A daily dose of creatine alongside talking therapy seems to ease depression, with minimal side effects.
Creatine is a compound that is naturally produced by our bodies and is found in protein-rich animal products. It helps to supply energy to cells, so it is best known as a bodybuilding supplement, but it is increasingly being linked to multiple health benefits.
For instance, scientists have previously shown that the supplement may enhance the effects of , but it was unclear whether it can benefit people with depression who are receiving cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), which can help people manage their problems by changing the way they think and behave.
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To explore this, at the University of Oxford and his colleagues recruited 100 people in India with mild to severe depression. At the start of the study, the participants took a survey that is commonly used to screen for the severity of depressive symptoms, on which they scored an average of 17.7 on a 27-point scale. The average age of the individuals was 30, and it had been at least eight weeks since any had taken antidepressants.
The team then split the participants into two groups, half of whom took a daily creatine pill alongside CBT sessions every two weeks for eight weeks, while the rest had the same talking therapy but were given a placebo pill.
By the end of the study, some participants had dropped out, leaving 30 people in each group. When completing the same survey as at the start, those who had taken creatine scored 5.8 on average, which is considered mild depression. The placebo group scored 11.9, corresponding to moderate depression.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 actually a very, very large effect of creatine,鈥� says at the University of Utah. 鈥淒efinitely an effect that a patient would notice in terms of well-being.鈥� Side effects were also mild and similar between the two groups. 鈥淚t seems to give a level of benefit that鈥檚 large relative to the very low risks,鈥� he says.
Creatine may partly work by bolstering energy supplies in brain regions involved in depression, such as those that regulate emotions, says Kious. 鈥淚t could basically be building a better battery for the brain.鈥�
The compound鈥檚 activity outside of the brain may also contribute to its antidepressive effects. 鈥淭here might be a peripheral action that makes you feel better, more physically strong, and maybe that can feed into improving overall well-being,鈥� says at the University of Oxford, who wasn鈥檛 involved in the study.
Future research should explore this, but first, larger studies that involve more ethnically diverse people in multiple countries are needed to confirm the results of the trial, he says. 鈥淭hings like diet and lifestyle factors might affect people鈥檚 normal creatine intake, and so the effects of supplementing it,鈥� says Cowen.
Studies should also explore creatine鈥檚 long-term effects, says De Giorgi. 鈥淥ne of the problems with all antidepressant strategies is that people do tend to relapse, so it would be interesting to see what happens in the long term,鈥� he says.
European Neuropsychopharmacology
