WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - A new review published in Brain Medicine suggests that creatine may help some people with depression by improving the brain's energy supply. However, the researchers emphasized that the current evidence is mixed, and more studies are needed before firm conclusions can be made.
For the study, researchers led by Bassam Jeryous Fares at the University of Ottawa reviewed six published reports covering five randomized controlled trials in which participants were randomly assigned to receive either creatine or a placebo, with neither the participants nor the investigators knowing which they received.
The studies were conducted in South Korea, the United States, Brazil, Israel, and India. Altogether, 238 people took part in the beginning of these trials. Of these, 126 received creatine, and 112 received a placebo. The average age of participants was 36, and most were women.
Four studies involved people with major depressive disorder, while one included people with bipolar disorder who were experiencing depression. Since the studies differed in their designs and methods, the researchers did not combine the results into a single overall analysis. Instead, they assessed each study separately.
Two of the five studies found that creatine offered extra benefits. In one study, people taking five grams of creatine daily along with the antidepressant Escitalopram showed greater improvement in depression symptoms after eight weeks than those taking escitalopram with a placebo. More people in the creatine group also recovered from their depression. Another study found that adding creatine to cognitive behavioral therapy led to a greater reduction in depression symptoms compared with therapy plus a placebo.
However, the other three studies found no clear benefit. One study showed that taking either five or ten grams of creatine a day did not improve symptoms in people whose depression had not responded to medication. Another found no benefit for teenage girls, even when different doses were tested. A third study in people with bipolar disorder also found no improvement.
'Creatine appears to be a safe intervention. The adverse events we found were limited to mild gastrointestinal discomfort. We cannot yet reliably say that creatine helps with depressive symptoms or if the findings are generalizable to everyone,' commented corresponding author Nicholas Fabiano.
The researchers explained that creatine may also influence the brain chemicals dopamine and serotonin, which help regulate mood and are targeted by many antidepressants. Even with these benefits, they cautioned that these ideas are still theoretical. Current studies only show a possible link and do not prove that changes in creatine levels directly cause depression. They also noted that depression is a complex condition involving many biological processes.
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