Why Creatine Is The Missing Ingredient In Your Wellness Routine
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With so many supplements on the market, it’s tough to figure out what actually works—let alone which products are even safe to begin with. Creatine is one of the few (alongside protein powder) that lives up to the hype. It’s been studied to death for its ability to boost strength, enhance exercise performance, and promote muscle growth—and the science supporting these benefits is solid.
Basically, creatine helps supply your muscles with energy during workouts, so you can push harder and recover better. Think heavier lifts, stronger sprints, with the potential for less muscle soreness the next day.
What’s even cooler? Creatine is super low-risk and might be especially helpful for women compared to men. Women of all ages can benefit from taking creatine—especially if your goals include boosting your performance, going for strength gains, or improving recovery, according to Nicole Lund, RDN, a clinical nutritionist, and Gabrielle Lyon, DO, a functional medicine practitioner and WH advisor. “This is partly because women tend to have lower natural creatine stores than men,” adds Dr. Lyon—around 70 to 80 percent less, according to a 2021 study in Nutrients. On top of that, women often get less creatine through their diets, making them good candidates for supplementation.
Ahead, learn more about the benefits of creatine for women, potential side effects, how to use it, and beyond.
Meet the experts: Gabrielle Lyon, DO, is a functional medicine practitioner, WH advisor, and the founder of Muscle-Centric Medicine and author of Forever Strong. Nicole Lund, RDN, is an NYU Langone clinical nutritionist and certified personal trainer and has her master's degree in public health from Hunter College. Dana White, RDN, MS, ATC, is an athletic trainer and registered dietitian nutritionist.
What is creatine?
Creatine is a naturally-occurring, organic compound that is mostly stored in your muscles, but is also found in a much smaller quantity in your brain. It plays a critical role in producing adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the main source of energy for your cells. “[ATP] helps with muscle growth as well as improved endurance, power, and recovery,” says Dana White, RDN, a registered dietitian nutritionist. Not only does creatine help supply energy to your muscles during a workout, but it also helps them flex and contract.
Our bodies produce about one gram of creatine per day in the liver, kidneys, and pancreas, but the majority of this compound comes from your diet, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Creatine is found in foods like red meat, fish, poultry and even dairy products (though at much lower levels), but the average dose in these foods is about one to two grams per pound, says White. That’s where creatine supplements come in handy, making it a heck of a lot easier and more realistic to get the three to five grams per day that most professionals recommend, says White.
6 Benefits Of Creatine, Specifically For Women
Despite the massive body of research on creatine that exists, it wasn’t until recently that women have started to be included in those studies. While Lund notes that more research is needed to further understand how creatine affects women specifically, the findings so far are promising.
1. Increase lean body mass.
When combined with resistance training, creatine supplementation can help you build and maintain muscle more effectively. Those who combined taking creatine with strength training gained an average of three pounds more muscle compared to those who followed the same protocol but consumed a placebo, according to a 2017 meta-analysis published in the Journal of Sports Medicine.
For older women experiencing sarcopenia—the natural loss of muscle tissue that comes with age—taking creatine can be especially beneficial. “Muscle is more metabolically active, meaning the more muscle tissue you have on your body, the better your metabolism will be,” says Lund. Beyond metabolism, maintaining muscle mass also helps with overall strength, balance, and mobility, which are essential pieces of the healthy aging puzzle. Plus, stronger muscles support stronger bones, making creatine a win-win for women prioritizing bone density.
2. Boost energy to level up workouts.
Creatine boosts ATP production—that’s the energy currency your muscles rely on to power movement. Not only does this give you quick bursts of energy during high-intensity workouts like sprinting or lifting, but it also helps your body maintain balance and recycle energy efficiently. That this process can keep you going strong and make your workouts feel more manageable, helping you progress, says Dr. Lyon.
With more energy available, creatine can also help improve your exercise performance and capacity. If you can lift heavier or run faster or longer before your muscles burn out, you’ll get stronger and fitter over time, adds Lund.
The results speak for themselves: A Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research study found that female athletes who supplemented with creatine increased their bench press strength and reduced body fat more significantly over five weeks compared to those taking a placebo. It’s a simple, science-backed way to get more out of every rep and stride.
3. Enhance muscle recovery.
Creatine can also help you recover better between workouts, says Lund. Here's how: Creatine monohydrate—the most effective and well-studied form of creatine—increases ATP, a key energy source in your body. Having more fuel at the ready helps you train at a higher intensity. This extra energy doesn’t just help you power through tough workouts; it also supports faster recovery afterward, according to a 2021 report published in Nutrients.
There’s more research backing this up. For instance, creatine supplementation likely accelerated recovery and boosted ATP production among female college student participants while they weren’t exercising, according to one small study. However, more research linking creatine supplementation and recovery is needed.
4. Improve cognitive function.
On top of physical perks, creatine also plays a role in cognition (thinking and learning), and supplementation can give your brain a boost, says Dr. Lyon.
Taking creatine supplementation can also help with tasks involving the frontal cortex, such as learning, memory, and attention, according to the Nutrients report. It can even help reduce mental fatigue in healthy adults, according to research in Neuroscience Biobehavior Review. Similar to how it can help mitigate age-related loss of muscle mass, a combination of creatine supplementation and physical activity is one of the most effective ways to combat declines in cognitive processing associated with aging, per a study in Amino Acids.
Creatine also might be helpful in treating neurological conditions such as congenital creatine deficiency syndromes, age-related cognitive decline (like Alzheimer’s disease), and neurodegenerative diseases (like Parkinson’s disease and Huntington’s disease).
5. Curb the effects of short-term sleep deprivation.
Because of creatine’s ability to support brain function, it can help lessen the blow of adverse cognitive effects caused by sleep deprivation. It won’t help you get better rest, but it might help you “rebound” after a poor night’s sleep, says White. That being said, we still totally recommend that you get a good night’s sleep to support your fitness goals and overall well-being.
8. Maintain homeostasis throughout the hormonal journey.
Throughout each phase of the menstrual cycle, dramatic shifts in hormones like estrogen and progesterone affect the body’s natural creatine levels, sometimes dipping inadequately low. Supplementing creatine helps keep levels more consistent throughout the menstrual cycle, says White. Having a regular daily dose of creatine from a supplement can help ensure creatine is present in adequate amounts throughout the cycle, she says.
Women who are pregnant, postpartum, or experiencing post-menopause also have altered creatine levels due to hormonal changes. While creatine supplementation may help address these shifts, it’s important to consult your healthcare provider before adding it to your routine to ensure it’s safe and appropriate for you.
How To Choose A Creatine Supplement
Creatine is one of the most straightforward supplements to shop. A good option contains only one ingredient (more on this in a sec) in a standard five gram serving—no flavors, no frills. However, there's a lot of junk on the market, so here are a few things to keep in mind when shopping.
Look for creatine monohydrate. Creatine monohydrate is “the optimal form of creatine for our bodies” that has been studied the most, Lund says.
Look for third-party testing. Make sure the supplement you buy is third-party tested, which you can confirm by spotting the “NSF Certified for Sport” or “Informed Choice” badge on the container. That means it’s been tested by a trusted third-party regulatory body to certify the absence of contaminants (and other additional ingredients you don't want) in the supplement.
Go with a brand name. Also, consider whether the brand and supplement has been around for a while, if it’s trusted by consumers, and what their reputation is, Lund and Dr. Lyon recommend. If you want, you can also contact the company directly to look into their sourcing and where they make the supplement, Dr. Lyon adds.
Scan for additives and other ingredients. Less is more here, and look for pure creatine monohydrate, experts say. “I would stay away from anything that has anything extra that you may or may not know how it's going to impact your body,” Lund adds.
Micronized Creatine Monohydrate Powder
Creatine Monohydrate Micronized Powder
Creatine Monohydrate
Creatine Monohydrate Powder
Pure Creatine Monohydrate
Klean Creatine
How To Use A Creatine Supplement
How much should you take?
You should take five grams (one serving) once, daily. The "every single day" recommendation is key here. There are "benefits for taking it consistently—even on rest days—to keep the muscle creatine levels high" and get all those benefits above, Lund says.
Should you take creatine before or after your workout?
“Research is inconclusive about timing,” says Lund, meaning it’s basically up to you. However, men who took creatine immediately post-workout had better body composition and strength results than those who supplemented with it before, according to one Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition study.
But benefits of both pre-workout and post-workout ingestion within an hour of working out have been reported for women, so go with whatever is most convenient for you.
What can you mix creatine powder with?
You can mix creatine powder with anything, Dr. Lyon and Lund say. People typically mix it with water, juice, or another beverage. (If you also include protein powder in your diet, you can even mix both of them into your smoothie together for an efficient combo.)
There are also some benefits that come with taking creatine powder with protein and carbs, Lund says. Combining creatine with 50 grams of protein and 50 grams of carbohydrates is more effective than taking creatine solo. Tripling up on these helps store more creatine in the muscles, ready to use for fuel, according to a Journal of Applied Physiology study.
Are there any side effects of taking creatine?
The side effects of taking creatine are virtually non-existent, experts agree. One common misconception is that creatine causes water retention. However, there is no strong evidence to support this as a side effect of supplementation. While creatine does draw water into muscle cells as part of its natural osmotic process, this doesn’t translate to overall water retention or bloating, says Lund.
Another major myth is that creatine leads to excessive weight gain, which is much less common in women compared to men, especially when dosed appropriately. In women, studies have shown no significant changes in body composition attributable to creatine use, White says, pointing to one review that found this to be true.
Creatine also shouldn’t cause hair loss. In 2009, one study conducted on male rugby players found an increase in serum dihydrotestosterone (DHT), a hormone that is linked with hair loss over time, but the results have never been replicated, and the link is not supported by evidence, one study says.
Creatine doesn’t seem to affect kidney function for healthy people, but those with known kidney disorders or dysfunction should steer clear, as it can possibly worsen kidney dysfunction, per Mayo Clinic.
Who should avoid creatine?
A majority of women can take creatine safely. The only women who should probably avoid it are those with kidney issues (see above) or during pregnancy. If you’re pregnant, Dr. Lyon suggests getting creatine by prioritizing creatine-rich food sources, like red meat, instead.
Can creatine help women lose weight?
Creatine doesn’t directly cause weight loss. However, if you’re combining creatine supplementation with resistance training, it can potentially lead to weight loss since it’s shown benefits of helping people train harder. Plus, it can help you build lean muscle mass, which is more metabolically active, and can technically help you burn more calories and shed some weight in that sense.
“Creatine supplementation on its own and/or creatine supplementation with aerobic exercise only doesn't seem to increase lean body mass at all,” Lund says.
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