Small creatine trial reports reaction-time benefits around menopause
A trial compared creatine formulations with placebo, reporting benefits for the medium-dose group but leaving important questions about effect sizes.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
The abstract reports better reaction-time results, higher frontal brain creatine, and favorable blood-lipid changes with medium-dose creatine hydrochloride compared with placebo. Its mood-swing result was not statistically significant. The small trial does not establish broad cognitive benefits, and the reported results do not demonstrate that this dose is superior to the other active formulations.
This abstract-based summary omits the reaction-time and brain-creatine percentages because their group ordering and interpretation are unclear. The abstract also provides limited results for the other active groups.
What researchers found
Reaction time
Medium-dose creatine hydrochloride versus placebo after 8 weeks; the abstract reports statistical significance but does not clearly explain the percentage comparison.
Keeping the outcomes separate
The abstract reports reaction time, frontal brain creatine, and blood lipids as distinct outcomes. It does not establish that the brain-creatine change caused the reaction-time result or that either finding reflects better everyday cognitive functioning.
Mood and tolerability
The reported mood-swing comparison did not meet statistical significance, leaving that possible benefit uncertain. No severe adverse effects were reported, but the study's short duration and small sample limit what this observation can establish about safety.
The original publication
The Effects of 8-Week Creatine Hydrochloride and Creatine Ethyl Ester Supplementation on Cognition, Clinical Outcomes, and Brain Creatine Levels in Perimenopausal and Menopausal Women (CONCRET-MENOPA): A Randomized Controlled Trial.
Korovljev D, Ostojic J, Panic J et al.
J Am Nutr Assoc · 2026
- PubMed ID
- 40854087
- Record checked
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