28/09/2025
A preliminary study conducted suggests that creatine supplementation has the potential to improve cognition in people with Alzheimer’s disease.
The primary objective of the study was to assess the safety and feasibility of using creatine supplementation but the research team also found that the supplements improved working memory and executive function in their Alzheimer patients.
In Alzheimer’s disease, there is a problem with how the brain produces and uses energy.
As the brain needs creatine for energy metabolism, researchers theorize that supplementing the brain with more creatine increases available energy in the brain energy and, therefore, boosts memory and thinking processes.
STUDY - PMID: 40395689
19 participants with Alzheimer’s disease ages 60-90, recruited through the KU Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, took 20 grams of creatine monohydrate, a powder they could mix into the beverage of their choice, every day for eight weeks.
Blood draws were conducted at baseline, at 4 weeks and at 8 weeks, and participants underwent magnetic resonance spectroscopy imaging at baseline and at 8 weeks to measure creatine in the brain.
Besides demonstrating that the supplementation dosage was feasible and well tolerated in the participants, the study also showed an 11% increase in brain creatine levels.
Researchers also used the NIH Toolbox Cognition Battery at baseline and at the end of the study to measure cognitive changes in participants.
They saw a moderate improvement in working memory (task-oriented memory) and there was a moderate boost in executive functioning which includes a person’s ability to focus and ignore distractions.
RESULT
The study serves as the first evidence in humans that creatine supplementation is feasible in people with Alzheimer’s disease and may offer them cognitive benefits.
