Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37968687›Full record

Trial reportBMC medicine2023

The effects of creatine supplementation on cognitive performance-a randomised controlled study.

Julia Fabienne Sandkühler, Xenia Kersting, Annika Faust, Eva Kathrin Königs, George Altman, Ulrich Ettinger, Silke Lux, Alexandra Philipsen, Helge Müller, Jan Brauner

Open access · goldAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in BMC medicine, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
15citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
4.0field-weighted citation impact, top 6% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

15 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 19 citations in OpenAlex.

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  15. [Procedures of complementary medicine in rheumatology].Zeitschrift fur Rheumatologie · 2024
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors at 5 institutions in 2 countries.

Julia Fabienne SandkühlerDepartment of Psychology, University of Bonn, Kaiser-Karl-Ring 9, 53111, Bonn, Germany. jf.sandkuehler@gmail.com.ORCID 0000-0002-5585-9539
Xenia KerstingDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
Annika FaustDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
Eva Kathrin KönigsDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
George AltmanManchester University NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, UK.
Ulrich EttingerDepartment of Psychology, University of Bonn, Kaiser-Karl-Ring 9, 53111, Bonn, Germany.
Silke LuxDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
Alexandra PhilipsenDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
Helge MüllerDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
Jan BraunerDepartment of Health, Witten/Herdecke University, Witten, Germany.
University Hospital Bonn · DEUniversity of Bonn · DEWitten/Herdecke University · DEJohannes Gutenberg University Mainz · DEManchester University NHS Foundation Trust · GB

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundCreatine is an organic compound that facilitates the recycling of energy-providing adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in muscle and brain tissue. It is a safe, well-studied supplement for strength training. Previous studies have shown that supplementation increases brain creatine levels, which might increase cognitive performance. The results of studies that have tested cognitive performance differ greatly, possibly due to different populations, supplementation regimens, and cognitive tasks. This is the largest study on the effect of creatine supplementation on cognitive performance to date.

methodsOur trial was preregistered, cross-over, double-blind, placebo-controlled, and randomised, with daily supplementation of 5 g for 6 weeks each. We tested participants on Raven's Advanced Progressive Matrices (RAPM) and on the Backward Digit Span (BDS). In addition, we included eight exploratory cognitive tests. About half of our 123 participants were vegetarians and half were omnivores.

resultsBayesian evidence supported a small beneficial effect of creatine. The creatine effect bordered significance for BDS (p = 0.064, η

conclusionsOur study, in combination with the literature, implies that creatine might have a small beneficial effect. Larger studies are needed to confirm or rule out this effect. Given the safety and broad availability of creatine, this is well worth investigating; a small effect could have large benefits when scaled over time and over many people.

trial registrationThe trial was prospectively registered (drks.de identifier: DRKS00017250, https://osf.io/xpwkc/ ).

Indexed as

CreatineDietary SupplementsBayes TheoremBrainCognitionDouble-Blind MethodHumansCreatineBackward Digit SpanCognitionCognitive performanceCreatineDeductive reasoningIntelligenceRandomised controlled trialRaven’s Advanced Progressive MatricesRCTWorking memory

Identifiers

PMID37968687
PMCPMC10647179
OpenAlexW4388698718

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.