Dataset Information

The effects of creatine supplementation on cognitive performance-a randomised controlled study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Creatine is an organic compound that facilitates the recycling of energy-providing adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in muscle and brain tissue. It is a safe, well-studied supplement for strength training. Previous studies have shown that supplementation increases brain creatine levels, which might increase cognitive performance. The results of studies that have tested cognitive performance differ greatly, possibly due to different populations, supplementation regimens, and cognitive tasks. This is the largest study on the effect of creatine supplementation on cognitive performance to date.

Methods

Our trial was preregistered, cross-over, double-blind, placebo-controlled, and randomised, with daily supplementation of 5 g for 6 weeks each. We tested participants on Raven's Advanced Progressive Matrices (RAPM) and on the Backward Digit Span (BDS). In addition, we included eight exploratory cognitive tests. About half of our 123 participants were vegetarians and half were omnivores.

Results

Bayesian evidence supported a small beneficial effect of creatine. The creatine effect bordered significance for BDS (p = 0.064, η²_P = 0.029) but not RAPM (p = 0.327, η²_P = 0.008). There was no indication that creatine improved the performance of our exploratory cognitive tasks. Side effects were reported significantly more often for creatine than for placebo supplementation (p = 0.002, RR = 4.25). Vegetarians did not benefit more from creatine than omnivores.

Conclusions

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 and over many people.

Trial registration

The trial was prospectively registered (drks.de identifier: DRKS00017250, https://osf.io/xpwkc/ ).

SUBMITTER: Sandkuhler JF

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10647179 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

The effects of creatine supplementation on cognitive performance-a randomised controlled study.

Sandkühler Julia Fabienne JF Kersting Xenia X Faust Annika A Königs Eva Kathrin EK Altman George G Ettinger Ulrich U Lux Silke S Philipsen Alexandra A Müller Helge H Brauner Jan J

BMC medicine 20231115 1

<h4>Background</h4>Creatine is an organic compound that facilitates the recycling of energy-providing adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in muscle and brain tissue. It is a safe, well-studied supplement for strength training. Previous studies have shown that supplementation increases brain creatine levels, which might increase cognitive performance. The results of studies that have tested cognitive performance differ greatly, possibly due to different populations, supplementation regimens, and cogniti ...[more]

PMID: 37968687

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Project description:BackgroundAlthough recent studies have increasingly focused on examining the potential benefits of creatine supplementation to improve performance in swimming events, the impact of creatine supplementation on swimming performance remains a topic of debate and controversy. A comprehensive meta-analytical review was undertaken to evaluate the effects of creatine supplementation on the performance, physiological response, and body composition among swimmers.MethodsThe research methodology adhered strictly to the guidelines outlined by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). A comprehensive search was conducted across six databases (Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Scopus, Embase, PubMed, and SPORTDiscus) until March 23, 2024. Eligible studies that investigated the impact of creatine supplementation on swimming time, physiological parameters, and body composition in swimmers were included. For the meta-analysis, a random-effects model was employed to determine the collective effect and assess variations across distinct subgroups defined by swimming time, physiological metrics, and body composition. Meta-regression analysis was conducted on datasets comprising ten or more studies. Standardized mean differences (SMD) along with their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated. To evaluate the methodological rigor of the included studies, the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) scale was utilized.ResultsThe systematic review included seventeen studies with a total of 361 subjects. No significant differences were observed in the overall effect during single sprint swimming (SMD: -0.05, 95% CI: -0.26, 0.15; p = 0.61), repeated interval swimming (SMD: -0.11; 95% CI: -0.46, 0.25; p = 0.56), physiological response (SMD: 0.04, 95% CI: -0.16, 0.23; p = 0.71), and body composition (SMD: 0.18; 95% CI: -0.05, 0.41; p = 0.12) between creatine and placebo groups.ConclusionsCreatine supplementation exhibited ineffectiveness in enhancing the performance, physiological response, and body composition among swimmers.

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Dataset Information

The effects of creatine supplementation on cognitive performance-a randomised controlled study.

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Trial registration

Publications

The effects of creatine supplementation on cognitive performance-a randomised controlled study.

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