Could Creatine Protect the Aging Brain?
The creatine products we see on the shelves in 2025 mainly all promise one thing: stronger muscles. But what if the most exciting frontier for creatine isn’t physical strength at all? What if it’s cognitive resilience?
This month, our Jenerise Creatine 101 Research Guide welcomes a valuable addition: a new systematic review published in Nutrition Reviews titled Creatine and Cognition in Older Adults: A Systematic Review (PROSPERO No. CRD42025643617). Led by researchers examining six original studies with more than 1,500 participants, the paper poses a crucial question: how might creatine impact the brain as we age?
The review sets the stage clearly: “The current limited evidence suggests that creatine may be associated with benefits for cognition in generally healthy older adults. However, high-quality clinical trials are warranted to further validate this relationship.” In other words, we’re early in this conversation, but the signal is too strong to ignore.
Across the six studies, which included healthy community-dwelling adults and one trial in overweight older women, five reported a positive link between creatine and cognition, particularly in the domains of memory and attention. Two were double-blind interventions supplementing participants with creatine monohydrate, while the others estimated creatine intake through dietary recall.
Methodological quality was mixed: one study rated “good,” two “fair,” and three “poor.” Still, the weight of evidence leaned positive. As the review states: “Five of the six (83.3%) studies reported a positive relationship between creatine and cognition in older adults, particularly in the domains of memory and attention.” For brands, this is the kind of emerging evidence that can shift categories, not overnight, but steadily and profoundly.
The biological case is compelling. Creatine is well established in skeletal muscle, where it supports ATP regeneration. Yet only around 5% of the body’s creatine stores reside in the brain. Because creatine levels decline with age, and dietary intake can be highly variable, vegans, for example, consume almost none, older adults may be especially responsive to supplementation. The review emphasizes the need to understand creatine’s role in “energy supply and homeostasis within the central nervous system.”
The global population over 60 is projected to nearly double by 2050. With that demographic shift comes surging demand for products that address both physical and cognitive health. Muscle health has dominated the creatine conversation for decades, but the data are opening new doors. If creatine supplementation can be credibly positioned as a tool not just for strength, but for memory and attention in later life, we’re no longer talking niche. We’re talking mainstream.
For B2B players, formulators, brands, retailers, this creates both opportunity and responsibility. The opportunity lies in new positioning: cognitive performance, healthy aging, resilience. The responsibility is accuracy. As the authors themselves conclude, “Future research should investigate creatine supplementation in older clinical populations with notable cognitive deficits, objectively measure creatine concentrations, and consider additional factors that may influence creatine levels in the body and brain.” Translating that into the market means avoiding overclaims while still recognizing the emerging potential.
For B2C, the implications are equally significant. Consumers are no longer content with products that only speak to biceps and bench press. They are searching for ways to stay sharper, longer. The brands that win in this space will be those that tell the broader story, grounded in clinical research, accessible in everyday formats, and positioned as part of a balanced approach to healthspan.
Creatine’s story is evolving. It’s no longer just a gym supplement. It’s becoming a brain story, a resilience story, a longevity story. And for the companies willing to innovate responsibly, it’s a category waiting to be redefined.
I would love to hear from you if you’re looking to refresh your brand or products to take things to the next level and play a role in shaping the next era of creatine. You can easily email me at rachael@jenerise.com.
We all rise together,
Rachael Jennings | Co-Founder + CBO, Jenerise
