Creatine Boosts Brain and Braun

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Creatine Boosts Brain and Braun

Smart jocks: Commonly used to build muscles, the supplement creatine also improves memory and intelligence

The muscle booster creatine can also boost working memory and general intelligence when taken as a dietary supplement.

Scientists from the University of Sydney and Macquarie University in Australia came to that conclusion after studying the effects of creatine supplementation on 45 young adult vegetarian subjects in a double-blind, placebo-controlled experiment.

Creatine has earned a following amongst athletes and fitness fanatics who know of its ability to improve sports performance.

The supplement has also been used to successfully treat neurological, neuromuscular and atherosclerotic diseases.

"We know that creatine plays a pivotal role in maintaining energy levels in the brain," says Caroline Rae, the new study's lead researcher. "So it was a reasonable hypothesis that supplementing a diet with creatine could assist brain function."

Vegetarian subjects

The experiment tested this hypothesis by giving meat avoiders five grams of creatine a day -- a level shown to increase brain creatine levels -- and a second group a placebo for six weeks.

"Vegetarians or vegans were chosen for the study as carnivores and omnivores obtain a variable level of creatine depending on the amount and type of meat they eat -- although to reach the level of supplementation in this experiment would involve eating around two kilograms of meat a day!" says Rae.

The next stages in the experiment were a six-week period with no creatine intake and a final six-week period when the control and placebo groups were swapped.

Memory and intelligence tests

To check for effects on memory, subjects were put through a backward digit span test in which they had to verbally repeat in reverse order progressively longer random number sequences.

To check for effects on intelligence, subjects were given the Ravens Advanced Progressive Matrices test, which involves completion of pattern sequences and is commonly used for IQ assessment.

Tests were conducted at the start of the trial, at the end of the first six-week period and at the start and end of the final six-week period.

Safe supplement

"The results were clear with both our experimental groups and in both test scenarios: creatine supplementation gave a significant measurable boost to brain power," says Rae. "For example in the digit span test subjects' ability to remember long numbers, like telephone numbers, improved from a number length of about seven to an average of 8.5 digits."

While creatine is thought to be mostly safe, subjects with a medical history of diabetes were excluded from the experiment because long-term supplementation with creatine can have effects on glucose homeostasis.

Additionally, creatine supplementation can cause the body to emit unpleasant odors.

"To be frank taking the supplement can make you a considerably less 'fragrant' person," says Rae.

The study is published in the UK Royal Society's Proceedings B.