Oral creatine monohydrate supplementation improves brain performance: a double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over trial
Rae, Digney, McEwan & Bates (2003) · Proceedings of the Royal Society B
Topics: Brain & Cognition, Vegetarians & Vegans
- Study type: Crossover trial
- Population: Healthy young vegetarian adults
- Sample: n=45
- Dose: 5 g/day
- Duration: 6 weeks
- Published: 2003
What the study found
One of the landmark cognition trials. Vegetarians (who tend to have lower baseline creatine stores) took 5 g/day of creatine for six weeks in a double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover design and showed measurable improvements on tests of working memory and intelligence that demand fast processing.
Key findings
- Significant improvement in working memory (backward digit span) versus placebo.
- Significant improvement on Raven's Advanced Progressive Matrices, a measure of fluid intelligence.
- Effects were most pronounced on tasks with high processing-speed demands.
The practical takeaway
Creatine isn't just for muscle — brain tissue uses it too, and cognitive benefits may be clearest in vegetarians and under mental strain.