Eight Weeks of Creatine in Perimenopause: A Small Trial on Brain and Mood

Thirty-six perimenopausal and menopausal women were randomised to one of four groups: a low or medium dose of creatine hydrochloride, a creatine hydrochloride plus creatine ethyl ester combination, or placebo, for eight weeks. The medium-dose group showed a statistically significant, though modest, improvement in reaction time compared with placebo, alongside a meaningful rise in frontal brain creatine levels on specialised imaging and favourable shifts in blood lipids. A possible easing of mood swings did not reach statistical significance, and there was no measurable effect on fatigue or exercise tolerance. Three honest caveats matter here: the trial is small, at 36 women; it used creatine hydrochloride and ethyl ester, not the far more common and better-studied creatine monohydrate, so the results should not be assumed to transfer directly; and the supplements were supplied free of charge by a commercial creatine manufacturer. It is a genuinely promising early signal, best read as a first step rather than a final answer.