Can Creatine Support Brain Health in Menopause? What a New Clinical Trial Reveals

I just found a fascinating new study that looks at something a lot of us might have heard of in the gym or in our biohacking circles, creatine, but this time in a completely different context: the brains and moods of perimenopausal and menopausal women. 

What’s This About?

As women approach menopause, changes in hormones can affect memory, mood, metabolism, and brain chemistry. This study CONCRET-MENOPA, tested whether creatine supplements could help with cognitive function and brain chemistry in this group. Unlike most creatine research focused on muscle performance, this one looked at the brain.

When & Who?

This was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, which is a strong design because neither the participants nor the researchers knew who was taking what until after the results. It took place in 2025 and included 36 healthy women around age 50 who were either perimenopausal (still having symptoms) or post menopausal.

Participants were randomly assigned to one of four groups:

– Low-dose creatine hydrochloride (750 mg/day)

– Medium-dose creatine hydrochloride (1500 mg/day)

– Creatine hydrochloride + creatine ethyl ester (800 mg/day)

– Placebo 

Everyone took their assigned supplement for 8 weeks.

What Did They Find?

The results were pretty interesting:

• Women taking the medium dose of creatine hydrochloride showed faster reaction times on cognitive tests compared with placebo.
• Their brain creatine levels, measured by imaging, also increased more than in the placebo group. 
• There were some positive changes in blood lipids, which may relate to heart health or metabolism.
• The medium-dose group also showed a trend toward reduced mood swing severity, though this didn’t reach strong statistical significance. 
• Most importantly, no major side effects were reported, and the supplements were well tolerated.

Why Does This Matter?

Menopause isn’t just about hot flashes and sleep disturbances, it’s a time of real changes in the brain and nervous system. Finding safe, accessible ways to support cognition and mood during this transition could make a big difference for quality of life. This study suggests that creatine, which is a common, well-studied supplement, might be part of the solution, especially for brain energy and function. 

It’s still early days, but it’s the kind of research that opens the door to more targeted nutritional strategies for women’s brain health. 

What Am I Doing With This Info?

After reading this study, I’m paying closer attention to how creatine could support my brain health, not just my workouts. Interestingly, most other research consider an average dosage of 5g of creatine, which would be considered a high dose in this study. High dose, in my opinion, is 10g – 20g, which I wouldn’t recommend unless your doctor prescribes this. I personally go for 5g a day of Puori creatine, KION Creatine,  The Midlife Pause or LVLUP’s supercharged Crevolution. I have discounts for all of these, see below.

Practical Tips

Here’s how you might put this study into practice:

1. Think beyond muscles.
Creatine isn’t just for athletes, it’s also used by the brain for energy. That’s why researchers are exploring its effects in menopause. 

2. Dosage matters.
In this study, the medium dose worked best, not necessarily the lowest or combined forms. If you consider it, dosage and form matter. 

3. Be patient – 8 weeks for changes.
Effects weren’t overnight. This was an 8-week protocol. So if you try something like this, give it time.

4. Talk to your doctor first.
Especially if you’re on medications or have medical conditions, always check in before starting a new supplement.

5. Lifestyle still matters most.
Supplements can help but sleep quality, nutrition, stress management, and exercise are still foundational for brain and mood health.

DISCOUNT CODES:

Puori Use this link for 20% off

Kion Use this link for 10% – 20% off

The Midlife Pause code ZORA for 10% off

LVLUP Crevolution Use this link for 15% off

Reference: Korovljev, D., Ostojic, J., Panic, J., Ranisavljev, M., Todorovic, N., Nedeljkovic, D., Kuzmanovic, J., Vranes, M., Stajer, V., & Ostojic, S. M. (2025). 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. Journal of the American Nutrition Association, 1–12.