“Creatine improves perimenopausal brain fog.”
Creatine has not been shown to clear perimenopausal brain fog; one small trial found slightly faster reaction times at one low dose, not relief of brain fog itself.
Creatine is not a proven fix for brain fog around menopause. If brain fog is your main reason to take it, the evidence does not back that up.
If brain fog is bothering you, bring it up at your next checkup so the cause can be looked at.
Talk to a healthcare professional if: your memory or concentration problems are getting worse or getting in the way of daily life.
One 8-week trial in 36 women found faster reaction times at one of three low doses, and it did not measure brain fog itself. European regulators reviewing 23 studies found that creatine has not been shown to improve thinking, so confidence is limited.
In the 2026 trial, 36 women around menopause took one of three low-dose creatine products or a placebo for 8 weeks. Only the 1,500 mg a day group did better than placebo, with faster reaction times and more creatine in one brain area; a change in mood swings could have been chance. Doses were well below the 3 to 5 grams a day commonly used, and the products were not the usual creatine monohydrate. A news report says a company supplied the supplements free and the senior author has supplement-industry ties, including creatine patents. In 2024, European regulators reviewed 23 human studies and found that a cause-and-effect link between creatine and better thinking has not been established.
- Korovljev D, Ostojic J, Panic J, Ranisavljev M, Todorovic N, Nedeljkovic D, Kuzmanovic J, Vranes M, Stajer V, Ostojic SM. 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. 2026;45(3):199-210. DOI: 10.1080/27697061.2025.2551184. PMID: 40854087
- EFSA Panel on Nutrition, Novel Foods and Food Allergens (NDA); Turck D, Bohn T, Cámara M, et al. Creatine and improvement in cognitive function: evaluation of a health claim pursuant to Article 13(5) of Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006. EFSA Journal. 2024;22(11):e9100. DOI: 10.2903/j.efsa.2024.9100. PMID: 39564533
- Antonio J, Candow DG, Forbes SC, Gualano B, Jagim AR, Kreider RB, Rawson ES, Smith-Ryan AE, VanDusseldorp TA, Willoughby DS, Ziegenfuss TN. Common questions and misconceptions about creatine supplementation: what does the scientific evidence really show? Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. 2021;18(1):13. DOI: 10.1186/s12970-021-00412-w. PMID: 33557850. PMCID: PMC7871530
- Petrova K. Creatine supplement may enhance brain function during menopause, new research suggests. PsyPost. November 19, 2025