Does creatine help memory in older adults?

Creatine may give older adults a small memory boost, but the trials vary a lot and the biggest one found little effect. We don't know yet if it's real.

Who it's for

Healthy older adults curious about memory; no group has a clear benefit.

What to expect

Possibly a small gain on memory tests; no proven everyday change.

Watch out for

Side effects like water-weight gain and stomach upset were more common than with placebo.

What the studies show

• A review that pooled 8 trials in healthy people found creatine beat a dummy pill (placeboplacebo A dummy treatment that looks like the real one, so people can't tell which they got.) on memory tests, a small effect overall. The gain was larger in adults aged 66 to 76 and near zero in people aged 11 to 31. Results differed a lot between trials, and the older-adult result could be anything from small to very large1Meta-analysis · 2023Effects of creatine supplementation on memory in healthy individuals: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Creatine supplementation enhanced measures of memory performance in healthy individuals, especially in older adults (66-76 years).Nutr Rev.
• A second review that pooled 16 trials (492 people, ages 20.8 to 76.4) also found a small memory gain, with moderate certainty. Its subgroupsubgroup A slice of the people in a study, such as only the women or only those over 65. Results in one slice are less reliable than the main result. results pointed the other way: gains were larger in people aged 18 to 60 than in older adults2Meta-analysis · 2024 · 492 peopleThe effects of creatine supplementation on cognitive function in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Current evidence suggests that creatine monohydrate supplementation may confer beneficial effects on cognitive function in adults, particularly in the domains of memory, attention time, and information processing speed. Larger robust clinical trials are warranted to further validate these findings. Furthermore, future…Front Nutr. The two reviews disagree on which age group benefits.
• A review of 6 studies in people aged 55 and over (1,542 people) found 5 reported a positive link between creatine and thinking, mainly memory and attention. Four of the six were one-time surveys of diet, which can't show cause. Only one study was rated good quality4Systematic review · 2026 · 1,542 peopleCreatine and Cognition in Aging: A Systematic Review of Evidence in Older Adults.The current limited evidence suggests that creatine may be associated with benefits for cognition in generally healthy older adults. However, high-quality clinical trials are warranted to further validate this relationship. Future research should investigate creatine supplementation in older clinical populations with…Nutr Rev.
• A trial of 123 adults (about half vegetarian) gave 5 g a day for 6 weeks. It was the largest trial to date. It found at most a small benefit that could be down to chance on one memory test. Side effects were about 4 times as common with creatine as with placebo6Randomized trial · 2023 · 123 peopleThe effects of creatine supplementation on cognitive performance-a randomised controlled study.Our study, in combination with the literature, implies that creatine might have a small beneficial effect. Larger studies are needed to confirm or rule out this effect. Given the safety and broad availability of creatine, this is well worth investigating; a small effect could have large benefits when scaled over time…BMC Med. Most participants were not older adults.
• Two small trials in older people disagree. In 32 elderly people, 20 g a day for one week improved most memory tasks7Randomized trial · 2007 · 17 peopleCreatine supplementation and cognitive performance in elderly individuals.Results showed a significant effect of creatine supplementation on all tasks except backward number recall. It was concluded that creatine supplementation aids cognition in the elderly.Neuropsychol Dev Cogn B Aging Neuropsychol Cogn. In 56 older women, 5 g a day for 24 weeks, with or without strength training, changed no thinking measure8Randomized trial · 2013 · 14 peopleCreatine supplementation associated or not with strength training upon emotional and cognitive measures in older women: a randomized double-blind study.Creatine supplementation did not promote any significant change in cognitive function and emotional parameters in apparently healthy older individuals. In addition, strength training per se improved emotional state and muscle strength, but not cognition, with no additive effects of creatine supplementation.PLoS One.
• A 12-week trial of 64 adults aged 45 to 65 (10 g a day) reported gains on selected memory measures. The authors call these findings exploratory9Randomized trial · 2026Effects of creatine supplementation with and without exercise and diet intervention on body composition, cognitive function, and markers of health in middle-aged and older adults.CrM supplementation with and without exercise and diet intervention may help middle-aged and older adults maintain muscle mass and strength while favourably affecting selected markers of health and cognitive function. Individual cognitive and biomarker findings should be interpreted as exploratory. Clinical trial…J Int Soc Sports Nutr.

Key studies

Review figures compare groups of people, so the gain for one person depends on where their memory started.

Safety

At typical doses, few safety concerns are reported. Studies used 3 to 5 g a day for up to 12 weeks, or a 20 g a day loading dose for up to 7 days. Reported effects include weight gain from water retention, and anecdotal nausea, diarrhea, muscle cramps and heat intolerance11Guideline · 2026Dietary Supplements for Exercise and Athletic Performance: Fact Sheet for Health ProfessionalsCreatine: Few safety concerns reported at typical dose (e.g., loading dose of 20 g/day for up to 7 days and 3–5 g/day for up to 12 weeks). Reported adverse effects: Weight gain due to water retention; anecdotal reports of nausea, diarrhea, muscle cramps, muscle stiffness, heat intolerance.NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. A position stand found up to 30 g a day for 5 years safe and well tolerated in healthy people, including older adults12Guideline · 2017Position stand: safety and efficacy of creatine supplementationThe position stand concludes that short- and long-term creatine supplementation, up to 30 g a day for 5 years, has been safe and well tolerated in healthy people and in patient groups ranging from infants to older adults.International Society of Sports Nutrition.

What we don't know

• Whether a real benefit exists in older adults, since trials there were tiny and short.
• The best dose and length of use for memory. Trials ranged from about 2 g to 20 g a day, for 5 days to 24 weeks1Meta-analysis · 2023Effects of creatine supplementation on memory in healthy individuals: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Creatine supplementation enhanced measures of memory performance in healthy individuals, especially in older adults (66-76 years).Nutr Rev.