Creatine and lifting weights: a new hope for aging brains?

NCT ID NCT06948149

Symptom relief Sponsor: Western University, Canada Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

First seen Jun 24, 2026 · Last updated Aug 21, 2026 · Updated 3 times

Summary

This 26-week study tests whether taking creatine daily and doing resistance training (weightlifting) can improve thinking, memory, and physical function in older adults with mild cognitive impairment. Two hundred participants aged 60+ will be randomly assigned to creatine or placebo, combined with either weightlifting or balance/stretching classes. Researchers will measure changes in working memory, reaction time, and other cognitive skills before and after the program.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance: creatine monohydrate
What this could lead to: If it works, this could point toward a simple, low-cost way to slow cognitive decline and improve physical function in older adults with mild memory problems.
What could go wrong: This is an early-stage trial with 200 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. The benefits of creatine for brain health are still unproven, and the study relies on cognitive tests that may not capture real-world improvements.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

About 140 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Started

Jan 2026

Expected to finish

Dec 2027

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

60 years and older

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

We will include participants who: 1) are aged \>60; 2) are living independently in the community; 3) have normal or corrected-to-normal vision and hearing; 4) read, write, and speak English fluently; 5) are right-handed (if participating in the MRI component); 6) have subjective feelings of memory decline in the past five years; 7) have telephone Montreal Cognitive Assessment (T-MoCA) scores \<19/22; 8) have high independence, as indicated by Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) scale \>6/8; 9) have a Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) score \<6/15; 10) are able to exercise at a moderate pace using resistance training for 60 minutes 3x/week; and 11) receive clearance from a physician to participate in an exercise program at baseline. We will exclude participants who: 1) cannot partake or commit to exercise training 3x/week for 26 weeks or have engaged in resistance training \>1x/week over the past three months; 2) cannot partake or commit to consuming a daily supplement for 26 weeks or have consumed nutritional supplements containing creatine monohydrate over the past three months; 3) have a known allergy to creatine monohydrate or dextrose; 4) have been diagnosed with a neurological disorder (e.g., Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease); 5) have pre-existing kidney disease, heart disease, or liver abnormalities; 6) have one or more uncontrolled chronic or psychiatric conditions (e.g., hypertension, diabetes, depression, anxiety); 7) are taking medication that may impact kidney function (e.g., non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as ibuprofen and naproxen); or 8) are ineligible or uncomfortable with blood sampling.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Cognitive Dysfunction Motor Activity

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Creatine Exercise Mild cognitive impairment (MCI)

How to take part

Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.

The places running it

1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
The official record

ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

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A doctor treating you

A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.

Creatine and lifting weights: a new hope for aging brains?

What the study statuses mean