Journal Article 2 Mentions
Creatine and improvement in cognitive function: Evaluation of a health claim pursuant to article 13(5) of regulation (EC) No 1924/2006
EFSA Panel on Nutrition, Novel Foods and Food Allergens (NDA)2024
Dominique TurckTorsten Bohn
Average · 66th Percentile
3 citations · Cell Biology
Open Access

TLDR

Taking creatine did not reliably improve thinking, memory, or attention. The evidence was too mixed to support promoting it as a way to improve mental performance.

Summary

1 Study Aim

The study assessed whether creatine supplementation supports a health claim (a statement that a food benefits health) about improved cognitive function (mental abilities such as memory, attention, and problem-solving). The authors evaluated whether the evidence showed a cause-and-effect relationship for healthy adults under the proposed conditions of use, including 3 grams daily. The researchers asked whether creatine consistently improves mental abilities in people.

2 Study Design

The EFSA Panel reviewed human intervention evidence supplied by the applicant. The applicant identified 21 studies through a literature search, and two newer studies were added from a meta-analysis (a statistical combination of study results). The assessment covered healthy people under normal or stressful conditions and people with diseases. Studies used different doses and durations, including randomised controlled trials (RCTs; studies assigning participants to treatment or comparison groups). The Panel also examined study quality and proposed biological mechanisms. The researchers compared many human studies to see whether creatine improved mental performance reliably.

3 Findings

The Panel found that creatine was sufficiently characterised and that improved cognitive function could benefit health. However, the 10 usable studies in healthy participants showed no consistent effect. Working-memory improvements appeared after 20 grams daily for 5–7 days, but not with lower doses or continued use. One study found better response inhibition, a measure of stopping an automatic response, but this isolated result occurred among many unsuccessful tests. Three studies in people with disease did not support cognitive benefits. The proposed brain-energy mechanism remained weak, and the submitted meta-analysis had statistical problems. The Panel concluded that creatine supplementation cannot currently be linked causally to improved cognitive function. Creatine has not been shown to reliably improve mental abilities.

Abstract

Following an application from Alzchem Trostberg GmbH, submitted for authorisation of a health claim pursuant to Article 13(5) of Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 via the Competent Authority of Austria, the EFSA Panel on Nutrition, Novel Foods and Food Allergens (NDA) was asked to deliver an opinion on the scientific substantiation of a health claim related to creatine and improvement in cognitive function. The Panel considers that the food constituent, creatine, is sufficiently characterised. An improvement in cognitive function in one or more of its domains is a beneficial physiological effect. The applicant identified 21 human intervention studies on creatine supplementation and measures of cognitive function through a literature search. Two additional studies published after the search was conducted were identified through the reference list of a meta-analysis. In weighing the evidence, the Panel took into account that the acute effect of creatine on working memory, observed in two studies at 20 g/day for 5-7 days, was not seen at lower doses (2.2-14 g/day), or with continuous consumption (5 g/day for 6 weeks following a 5-day loading phase). Furthermore, the effect on response inhibition at 20 g/day for 7 days was an isolated finding among 10 intervention studies in healthy individuals, with no effects observed on other cognitive domains. The Panel also considered that the three intervention studies conducted in diseased individuals do not support an effect of creatine supplementation on cognition, and that the available evidence for a mechanism by which creatine could exert the claimed effect is weak. The Panel concludes that a cause-and-effect relationship has not been established between creatine supplementation and an improvement in cognitive function in one or more of its domains.

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