Creatine Increases Memory

Creatine is widely used in athletics as a way to increase energy to muscles over short term bouts of exercise. Creatine has been thoroughly supported by the literature as an ergogenic aid, but has recently been indicated as having benefits to memory as well. Similarly to how creatine increases energy to muscle tissue, creatine plays roles in cognition and neuroprotection. Avgerinos et al. conducted a research review on 6 studies looking into the effects of creatine supplementation on memory.

The results of the review indicated that creatine does improve short term memory during supplementation. There were a number of other attributes such as long-term memory, spatial memory, memory scanning, attention, executive function, response inhibition, word fluency, reaction time and mental fatigue that had conflicting results. One interesting finding from the study is that vegetarians tended to have a greater increase in memory than meat eaters. This could be due to the fact the meat contains small amounts of creatine. Further research with greater supplement amounts over longer periods of time are required to see if creatine is beneficial with cognitive diseases such as dementia.

Creatine often gets a bad name and is even sometimes compared to steroids. This is completely unfounded, and more and more often new benefits are emerging and more studies are released confirming its safety. In addition to the ergogenic effects athletes see with creatine, it is emerging as a supplement to be used for the older population as well, both to increase muscular ability and now also cognitive function.