A recent pilot study has made a breakthrough in the intersection of nutritional neuroscience and Alzheimer’s care: for the first time, researchers have shown that oral creatine supplementation can increase brain creatine levels in humans with Alzheimer’s disease.
This finding is more than just a biochemical observation—it could be the foundation for future therapeutic strategies targeting brain energy metabolism.
🧪 What Was the Study About?
Researchers set out to explore the feasibility and safety of creatine supplementation in individuals with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and to measure its effect on brain creatine levels.
🧓 Participants:
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20 older adults (average age: 73) with probable Alzheimer’s
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Participated in 8 weeks of daily creatine monohydrate supplementation (20g/day)
🔍 How Was It Measured?
To track creatine’s effects, the study used a combination of:
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¹H Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy: To measure brain creatine as a ratio to unsuppressed water
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Fasting blood draws: To assess serum creatine
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Daily compliance tracking: Logged with the help of caregivers
📈 What Did They Find?
The results were both promising and encouraging:
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🧠 Brain Creatine increased by 11%
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🩸 Serum Creatine increased by ~35%
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✅ 90% average compliance
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🚫 No serious adverse effects reported
These results suggest that high-dose oral creatine is not only well-tolerated but can effectively increase brain creatine—a potential metabolic biomarker in neurodegeneration.
⚙️ Why Does It Matter?
In Alzheimer’s disease, there’s growing evidence of deficient brain energy metabolism, particularly in mitochondrial function. Creatine plays a key role in the phosphocreatine energy shuttle, a system that helps rapidly regenerate ATP, the energy currency of cells.
By boosting substrate availability, creatine may help:
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Buffer cellular ATP supply
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Improve neuronal energy balance
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Support mitochondrial health
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Slow cognitive and functional decline (pending further trials)
🔬 What’s Next?
This pilot study provides crucial human evidence that creatine reaches the brain and raises its levels in people with AD. It sets the stage for larger randomized controlled trials that will assess cognitive and functional outcomes.
It also opens the door to investigating creatine as a safe, affordable, and accessible adjunct to traditional Alzheimer’s therapies.
🧠 In Summary:
Creatine may no longer be just a sports supplement—it’s emerging as a potential brain health ally.
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✅ Safe in older adults with Alzheimer’s
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✅ Improves brain creatine levels
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✅ Ready for larger clinical studies
As we search for effective, non-invasive strategies to slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease, this simple molecule may become part of a much bigger solution.
#BrainHealth #AlzheimersResearch #CreatineScience #Neurodegeneration #NutritionalNeuroscience #ClinicalTrials #HealthyAging #FunctionalMedicine #CreatineMonohydrate #DementiaAwareness
