A meta-analysis of experiments that studied the effects of creatine supplements on healthy people found that the use of creatine supplements improved memory, especially in older adults aged 66 to 76 years. The benefits of creatine supplementation were observed regardless of intervention duration, participant gender, or intervention. their geographical origin; This research nutrition reviews.
Creatine is a naturally occurring compound found in small amounts in certain foods and produced in the body, primarily in the liver, kidneys, and pancreas. It is stored in muscles and serves as an energy source for high-intensity, short-duration activities such as sprinting and weight lifting. Creatine plays an important role in the regeneration of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the cell’s primary energy molecule, essential for muscle contraction and overall cellular energy function. Eating creatine-rich foods, such as red meat and fish, through your diet or through supplements increases your body’s stores of creatine.
Creatine supplements are commonly used by athletes, bodybuilders, and fitness enthusiasts to improve physical performance, increase muscle mass, and increase strength and power during high-intensity, short-duration exercise. These supplements are thought to increase the availability of creatine phosphate within the muscles, which is quickly converted to ATP during intense physical activity, thereby providing a greater energy supply. Numerous studies have shown that creatine supplementation improves performance in activities that require explosive speed and power, such as sprinting and weightlifting.
Study author Konstantinos Prokopidis and colleagues wanted to investigate the potential benefits of creatine supplementation on memory, given the brain’s high energy use and evidence suggesting creatine’s role in energy provision. Recognizing that multiple studies exist on the effects of creatine on memory, researchers aimed to synthesize these findings through a systematic review and meta-analysis.
The researchers focused on published randomized controlled trials that investigated the effects of creatine supplements on memory in healthy adults. An initial search across several scientific journal databases found 23 studies, of which 8 were deemed suitable for inclusion in the meta-analysis after detailed evaluation.
Results showed that creatine supplementation improved memory better than a placebo. This effect was particularly pronounced in older adults aged 66 to 76 years compared to those aged 11 to 31 years. There were no differences in effectiveness by gender. Studies with different intervention durations (5 days to 24 weeks) had similar effects. Similarly, the creatine dosage (2.2 to 20 grams per day) and the geographic origin of the study participants did not significantly influence the results.
“This systematic review and meta-analysis reveals that creatine monohydrate supplementation has beneficial effects on memory in healthy people. In subgroup analysis, the effects of creatine are more pronounced in older adults. “This study was shown to be powerful,” the study authors concluded.
This study contributes to scientific knowledge regarding the effects of creatine supplementation on memory function. However, the study authors note that many of the experiments they analyzed were of only moderate quality. Furthermore, the studies included in the meta-analysis used very different assessment tools to assess memory function, limiting the precision of the results.
paper, “Effects of creatine supplementation on memory in healthy people: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.” was written by Konstantinos Prokopidis, Panagiotis Gianos, Konstantinos K. Triamfilidis, Konstantinos S. Kechagias, Scott C. Forbes, and Darren G. Cando.
