Could a supplement you thought was just for athletes actually support your mood this winter?

Creatine, Energy, and Seasonal Mood: What Women Should Know

As winter settles in, many women notice a familiar shift: lower energy, heavier moods, disrupted sleep, and a general sense of slowing down. For some, these changes are mild. For others, they’re more persistent and align with seasonal depression, often referred to as seasonal affective disorder (SAD).

Light therapy, therapy, and medication remain the most established ways to manage seasonal depression. But in recent years, researchers have begun exploring whether nutrition and brain energy metabolism may also influence how mood changes across seasons. One nutrient now being studied through this lens is creatine.

Often associated with athletic performance, creatine also plays a fundamental role in how the brain produces and manages energy — a process increasingly linked to mental health.

Creatine’s Role Beyond Muscle

Creatine is a naturally occurring compound made from amino acids. Your body produces it, and you also get it from foods like meat and fish. Inside cells, creatine helps regenerate ATP — the molecule that powers nearly every function in the body.

While muscles get most of the attention, the brain is one of the body’s highest energy-demand organs. Because of this, scientists have become interested in creatine’s potential role in supporting brain function during periods of stress, fatigue, or low mood.

Why Energy Metabolism Matters for Mood

Depression — including seasonal forms — is no longer viewed solely as a neurotransmitter imbalance. Research increasingly points to changes in brain energy metabolism and mitochondrial function as contributing factors.

Studies have shown:

• Reduced creatine levels in certain brain regions in people with depression

• Altered cellular energy processing in mood disorders

• Improvements in depressive symptoms when metabolic support is added to conventional care

This has led researchers to ask whether supporting cellular energy availability — including through creatine — could play a role in mood resilience, particularly during low-light seasons.

What Human Studies Suggest

It’s important to be precise: creatine is not a treatment for seasonal depression, and no studies have evaluated it specifically for SAD. However, several clinical and population studies offer relevant insights.

Creatine as a Support to Standard Depression Care

In a well-known randomized controlled trial, women with major depressive disorder who added 5 grams of creatine per day to an SSRI antidepressant experienced faster and greater symptom improvement than those taking medication alone.

Follow-up brain imaging studies from the same research group showed changes consistent with improved brain energy metabolism, particularly in areas involved in mood regulation and emotional processing.

These findings suggest creatine may act as a supportive nutrient, rather than a primary intervention.

Dietary Creatine and Depression Risk in Women

Large observational studies using U.S. national health data have found that higher dietary creatine intake is associated with a lower prevalence of depression, with the strongest association observed in women.

While this type of research cannot prove cause and effect, it supports the idea that creatine intake and mood may be meaningfully linked.

What This Means for Seasonal Mood Changes

There are currently no clinical trials evaluating creatine specifically for seasonal affective disorder. However, SAD shares several biological features with other depressive disorders, including fatigue, low motivation, and changes in brain energy regulation.

For this reason, researchers consider creatine biologically plausible as a supportive nutrient during seasons when energy and mood tend to decline — though much more research is needed.

Important Context and Limitations

A responsible conversation about creatine and mood includes clear boundaries:

• Creatine is not a mental health treatment.

• Evidence is still emerging, and study quality varies.

• Creatine appears most relevant as an adjunct, not a standalone approach.

• Individuals with kidney disease or bipolar disorder should consult a healthcare professional before supplementing.

The Bottom Line

Creatine plays a foundational role in how the brain manages energy. Early research suggests it may help support mood-related pathways, particularly when combined with standard care, and higher dietary intake has been associated with lower rates of depression in women.

That said, creatine is not a proven solution for seasonal depression, and it should be viewed as one part of a broader, individualized approach to mental well-being — especially during the darker months.

---

Important Consumer Information

This article is for educational purposes only. Creatine is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. If you are experiencing symptoms of depression or seasonal affective disorder, speak with a qualified healthcare professional. Always consult a healthcare provider before starting any new supplement, especially if you have a medical condition or are taking medication.

---

Scientific References

1. Lyoo, I. K., et al. (2012).
   A randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled trial of oral creatine monohydrate augmentation for women with major depressive disorder.
   American Journal of Psychiatry, 169(9), 937–945.

2. Lyoo, I. K., et al. (2016).
   Creatine monohydrate augmentation to SSRIs improves brain energy metabolism in major depressive disorder.
   Journal of Affective Disorders, 193, 45–52.

3. Bakian, A. V., et al. (2020).
   Dietary creatine intake and depression risk: Analysis of NHANES data.
   Translational Psychiatry, 10(1), 52.

4. Kondo, D. G., et al. (2016).
   Bioenergetic abnormalities in depression and the potential role of creatine.
   Neuropsychopharmacology, 41(9), 2120–2131.

5. Roitman, S., et al. (2007).
   Creatine monohydrate in treatment-resistant depression: A preliminary study.
   Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology, 27(3), 318–320.

6. Morita, M., et al. (2024).
   Creatine supplementation for depressive symptoms: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
   Journal of Psychiatric Research.