Recruiting

Creatine & Resistance Training

Sponsor:

Western University, Canada

Code:

NCT06948149

Conditions

Creatine

Exercise

Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI)

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 60+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Interventions

Creatine monohydrate

Resistance training

Study Details

Brief summary:

The goal of this 26-week trial is to learn if creatine supplementation and resistance training (i.e., weightlifting; exercise that increases muscle mass), alone and together, impact cognition, brain health, and physical function in older adults with mild cognitive impairment. Previous studies have shown that resistance training improves cognition and brain health in older adults. Creatine is naturally occurring in the human body and is known to decline with age. Studies have shown that creatine increases muscle mass and bone density in older adults when supplemented. Some research has suggested that creatine may also improve cognition and brain health. However, little is known about how creatine supplementation affects the aging brain and body alone and when combined with resistance training, especially in those with known cognitive impairment.

In this study, participants will be randomly assigned to one of four groups: 1) creatine and resistance training, 2) placebo and resistance training, 3) creatine and active control (balance and tone classes), or 4) placebo and active control. Participants in the creatine groups will take creatine every day during the study. Participants in the placebo groups will take a look-alike substance that contains no drug every day during the study. Participants in the resistance training groups will attend three 60-minute classes per week that target each major muscle group and will increase in difficulty during the study. Participants in the active control group will attend three 60-minute classes per week that will consist of balance, stretching, and range of motion exercises. This group accounts for variables such as physical training received by traveling to the training centres, social interaction, and changes in lifestyle secondary to study participation.

Researchers will collect information before and after the 26 weeks to see if creatine supplementation and/or resistance training have any effects on cognition, brain health, and/or physical function. The investigators suspect that both creatine supplementation and resistance training will improve cognition, brain health, and physical function alone. However, it is thought that the combination of creatine supplementation and resistance training will improve cognition, brain health, and physical function more.

Conditions

Creatine

Exercise

Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI)

Study ID

NCT06948149

Start date

Jan 1, 2026

Status verified date

May, 2026

Completion date

Dec, 2027

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Dec, 2027

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 60+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

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.

Study Design

Enrollment

140 participants

Anticipated

Allocation

Randomized

Intervention Model

Factorial

Primary purpose

Supportive Care

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

experimental: Creatine monohydrate supplementation and resistance training

Creatine supplementation: A relative dosing strategy will be employed (personalized by weight), where participants will consume one serving (0.10g of creatine/kg/day) of creatine monohydrate mixed into at least eight ounces of a beverage of their choice daily. Participants will choose what meal they will take the supplement and will be asked to keep timing consistent. Participant's weight will be measured again at midpoint to recalculate supplement dosage accordingly.

Resistance training: All participants will attend three 60-minute exercise classes per week. Classes will consist of a 10-minute warm-up on a treadmill or stationary bike followed by 40 minutes of core-content and ending with a 10-minute cool down and stretch. Resistance training classes will be completed using HUR machines which will target each major muscle group. Progression will follow the 7RM method where load will increase after two sets of 6-8 repetitions can be completed with proper form and range of motion.

experimental: Creatine monohydrate supplementation and active control group

Creatine supplementation: A relative dosing strategy will be employed (personalized by weight), where participants will consume one serving (0.10g of creatine/kg/day) of creatine monohydrate mixed into at least eight ounces of a beverage of their choice daily. Participants will choose what meal they will take the supplement and will be asked to keep timing consistent throughout the 26 weeks. Participant's weight will be measured again at midpoint to recalculate supplement dosage accordingly.

Active control group: This group will follow the same protocol as the resistance training group, however, the core-content will consist of balance, stretching, and range of motion exercises. This serves as our active control group to control for socialization and commitment to an exercise program that may influence our outcome measures. This protocol has been used in previous exercise studies and there is no evidence that the balance and tone classes result in cognitive benefits.

experimental: Placebo supplementation and resistance training

Placebo supplementation: Participants in the placebo group will follow the same protocol as the creatine supplementation groups but will consume dextrose powder instead of creatine.

Resistance training: All participants will attend three 60-minute exercise classes per week. Classes will consist of a 10-minute warm-up on a treadmill or stationary bike followed up 40 minutes of core-content and ending with a 10-minute cool down and stretch. Resistance training classes will be completed using HUR machines which will target each major muscle group. Progression will follow the 7RM method where load will increase after two sets of 6-8 repetitions can be completed with proper form and range of motion.

no intervention: Placebo supplementation and active control group

Placebo supplementation: Participants in the placebo group will follow the same protocol as the creatine supplementation groups but will consume dextrose powder instead of creatine.

Active control group: This group will follow the same protocol as the resistance training group, however, the core-content will consist of balance, stretching, and range of motion exercises. This serves as our active control group to control for socialization and commitment to an exercise program that may influence our outcome measures. This protocol has been used in previous exercise studies and there is no evidence that the balance and tone classes result in cognitive benefits.

Interventions

Creatine monohydrate

Participants will consume one serving of creatine daily (0.10g of creatine/kg of body weight). This relative dosing approach ensures that smaller participants do not receive excessive doses, while larger participants receive an adequate amount. There is currently limited evidence to conclude the effectiveness of timing daily creatine intake, but it is recommended that creatine be consumed at mealtime for optimal absorption. Participants will choose what meal they will take the supplement and will be asked to keep timing consistent throughout the study. This daily low dose method was chosen because other methods (high-dose loading) may have negative side effects (e.g., water retention, cramping). The trial duration is also enough time to entire creatine saturation with supplementation.

Resistance training

Participants will use the programmable weight machines along with free weights to target primary muscle groups. In addition, they will complete mini-squats, mini-lunges, and lunge walks. Participants will complete two sets of 6-8 reps. Training stimulus will be increased using the 7RM method - when 2 sets of 6-8 reps are completed with proper form and without discomfort. The investigators will record the number of sets completed and the load lifted for each exercise for each participant at every class.

Primary outcome measure

  • Corsi Span - Corsi Block Tapping Task [ Time Frame: Baseline and 26 weeks ]
  • Reaction Time - Corsi Block Tapping Task [ Time Frame: Baseline and 26 weeks ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Central contacts

Lindsay Nagamatsu, PhD

519 661-2111lnagamat@uwo.ca

Locations

Western University

Recruiting

London, Ontario, Canada, N6E 1Z6

Contacts

Samantha Marshall, MSc

519-670-5275smarsh69@uwo.ca

More Information

Sponsor

Western University, Canada

Last update posted

Aug 20, 2026

Last verified

May, 2026

Keywords

  • older adults
  • physical activity
  • cognition
  • neuroimaging
  • mobility
  • mild cognitive impairment
  • creatine
  • dietary supplementation

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-09-09. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by Western University, Canada on 2026-08-20.