A supplement that is popular with gym devotees may also help people with depression, according to a study.

Creatine – found in food sources such as milk, red meat and seafood – has long been taken by athletes and bodybuilders in powdered form in a shake to improve exercise performance and help build muscle. Yet there’s increasing interest in creatine’s potential for brain health, including improving memory and reducing fatigue.

Now research from Oxford University has found it can help ease depression, too. In the study, 100 adults with depression were given either a pill containing 5g of creatine or a placebo daily for eight weeks. They also had cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), a form of talking therapy that challenges unhelpful thoughts and behaviours.

The volunteers, who had moderate to severe depression, were asked to score their depression symptoms on a 27-point scale of severity before and after the trial.

Both groups had lower scores by the end – but those taking creatine had significantly lower ones, according to the results recently published in the journal European Neuropsychopharmacology.

Those who took creatine scored on average 5.8 on the scale, correlating to mild depression, compared to an average score of 11.9, or moderate depression, without the supplement. The researchers suggested that creatine ‘enhanced’ the effects of the behavioural therapy, and that it could be a useful add-on to conventional methods for treating depression.

While exactly how creatine could help in depression isn’t clear, one theory is it bolsters energy stores in areas of the brain involved in regulating emotions.

Creatine is known to play a key role in how the body uses energy. As well as being found in food, it is made naturally in the liver, kidneys and brain. The compound replenishes levels of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which provides energy for all our cells (essentially ATP is the energy that, ultimately, our food is broken down into). Creatine helps our bodies produce more ATP, giving an energy ‘boost’.

Creatine should be considered a semi-essential nutrient, argues Sergej Ostojic, a professor at the department of nutrition and public health at the University of Agder, Norway

It’s not that creatine directly grows muscle, but it does enhance the energy available during a work-out, so you can do more

Previous research has found that people with depression are more likely to have low levels of creatine in key areas of the brain.

‘Creatine should be considered a semi-essential nutrient,’ argues Sergej Ostojic, a professor at the department of nutrition and public health at the University of Agder, Norway – who was not involved in the new trial. ‘Incorporating small amounts into the daily diet may be a practical and beneficial strategy for overall wellbeing.’

There are other potential benefits. A 2023 review of research, published in the journal Nutrition Reviews, found that taking creatine could help boost memory.

‘Creatine gets converted into a molecule called phosphocreatine [PCr], which is broken down quickly into energy [ATP],’ explains Scott Forbes, an associate professor in physical education studies at Brandon University in Canada and one of the review’s authors. PCr allows energy in cells to be restored faster, providing an extra ‘oomph’.

‘Memory, learning and cognitive processing all require a substantial amount of energy,’ Professor Forbes told Good Health. ‘Creatine supplements could increase brain creatine stores by up to 10 per cent, which provides more energy to enhance brain function and boost memory.’

Previous research has found that people with depression are more likely to have low levels of creatine in key areas of the brain

Professor Ostojic adds: ‘Clinical trials have shown that creatine supplements can reduce tiredness and improve concentration in chronic fatigue syndrome, such as in long Covid. Creatine regenerates ATP to make energy and improves blood flow in the brain to reduce some of the neurological symptoms of the condition.

‘It could work well alongside other treatments for chronic fatigue, such as CBT, sleep optimisation and structured exercise programmes.’

So is there a case for taking a supplement? The Oxford University team emphasises that more research is needed on creatine and the brain.

‘Much of the evidence in this field has come from animal studies and we need to replicate these findings in further rigorous human investigations before we make any clinical recommendations based on this,’ says Dr Riccardo De Giorgi, a clinical lecturer in psychiatry at the university and co-author of the depression study.

But when it comes to muscle health, the evidence for creatine – at a standard dose of 3-5g a day – is well-established, argues Jose Antonio, a professor of health and human performance at Nova Southeastern University in Florida, who says it may be useful alongside exercise to prevent muscle loss as we age.

It’s not that creatine directly grows muscle, but it does enhance the energy available during a work-out, so you can do more.

‘Personally, I’ve taken 3g a day for the last 25 years,’ says Professor Antonio. ‘It can boost muscle power and strength by up to 15 per cent alongside training.’

Recent evidence from the respected Cochrane group suggests taking a small dose of creatine – 3g per day – alongside weight training over 12 to 24 weeks could increase muscle mass in women over 60. However, other reviews from the same group found supplements may not be as effective for those who already have enough protein in their diets or who take it long term.

And with potential side-effects of creatine including nausea, cramps and bloating, as well as the potential for it to interact with other medications that affect the kidney or liver, it is important to make your doctor aware if you plan to take it.

‘My advice is creatine supplementation is worth a shot,’ sums up Professor Forbes. ‘In particular, it can help older adults to improve memory, muscles and bone strength in combination with exercise.’