nutrition Reviews. The highlighted bar is the 24-week randomised trial of 56 women. The fair studies were the one-week supplement study of 32 people and a diet survey of 1,340 people. The poor studies were diet surveys of 45, 42 and 27 people. No study was rated excellent. Surveys show links between diet and test scores, not cause and effect.

Why the evidence is weaker than it sounds

The review rated one study good, two fair and three poor, and was unable to pool the results into a single estimate because the studies differed so much. The good-quality study was the randomised trial that found no effect. None of the studies that used a general test of thinking, the Mini Mental State Examination, found a link or a change.

The authors point out that diet surveys cannot separate creatine from other things people with higher intake might do, such as eating more omega-3 fats, being more active or more socially engaged. The two supplement studies disagreed, and they differed in design: one was a 24-week randomised trial, the other a one-week study with no explicit mention of random allocation. Other reviews also disagree on age. One found the clearest benefit in adults aged 18 to 60, while another found memory benefits in older adults but not in younger people. The authors call for high-quality, longer trials.

How creatine might act in the brain

A 2017 position stand from the International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN), led by Richard Kreider, reports that about 95% of the body's creatine sits in muscle, with about 5% in the brain and testes. The Marshall review describes how creatine helps cells rebuild ATP (adenosine triphosphate), the molecule that powers them, through a store called phosphocreatine. The authors suggest that extra brain creatine might support energy supply during demanding thinking tasks, but say more research is needed to confirm this.

Raising brain creatine appears to take more than raising muscle creatine. In a 1999 study, Peter Dechent and colleagues gave 6 healthy young volunteers 20 g of creatine a day for 4 weeks. Brain creatine rose by 8.7% on average, with wide variation from 3.5% to 13.3%, and the smallest rises were in the two heaviest men. The ISSN position stand notes that higher doses for longer might be needed to raise brain creatine.

Rise in brain creatine after 4 weeks 20 g of creatine a day, measured by brain scan, by region Thalamus 14.6% White matter 11.5% Overall average 8.7% Cerebellum 5.4% Grey matter 4.7% 0% 9% 18%
Source: Dechent et al. 1999, American Journal of Physiology. Only 6 healthy young volunteers, so these figures are not from older adults. Levels were back to normal when measured at least 3 months after stopping. Rises varied from 3.5% to 13.3% between people.

What doses the studies used

The ISSN position stand describes the quickest way to fill muscle stores as about 0.3 g per kg of body weight a day, roughly 5 g four times a day, for 5 to 7 days, then 3 to 5 g a day to keep stores topped up. A slower option is 3 g a day for 28 days. Both supplement studies in the 2026 review used 20 g a day at first, for 1 week in one study and 5 days in the other, and the trial then dropped to 5 g a day. In our view, it is unclear whether a higher daily dose for longer would have changed the trial's result.

What is known about safety

The ISSN position stand reports that short and long-term use, up to 30 g a day for 5 years, has been safe and well tolerated in healthy people and in a number of patient groups. Some of its authors declare industry links, including industry-funded creatine research. It reports no evidence that creatine increases gastrointestinal upset or kidney problems. Loading can cause short-term fluid retention of about 0.5 to 1 litre, which shows up as a small rise in body weight.

The position stand notes that some researchers suggest people with existing kidney disease consult their doctor before taking creatine. In our view, speak to your GP (general practitioner) before you start if you have kidney disease or have been told your kidney function is low, have diabetes or high blood pressure, take regular anti-inflammatory painkillers such as ibuprofen, take water tablets or other long-term prescribed medicines, or are pregnant or breastfeeding. Creatine is not a treatment for memory loss or dementia. If you or people close to you notice memory problems that are new, getting worse or affecting daily life, see your GP.

How to think about trying it

These steps are ours, not a tested programme. The 2026 review does not show that creatine improves thinking in older adults.

1
Choose creatine monohydrate
The ISSN position stand describes creatine monohydrate as the most studied form. In our view, choose a product that is third-party tested.
2
Stick to a standard dose
The ISSN describes between 3 and 5 g a day, with an optional loading week first. The brain studies used 20 g a day for 5 days to 4 weeks, and the 2026 review does not show that any dose improves thinking in older adults. In our view, do not go above 5 g a day without speaking to your GP.
3
Pair it with strength training
The 2026 review notes creatine is known to benefit ageing muscle and bone, especially with resistance training. In the 2013 trial, women who trained gained strength whether or not they took creatine, so the training is the proven part.
4
Keep expectations modest
In our view, treat any effect on memory as unproven. Creatine is not a treatment for memory loss. See your GP if you notice memory problems that are new or getting worse.

Frequently asked questions

Does creatine improve memory in older adults?
The evidence is mixed. Four diet surveys and a one-week supplement study linked creatine with better memory or attention, but a 24-week randomised trial in older women found no effect.
Does creatine harm the kidneys?
The ISSN (International Society of Sports Nutrition) position stand concludes there is no compelling evidence that creatine harms kidney function in healthy people, and reports that up to 30 g a day for up to 5 years has been safe in healthy people. In our view, check with your GP first if you have kidney disease, diabetes or high blood pressure.
Will I gain weight?
The ISSN position stand reports short-term fluid retention of about 0.5 to 1 litre during loading, which shows up as a small rise in weight.
Is it suitable for women over 50?
A 2021 review by Abbie Smith-Ryan and colleagues reports that women have lower natural creatine stores than men, and that women after menopause might benefit in muscle size and function at high doses of about 0.3 g per kg of body weight a day, several times a standard dose. For thinking, the only randomised trial in the 2026 review was in women aged 60 to 80 and found no effect. In our view, do not take high doses without speaking to your GP.
Does it matter how I take it?
The sources do not set a best time of day. The ISSN position stand reports that taking creatine with carbohydrate, or carbohydrate and protein, more consistently increases how much the body retains. In our view, if you have diabetes, ask your GP before adding extra carbohydrate.

The bottom line

A 2026 review of 6 studies in 1,542 adults over 55 found that 5 linked creatine with better memory or attention. Four of those were diet surveys, which cannot show cause and effect, and the only randomised trial, rated the highest quality, found no effect. Creatine raised brain creatine in a small study of young adults, and the ISSN position stand reports a strong safety record in healthy people. In our view, the case for creatine in older adults rests on muscle and bone with strength training, and any benefit for thinking is still unproven.

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Sources

  • Marshall S, Kitzan A, Wright J, Bocicariu L, Nagamatsu LS. Creatine and cognition in aging: a systematic review of evidence in older adults. Nutrition Reviews 2026. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40971619
  • Alves CR, Merege Filho CA, Benatti FB, et al. Creatine supplementation associated or not with strength training upon emotional and cognitive measures in older women: a randomized double-blind study. PLOS ONE 2013. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24098469
  • McMorris T, Mielcarz G, Harris RC, Swain JP, Howard A. Creatine supplementation and cognitive performance in elderly individuals. Aging, Neuropsychology, and Cognition 2007. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17828627
  • Kreider RB, Kalman DS, Antonio J, et al. International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: safety and efficacy of creatine supplementation in exercise, sport, and medicine. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition 2017. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28615996
  • Dechent P, Pouwels PJ, Wilken B, Hanefeld F, Frahm J. Increase of total creatine in human brain after oral supplementation of creatine-monohydrate. American Journal of Physiology 1999. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10484486
  • Smith-Ryan AE, Cabre HE, Eckerson JM, Candow DG. Creatine supplementation in women's health: a lifespan perspective. Nutrients 2021. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33800439
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