Boost Your Brain Power with Creatine
13 August 2003
Research undertaken by scientists at the University of Sydney and
Macquarie University in Australia has shown that taking creatine, a compound
found in muscle tissue, as a dietary supplement can give a significant boost
to both working memory and general intelligence. The work, to be published
in a forthcoming Proceedings B, a learned journal published by the Royal
Society, monitored the effect of creatine supplementation on 45 young adult
vegetarian subjects in a double-blind, placebo-controlled experiment.
“The level of creatine supplementation chosen was 5g per day as this is a
level that has previously been shown to increase brain creatine levels. This
level is comparable to that taken to boost sports fitness,” explains Dr.
Caroline Rae who led the research. ”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 2 kg
of meat a day!”
Creatine power
Athletes and fitness fanatics have known that creatine supplementation
can increase sports performance and the compound - a close relative of the
amino acids - has also been trialed successfully in the treatment of
neurological, neuromuscular and atherosclerotic disease. “We know that
creatine plays a pivotal role in maintaining energy levels in the brain,”
says Dr. Rae. “So it was a reasonable hypothesis that supplementing a diet
with creatine could assist brain function.”
The experiment tested this hypothesis by giving the one group of subjects
a creatine supplement and a second group a placebo for six weeks, followed
by a six week period with no intake and a final six week period when the
control and placebo group were swapped. Intelligence and memory were tested
at four points: the start of the trial; the end of the first six week
period; and the start and endpoint of the final six week period.
Testing tasks
The effect on working memory was tested using a backward digit span test
in which the subject has to repeat in reverse order progressively longer
verbal random number sequences. Intelligence was tested using Ravens
Advanced Progressive Matrices - a methodology commonly used for IQ
assessment involving completion of pattern sequences. The test is a well
validated measure of general ability with minimal dependence on cultural
factors. “Both of these tests require fast brain power and the Raven’s task
was conducted under time pressure,” says Dr. Rae. “The results were clear
with both our experimental groups and in both test scenarios: creatine
supplementation gave a significant measurable boost to brain power. For
example in the digit span test subjects ability to remember long numbers,
like telephone numbers, improved from a number length of about 7 to an
average of 8.5 digits.”
The study shows that increased creatine intake results in improved brain
function, similar to effects shown previously in muscle and heart. The
results agree with previous observations showing that brain creatine levels
correlate with improved recognition memory and reduce mental fatigue. “These
findings underline a dynamic and significant role of brain energy capacity
in influencing brain performance,” says Dr. Rae. “Increasing the energy
available for computation increases the power of the brain and this is
reflected directly in improved general ability.”
A short term boost?
Long term supplementation with creatine has yet to be declared truly safe
as there have been reported effects on glucose homeostasis (the regulation
of blood sugar levels) and potential subjects with a medical history of
diabetes were excluded from the experiment. In addition taking the
supplement can have some antisocial effects. “To be frank taking the
supplement can make you a considerably less ‘fragrant’ person,” says Dr.
Rae. “However creatine supplementation may be of use to those requiring
boosted mental performance in the short term - for example university
students.”
Source: The Royal Society Proceedings B |
