What Does This Study Mean For You?
Author: Dr. Stephen Chaney
Creatine has been used as a sports supplement for decades. It supports energy metabolism in muscle. And it is known to be both safe and effective for that purpose. For years we thought we knew everything we needed to know about creatine.
So why are there so many new creatine studies popping up in the news? That’s because we have learned that creatine also plays an important role in brain energy metabolism. As a result, scientists are exploring other applications of creatine supplementation. For example, in recent months I have reported on studies showing that creatine supplementation may:
- Reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s Disease and dementia (link).
- Improve recovery from traumatic brain injuries (link).
- Reduce symptoms of sleep deprivation (link).
The effect of creatine supplementation is a new field, so most of these are small, proof of concept, studies that need to be confirmed by larger clinical trials. The study I am reporting on today is no different.
These investigators set out to determine whether creatine monohydrate had any effect on the neurocognitive symptoms associated with perimenopause and menopause (D Korovljev et al, Journal of the American Nutrition Association, 45(3): 199-210, 2026).
The study was also interesting because it utilized low doses of creatine monohydrate (750-1,500 mg/day). The usual sports nutrition dose for women is 3-5 gm/day. And most previous studies have used significantly higher doses for studies involving brain function.
How Was This Study Done?
The study enrolled 36 women experiencing either perimenopause (defined as women who were still menstruating but reported at least one neurocognitive symptom) or menopause (defined as women with no menstrual cycle for at least 12-months). The average age of the women was 50.1 years.
The women received different doses of creatine or a placebo for 8 weeks. (For purposes of simplification, I will simply report the data in terms of creatine supplementation versus placebo).
At the beginning and end of the study, the women used well-established reporting forms to quantify the intensity of common neurocognitive symptoms associated with perimenopause and menopause including:
- Mood swings.
- “Brain fog” – measured as reaction time, processing speed, alertness, and executive control.
The investigators also measured creatine levels in the frontal region of the brain.
Does Creatine Reduce Menopause Symptoms?
The results were as follows:
- Creatine supplementation increased frontal brain creatine levels by 16.4% compared to a 0.9% increase in the placebo group.
- Creatine supplementation enhanced reaction time by 6.6% compared to a 1.2% increase in the placebo group.
- Creatine supplementation also increased alertness, processing speed, and executive control compared to the placebo, but the results were not as significant as for reaction time.
- Creatine supplementation reduced mood swings and concentration difficulties compared to the placebo.
- Sorry, but there was no significant reduction in hot flashes.
- The supplementation was well tolerated, with no severe adverse side effects reported.
The authors concluded, “Our findings suggest that this supplementation protocol may be a promising, safe, effective, and practical dietary strategy for improving clinical outcomes and elevating brain creatine levels in perimenopausal and menopausal women.”
What Does This Study Mean For You?
As I said above, this is a small, proof of concept, study. In case you were wondering, “proof of concept” simply means the study shows that the hypothesis [in this case creatine reduces perimenopause and menopause symptoms] may work and is worth further studies.
In practical terms it means the investigators have evidence they can use to secure funding for a much larger study to prove or disprove their hypothesis.
What does this mean for you? The answer is that it depends…
- If the therapy is expensive and has unknown side effects, the best advice is to wait until large-scale studies have been performed establishing that the therapy is safe and effective.
- In this case, however, the safety of creatine supplementation is well established. So, if you are experiencing severe perimenopause or menopause symptoms, especially mood swings and brain fog, there is little risk to giving creatine supplementation a try. And if you exercise on a regular basis, you might just experience some side benefits.
The dosage used in this study is interesting. Normally, much higher doses have to be used to affect brain function because creatine does not cross the blood-brain barrier easily. However, women have 20-30% lower dietary creatine intakes and lower brain creatine synthesis rates than men.
Plus, the loss of estrogen during perimenopause and menopause is associated with a further decline in brain creatine levels. So, the brains of menopausal women may be primed to take up creatine more efficiently.
In addition, the creatine dosages used in this study are significantly less than the 3-5 grams/day recommended for women who wish to improve exercise efficiency.
The Bottom Line
A recent study suggested that low dose creatine supplementation may be useful for reducing the mood swings and brain fog associated with perimenopause and menopause.
For more details about this study and what it means for you, read the article above.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
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My posts and “Health Tips From the Professor” articles carefully avoid claims about any brand of supplement or manufacturer of supplements. However, I am often asked by representatives of supplement companies if they can share them with their customers.
My answer is, “Yes, as long as you share only the article without any additions or alterations. In particular, you should avoid adding any mention of your company or your company’s products. If you were to do that, you could be making what the FTC and FDA consider a “misleading health claim” that could result in legal action against you and the company you represent.
For more detail about FTC regulations for health claims, see this link.
https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/health-products-compliance-guidance
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About The Author
Dr. Chaney has a BS in Chemistry from Duke University and a PhD in Biochemistry from UCLA. He is Professor Emeritus from the University of North Carolina where he taught biochemistry and nutrition to medical and dental students for 40 years. Dr. Chaney won numerous teaching awards at UNC, including the Academy of Educators “Excellence in Teaching Lifetime Achievement Award”.
Dr Chaney also ran an active cancer research program at UNC and published over 100 scientific articles and reviews in peer-reviewed scientific journals. In addition, he authored two chapters on nutrition in one of the leading biochemistry text books for medical students.
Since retiring from the University of North Carolina, he has been writing a weekly health blog called “Health Tips From the Professor”. He has also written two best-selling books, “Slaying the Food Myths” and “Slaying the Supplement Myths”. And most recently he has created an online lifestyle change course, “Create Your Personal Health Zone”. For more information visit https://chaneyhealth.com.
For the past 45 years Dr. Chaney and his wife Suzanne have been helping people improve their health holistically through a combination of good diet, exercise, weight control and appropriate supplementation.