Creatine for the Mind: The Surprising Mental Health and Cognitive Benefits of This Popular Supplement
You might know creatine as something gym-goers use to build muscle—but emerging science is uncovering how it might also support your brain, reduce fatigue, and even help with depression. Creatine is a naturally occurring compound found in small amounts in foods like meat and fish, and it's also synthesised by the body. While it's widely known for enhancing physical performance by boosting energy production in muscles, recent research highlights its significant psychological and neurological benefits. Creatine plays a crucial role in brain energy metabolism, and supplementation has been shown to increase brain creatine levels, which may enhance cognitive functions such as memory and reasoning.
Studies suggest that creatine can reduce mental fatigue, improve mood, and even alleviate symptoms of depression and anxiety, particularly when used alongside traditional treatments. These effects are especially notable in individuals under stress, vegetarians (who may have lower dietary creatine intake), and older adults. Overall, creatine is emerging as a promising supplement not just for physical health, but also for supporting brain function and emotional well-being.
What Is Creatine and How Does It Work?
Creatine is a naturally occurring compound made from the amino acids arginine, glycine, and methionine. It’s primarily stored in skeletal muscles (about 95%) and in smaller amounts in the brain and other tissues. In both muscles and the brain, creatine plays a critical role in energy metabolism, particularly through its involvement in the regeneration of adenosine triphosphate (ATP)—the primary energy currency of cells.
Here’s how it works:
ATP Regeneration: During high-energy demand (like intense exercise or cognitive effort), ATP is rapidly broken down into ADP (adenosine diphosphate), releasing energy. Creatine phosphate (the stored form of creatine) donates a phosphate group to ADP to quickly regenerate ATP. This process is especially important in tissues with high and fluctuating energy needs, such as muscles and the brain.
Storage in the Brain and Muscles: In muscles, creatine helps sustain short bursts of high-intensity activity. In the brain, it supports cognitive functions by maintaining energy availability during tasks that require focus, memory, or problem-solving. The brain’s demand for ATP spikes during such activities, and creatine helps buffer this demand.
Why It Helps the Brain: The brain is an energy-intensive organ. Creatine supplementation increases the brain’s phosphocreatine stores, enhancing its ability to regenerate ATP quickly. This can lead to improved mental performance, reduced mental fatigue, and potentially better mood regulation, especially under stress or in individuals with lower baseline creatine levels (like vegetarians or older adults).
Cognitive Benefits of Creatine
A major study published in 2024 looked at how creatine affects brain function. Researchers reviewed 16 high-quality experiments involving nearly 500 people, ranging from young adults to older individuals. They found that taking creatine supplements helped improve memory and made it easier for people to focus and process information quickly. These benefits were especially noticeable in people with certain health conditions, women, and those between 18 and 60 years old. However, creatine didn’t seem to make a big difference in overall thinking skills or decision-making. The study suggests that creatine can be a helpful boost for brain performance, especially in situations where the brain is under stress or needs extra energy.
Additionally, the study by Rae et al. (2003) is one of the earliest and most cited investigations into the cognitive effects of creatine supplementation. In this randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, healthy young adults were given 5 grams of creatine daily for six weeks. The researchers found that participants who took creatine showed significant improvements in two key areas of cognitive performance: working memory and intelligence. These improvements were especially noticeable on tasks that required quick thinking and mental processing, such as the Raven’s Advanced Progressive Matrices and the Backward Digit Span test. The study suggested that creatine helps the brain by boosting its energy supply, particularly during mentally demanding tasks, which may explain the enhanced performance. This research was especially influential because it showed that a simple dietary supplement could have measurable effects on brain function in healthy individuals.
Creatine and Mental Health: Depression and Fatigue
Research into creatine and depression has uncovered promising evidence that this common supplement may help improve mood and support mental health, especially in people who don’t fully respond to traditional antidepressants. One key reason is that depression has been linked to problems with brain energy metabolism—essentially, the brain not producing or using energy efficiently. Creatine helps by acting as an energy buffer and shuttle in the brain, storing and transporting energy where it’s needed most, particularly during times of stress or high demand.
Several studies have shown that creatine supplementation can enhance the effects of antidepressants. For example, in one study, women with major depressive disorder who took 5 grams of creatine daily alongside the antidepressant escitalopram experienced faster and greater improvements in their symptoms compared to those taking the antidepressant alone. Other small studies have reported similar benefits when creatine was combined with different antidepressants
While not all studies agree on the extent of creatine’s benefits, and more large-scale trials are needed, the current research suggests that creatine could be a helpful addition to depression treatment—particularly for people with treatment-resistant depression or those with low brain energy levels
Creatine supports emotional regulation by helping the brain maintain a steady supply of energy, which is essential for managing mood and stress. The brain is one of the most energy-demanding organs in the body, and when its energy balance is disrupted—as often seen in depression or anxiety—emotional regulation can suffer. Creatine helps by boosting the brain’s ability to produce and recycle ATP, the molecule that powers nearly all cellular activity. This energy support is especially important in brain regions involved in mood regulation, such as the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus.
Studies have shown that creatine supplementation can enhance the effects of antidepressants, reduce symptoms of depression, and improve stress resilience. It may be particularly helpful for individuals with low dietary creatine intake (like vegetarians) or those experiencing chronic stress. Some research even suggests that creatine could help restore brain structure and function by supporting grey matter volume and neurotransmitter balance.
In summary, creatine is widely recognised for its role in enhancing physical performance, but growing research shows it also offers meaningful benefits for brain health and emotional well-being. By supporting the brain’s energy systems, creatine helps improve memory, attention, and mental clarity—especially during periods of stress or fatigue. It has shown promise in reducing symptoms of depression, boosting the effects of antidepressants, and supporting emotional regulation by stabilising energy levels in key brain regions involved in mood control. Whether you're an athlete, a student, or someone looking to support mental health, creatine stands out as a simple, well-researched supplement that benefits both body and mind.
References
Creatine: A Treatment for Memory and Mental Health?
Creatine for Mental Health? What Science Says About Depression and Anxiety