Creatine supplementation for treating symptoms of depression: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Pooled across every trial, creatine moves depression scores about 2 points on a scale where 3 points is the smallest change that matters — is that worth taking a daily supplement for?
Well-supported by good-quality research. how we score evidence
Caveat on this rating: The remission odds ratio of 3.6 looks dramatic but rests on three trials and is contradicted by the response outcome from two trials pointing the other way — a pattern that usually means too few events, not a real dissociation. The reviewers' own bias analyses point the same direction. No funding or competing-interests statement could be read (the Cambridge Core page returned only the abstract), so both are recorded conservatively.
Creatine monohydrate is sold in the US as a dietary supplement under DSHEA, marketed overwhelmingly for exercise performance and muscle mass.
Pooling eleven randomised trials and 1,093 participants, creatine's effect on depressive symptoms was SMD -0.34 (95% CI -0.68 to -0.00) — about 2.2 points on the 17-item Hamilton scale, below the 3.0-point minimal important difference, with a confidence interval touching zero, substantial heterogeneity (I-squared 71.3%), and a GRADE rating of very low certainty. Remission favoured creatine across three trials (OR 3.60, 95% CI 1.76 to 7.56) but treatment response across two did not (OR 0.72, 95% CI 0.28 to 1.88). Trim-and-fill and subgroup analyses indicated substantial bias favouring creatine, and the authors conclude the true effect may be trivial or null.
Worth asking
Pooled across every trial, creatine moves depression scores about 2 points on a scale where 3 points is the smallest change that matters — is that worth taking a daily supplement for?
Source
Creatine supplementation for treating symptoms of depression: a systematic review and meta-analysis. — Eckert I, Lima J, Dariva AA. (2025)
Reputable peer-reviewed journal
Read the source: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0007114525105588
DOI: 10.1017/S0007114525105588
How this was scored
- Study design
- Meta-analysis of randomised trials
- Funding
- Funding not disclosed
- Published in
- Reputable peer-reviewed journal
- Sample size
- 1,093
- Preregistered
- No
- Conflicts disclosed
- No
- Independent of proponent
- Yes
- Retracted
- No
Read the full scoring rubric, including what it can't tell you.
Published August 19, 2026.
Where we put this study in context
Questions
How strong is the evidence behind this?
Resolv rates this source "strong evidence". Well-supported by good-quality research. It scores 73 out of 100 on our published rubric. One caveat travels with that badge: The remission odds ratio of 3.6 looks dramatic but rests on three trials and is contradicted by the response outcome from two trials pointing the other way — a pattern that usually means too few events, not a real dissociation. The reviewers' own bias analyses point the same direction. No funding or competing-interests statement could be read (the Cambridge Core page returned only the abstract), so both are recorded conservatively. The score is calculated from recorded facts about the source — study design, funding, publication venue, sample size, preregistration — not typed in by an editor.
What is the source for this?
Creatine supplementation for treating symptoms of depression: a systematic review and meta-analysis. — Eckert I, Lima J, Dariva AA. (2025). Published in: Reputable peer-reviewed journal. DOI: 10.1017/S0007114525105588. The full source is linked on this page so you can read it yourself.
Who paid for this research, and does that matter?
Study design: Meta-analysis of randomised trials. Funding: Funding not disclosed. The researchers were independent of whoever benefits from the result. Industry sponsorship is one of the most reliably measured biases in medicine, which is why funding carries real weight in the score rather than sitting in a footnote.
Is creatine, creatine monohydrate, crm, creapure, creatine hcl, creatine ethyl ester FDA approved for this use?
No. Its current status is: Not FDA-evaluated for this use. Creatine monohydrate is sold in the US as a dietary supplement under DSHEA, marketed overwhelmingly for exercise performance and muscle mass.
Is this medical advice?
This is information to bring to your prescriber, not medical advice and not a reason to change anything on your own. Nothing here is an instruction to stop or reduce a medication. If you are in crisis, call or text 988.
This is information to bring to your prescriber, not medical advice and not a reason to change anything on your own. Nothing here is an instruction to stop or reduce a medication. If you are in crisis, call or text 988.