Scientists have discovered the cognitive benefits of creatine

Researchers from the Forschungszentrum Jülich have discovered that a high single dose of creatine can temporarily improve cognitive functions affected by sleep deprivation, and in particular improve processing capacity and short-term memory. The study cautions against excessive creatine intake due to potential health risks, although it suggests future opportunities for cognitive improvement with lower doses.

Creatine, a commonly used supplement among athletes to improve physical performance, has also been found to temporarily boost cognitive skills affected by sleep deprivation. This discovery was made in a scientific study conducted by researchers from Forschungszentrum Jülich, the results of which were published in the journal Scientific reports.

Processing capacity and short-term memory are significantly improved

As part of the study, 15 subjects were kept awake overnight and had to solve cognitive tasks during this time. Sleep deprivation leads to changes in brain metabolism that promote the cellular uptake of creatine. The test subjects had previously received a high single dose of creatine, an important metabolic product that is found in food and can also be produced by the body itself.

Three hours after taking creatine, a positive effect on the brain metabolism and cognitive performance of the test subjects was already visible. The effect reached its peak after four hours and lasted up to nine hours. Improvements were mainly seen in processing capacity and short-term memory.

“The results suggest that a single but high dose of creatine increases thinking ability and causes changes in the brain’s energy reserves during sleep deprivation,” said Dr. Ali Gordjinejad, coordinator of the study at the Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-2). at Forschungszentrum Jülich.

Excessive creatine intake is not recommended

Several studies have already reported improvements in cognitive performance after a long-term creatine diet. The substance also counteracts the metabolic changes caused by sleep deprivation. This is why the Jülich researchers considered creatine as a potential candidate for this study.

It was previously not possible to prove the short-term effect now observed, because the neuronal cells of the central nervous system (CNS) can only absorb creatine to a small extent. Normally they meet their needs largely through their own synthesis. Only by placing the brain in a ‘stressed’ state through the experimental conditions in the Jülich study did the increased uptake of creatine into the cells was promoted.

“For the time being, however, it is not advisable for people to take such a high dose of creatine at home, because high doses of the substance place a heavy burden on the kidneys and can cause health risks,” says Dr. Gordjinejad. “However, if future studies show an increase in cognitive performance at lower doses, creatine could become a serious competitor to coffee during long work nights.”

Reference: “A single dose of creatine improves cognitive performance and induces changes in cerebral high-energy phosphates during sleep deprivation” by Ali Gordji-Nejad, Andreas Matusch, Sophie Kleedörfer, Harshal Jayeshkumar Patel, Alexander Drzezga, David Elmenhorst, Ferdinand Binkofski and Andreas Bauer, 28 February 2024, Scientific reports.
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-54249-9