‘I thought creatine was just for gym-goers. Then I learned what it could do for mood, memory, and brain health’

Words: Amy Mica Marsden. Images: Shutterstock.

If you’re a gym-goer, you’ve probably taken (or at least heard a lot about) creatine. If not, you might think creatine isn’t particularly relevant to you and your health — but growing research shows that it can offer many more benefits than previously thought, especially for women.

Creatine is a naturally occurring molecule within the human body, primarily used for quick energy when we need it most, hence its usefulness as a gym supplement.

And it’s not just your muscles that rely on this quick energy reserve — your brain does, too.

‘The same mechanism that helps muscles produce energy quickly is happening in your brain too, where creatine supports the fast recycling of energy needed for memory, focus and processing speed, especially when you’re tired, stressed or under pressure,’ explains Natalie Louise Burrows, head of nutrition at wellness and nutrition company Tonic Health.

‘You don’t need to lift a single weight to benefit from that – and if you are lifting weights, there’s no risk of getting too bulky either; the gains are marginal for muscle size specifically.’

However, it’s thought that women generally create and store up to 80% less creatine in their bodies than men, and this is affected even further by hormones like estrogen and progesterone during the menstrual cycle (and in perimenopause and menopause). This means women could actually benefit more than men by supplementing it.

The brain health benefits of creatine

So if creatine isn’t just for muscles, what else can it do? For one thing, studies have shown that taking creatine consistently can improve your short-term memory and reasoning, especially for vegetarians and vegans, who consume less creatine through their diet. 

‘When the brain is under pressure, creatine has also demonstrated benefits. In situations such as sleep deprivation, night shifts, and general mental fatigue, trials find that creatine supports memory, reaction time, and executive functioning,’ adds Natalie.

But recall and reasoning aren’t the only mental benefits: perhaps surprisingly, creatine can actually help to improve your mood, too.

Clinical trials suggest creatine can help support depression treatment when taken alongside SSRIs (though not intended for use as a replacement or substitute) — and can even potentially help people who don’t respond well to SSRIs alone. 

‘The working theory is that creatine helps restore brain energy levels and metabolic balance, which can become depleted in depression,’ Natalie explains. 

‘Brain imaging evidence from research in 2021 scanned 84 healthy adults and found that people with higher depression scores had lower creatine levels and less grey matter in a key part of the prefrontal cortex, while those with higher creatine levels tended to have more grey matter in that area.’

‘The connection appeared specific to mood, rather than to anxiety or stress. The findings don’t prove that depression is caused by low creatine, but they do highlight a potential factor that makes someone prone to low mood, and raise the question of whether depression is, in part, a disorder of the brain’s energy supply.’

When should you consider taking creatine?

If all of this sounds like good news but you’re unsure whether creatine will actually benefit you, Natalie outlined several circumstances where it might really help.

One of them is for those with sleep deprivation — for example, shift workers, new parents, or anyone getting by on broken sleep. And you don’t even need to take it daily for it to be of help here. ‘Trials show even a single dose of creatine can soften the cognitive dip caused by a bad night, sharpening memory, processing speed and reaction time when the brain is running on empty,’ says Natalie.

Creatine can also be particularly helpful when we reach perimenopause and menopause, due to the way hormone changes affect our creatine usage and supply. 

Natalie explains that, according to a study on creatine and women’s health, ‘postmenopausal women may see improvements in muscle size and function with creatine, particularly at higher doses and alongside resistance training.

‘That matters for metabolic health, as declining oestrogen during menopause is linked to loss of muscle mass and reduced insulin sensitivity, making support for muscle mass doubly important. Combine that with creatine’s role in memory and processing speed, and it’s a genuinely useful addition for women navigating both the cognitive and physical symptoms of this life stage.’

5 creatine myths, busted

Despite all this, myths around creatine and its uses are common. Natalie corrects five of the most common myths below:

1. It damages your kidneys

‘There’s no evidence that creatine harms healthy kidneys at recommended doses. However, if you already have kidney disease or are under medical supervision, speak to your doctor before taking it.’

2. It causes weight gain

‘Creatine draws water into muscle cells, which can show up as a small increase on the scale, but it is water, not fat. It’s part of how creatine supports muscle function – by drawing water into muscle fibres, it aids protein synthesis and intense exercise. ‘

3. It makes endometriosis worse

‘This one is genuinely unclear. A recent mechanistic study found that creatine may help endometriosis cells resist a natural cell-death process in lab and animal models, raising questions.

‘But this is early, preclinical data, not evidence from human trials, and it shouldn’t be read as proof that creatine worsens the condition in real life. If you have endometriosis, it’s worth a conversation with your healthcare practitioner before supplementing until there’s clearer human data.’

4. It makes you bloat

‘It can, but usually because people start at too high a dose too quickly. Build up gradually, around a gram at a time, week on week, rather than jumping straight to a full dose. Everyone’s digestion is different, and some people are simply more sensitive than others.’

5. It causes hair loss

‘This concern stemmed from a theoretical link to DHT, but a randomised controlled trial last year directly tested it in resistance-trained men over 12 weeks and found no meaningful difference in hair health measures between the creatine and placebo groups.’

So how much creatine should a person take to start seeing benefits, and what else should people know before they start taking it?

‘The average person needs around 2g of creatine a day just to stay level, yet actual dietary intake can be as low as 0.7g for most people, since food sources [of creatine] are mainly meat and fish,’ Natalie says. ‘It’s estimated that 60% of people aren’t consuming enough creatine to fully saturate their muscles and brain.’

Natalie suggests that 3 to 5 g a day is a good benchmark for support during exercise, but if it’s brain health benefits you seek, research suggests 10g might be a more meaningful amount.

‘Overall, evidence suggests creatine monohydrate is safe for healthy people at recommended doses. The caveats are for people with kidney disease and anyone pregnant or breastfeeding, who should seek medical advice first.’

Natalie Louise Burrows is head of nutrition at Tonic Health. Their new supplement, CREATINE + BRAIN, is available from www.tonichealth.co, Amazon, and Tesco now.