Creatine raises brain energy levels and slows cognitive decline: study

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      "title": "Scientists found that the creatine supplement millions take for muscle gains is quietly raising brain energy levels and slowing early Alzheimer's cognitive decline by 30% - thesciverse",
      "excerpt": "Tens of millions of people take creatine every day. They bought it for their muscles. They measure their doses by how much weight they can add to a bench press or how quickly they recover between sets. Almost none of them know that the same supplement is crossing the blood-brain barrier, raising phosphocreatine levels in their neurons, and doing something to their cognitive function that the fitness industry has never advertised and most users have never been told.\n\nA comprehensive review published in the Journal of Psychiatry and Brain Science in 2025 , alongside a landmark pilot trial published in Alzheimer’s and Dementia : Translational Research and Clinical Interventions, has assembled the most complete picture yet of what creatine is quietly doing inside the brain. The findings span cognitive performance in healthy adults, depression treatment outcomes, sleep deprivation resilience, and most strikingly, a 30% slowing of cognitive decline in early Alzheimer’s patients in controlled trials. None of this is in the marketing on the tub sitting in most gym bags.\n\nThe brain is the most energy-demanding organ in the human body, consuming approximately 20% of the body’s total energy o",
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      "description": "Tens of millions of people take creatine every day for their muscles. A comprehensive review and a landmark clinical trial published in 2025 and 2026 have now documented what the same supplement is quietly doing to their brains. Creatine crosses the blood-brain barrier, raises phosphocreatine levels in neurons, and provides the ATP buffer that keeps cognitive performance from hitting an energy ceiling during demanding mental work. In early Alzheimer's patients, it slowed cognitive decline by approximately 30% versus placebo in a controlled trial. In healthy adults under sleep deprivation, a single dose measurably improved cognitive performance. In depression patients, adding it to cognitive behavioral therapy significantly improved outcomes beyond therapy alone. None of this is mentioned on the label."
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          "text": "The article made up the claim it’s not from the paper itself.<p>There was some improvement in cognitive scores, but no placebo group. Without a placebo group, there are a lot of explanations for the data.",
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        "body": "The article made up the claim it’s not from the paper itself. There was some improvement in cognitive scores, but no placebo group. Without a placebo group, there are a lot of explanations for the data.",
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        "raw_body": "The article made up the claim it’s not from the paper itself.<p>There was some improvement in cognitive scores, but no placebo group. Without a placebo group, there are a lot of explanations for the data.",
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          "text": "Not something to worry for the general population, but persons with genetic likelihood of getting Parkinsons should be wary of taking both Creatine and Coffee together. <a href=\"https:&#x2F;&#x2F;pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov&#x2F;articles&#x2F;PMC4573899&#x2F;\" rel=\"nofollow\">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov&#x2F;articles&#x2F;PMC4573899&#x2F;</a>",
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        "body": "Not something to worry for the general population, but persons with genetic likelihood of getting Parkinsons should be wary of taking both Creatine and Coffee together. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4573899/",
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        "author": "ven0m",
        "raw_body": "Not something to worry for the general population, but persons with genetic likelihood of getting Parkinsons should be wary of taking both Creatine and Coffee together. <a href=\"https:&#x2F;&#x2F;pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov&#x2F;articles&#x2F;PMC4573899&#x2F;\" rel=\"nofollow\">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov&#x2F;articles&#x2F;PMC4573899&#x2F;</a>",
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          "text": "Direct link to the study: <a href=\"https:&#x2F;&#x2F;jpbs.hapres.com&#x2F;htmls&#x2F;JPBS_1766_Detail.html\" rel=\"nofollow\">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;jpbs.hapres.com&#x2F;htmls&#x2F;JPBS_1766_Detail.html</a><p>I wanted to check the dosages they used. Looks like the review includes studies ranging from 5g&#x2F;day to 20-25g&#x2F;day.<p>(Typical dosage you&#x27;ll see for daily use is 5 grams)",
          "time": 1780247561,
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        "body": "Direct link to the study: https://jpbs.hapres.com/htmls/JPBS_1766_Detail.html I wanted to check the dosages they used. Looks like the review includes studies ranging from 5g/day to 20-25g/day. (Typical dosage you'll see for daily use is 5 grams)",
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        "author": "cj",
        "raw_body": "Direct link to the study: <a href=\"https:&#x2F;&#x2F;jpbs.hapres.com&#x2F;htmls&#x2F;JPBS_1766_Detail.html\" rel=\"nofollow\">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;jpbs.hapres.com&#x2F;htmls&#x2F;JPBS_1766_Detail.html</a><p>I wanted to check the dosages they used. Looks like the review includes studies ranging from 5g&#x2F;day to 20-25g&#x2F;day.<p>(Typical dosage you&#x27;ll see for daily use is 5 grams)",
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          "text": "The 30% figure seems to be completely made up and this whole article is adfarm-bait.<p>The CABA trial is an 8-week single-arm pilot (no placebo). The study measured cognitive improvement over 8 weeks in a single group — not &quot;slowing of decline versus placebo.&quot; There is no 30% figure anywhere in the paper.<p>I&#x27;m glad we have AI to quickly read this kind of stuff and check these kinds of claims for us.",
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        "body": "The 30% figure seems to be completely made up and this whole article is adfarm-bait. The CABA trial is an 8-week single-arm pilot (no placebo). The study measured cognitive improvement over 8 weeks in a single group — not \"slowing of decline versus placebo.\" There is no 30% figure anywhere in the paper. I'm glad we have AI to quickly read this kind of stuff and check these kinds of claims for us.",
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        "raw_body": "The 30% figure seems to be completely made up and this whole article is adfarm-bait.<p>The CABA trial is an 8-week single-arm pilot (no placebo). The study measured cognitive improvement over 8 weeks in a single group — not &quot;slowing of decline versus placebo.&quot; There is no 30% figure anywhere in the paper.<p>I&#x27;m glad we have AI to quickly read this kind of stuff and check these kinds of claims for us.",
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        "body": "The article's entirely AI-generated; not necessarily untrue but may not have been fully reviewed by an editor.",
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        "text": "Not something to worry for the general population, but persons with genetic likelihood of getting Parkinsons should be wary of taking both Creatine and Coffee together. <a href=\"https:&#x2F;&#x2F;pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov&#x2F;articles&#x2F;PMC4573899&#x2F;\" rel=\"nofollow\">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov&#x2F;articles&#x2F;PMC4573899&#x2F;</a>",
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        "text": "Direct link to the study: <a href=\"https:&#x2F;&#x2F;jpbs.hapres.com&#x2F;htmls&#x2F;JPBS_1766_Detail.html\" rel=\"nofollow\">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;jpbs.hapres.com&#x2F;htmls&#x2F;JPBS_1766_Detail.html</a><p>I wanted to check the dosages they used. Looks like the review includes studies ranging from 5g&#x2F;day to 20-25g&#x2F;day.<p>(Typical dosage you&#x27;ll see for daily use is 5 grams)",
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