Part 1: I’m Taking Creatine and Ladies, I Think You Should Too

I’m often approached by supplement companies to promote their products and I always turn them down. Mostly because I don’t take any supplements myself, and also because supplements aren’t a one-size-fits-all kind of product. A so-called influencer telling you to take something without having any specific knowledge of what your body needs is all wrong! But I guess I should never say never because the more I research creatine, the more I realize that all bodies — especially female bodies and even more so, aging female bodies — actually could benefit from taking creatine.

In the most basic terms, creatine is a natural compound that is found in your muscles and that helps produce energy. For a deeper dive into what creatine is, check out this wonderful article my sports nutritionist, Megan Robinson (who we will hear from below) wrote. Creatine increases ATP (adenosine triphosphate), the energy source for the muscles and the brain. So adding creatine results in “enhancing short term exercise capacity and training, increased muscle strength and mass, and improving training quality and recovery,” to quote Megan. Basically, creatine helps you perform better, gets you results faster and allows your body to recover more efficiently. Oh, it offers benefits for brain health, too!

When talking about supplements, we're referring to adding something to your diet that your body is lacking. In order to find out what your body needs and what your diet is not providing, it’s important to get bloodwork done. As I shared in a previous post, I did a comprehensive blood panel last September to understand my unique deficiencies. Only after this can you determine whether you need to invest in supplements, which can be expensive. Taking a supplement your friend or some influencer recommends without knowing if you need it is a waste of time and money.

But hang on— creatine may be different. Functional medicine doc, Adam Leid (and yes, I’ll also get to more from Dr. Adam below) told me that “creatine is the ONLY supplement I recommend everyone take.” And for women, this is especially relevant. First off, I learned that women have less creatine stores than men (more details here), which gets even lower during menopause — just add it to the list! Also women consume less dietary creatine than men. Creatine is found in fish and meat. But you need to eat a lot of it to get the amount of creatine that will yield all those wonderful benefits. And vegetarians face an even bigger challenge when it comes to creatine. For all of these reasons, it sounds like creatine could be a real game-changer for many women.

Despite all of this, women are less likely to take creatine. The biggest reason women shy away from the supplement— they fear that creatine will cause weight gain and bloating. And that was exactly why I was so reluctant to take creatine myself.

I was advised by my doctor, my sports nutritionist and my trainer to take creatine, but I still hesitated. I was scared to bulk. I was scared to bloat. And I was scared to gain. But in the name of research I decided to go for it this winter. Fast forward a bit, and I have been taking creatine for about 30 days now. And the only thing I’m sad about is not having started it sooner. Because the effects are felt fast and the results start to show in the first month. It’s kinda crazy! And although creatine is one of the most commonly used dietary sports supplements (says this article), women are still reluctant to take it. The female effects of creatine are not as well studied or understood …. but that seems to be changing.

I don’t take supplement advice lightly, so when it comes to something like creatine, I always consult the experts. That’s why I turned to my trusted network of health and wellness professionals to get their insights on the topic. They confirmed what I had been learning: creatine is a safe and effective supplement, especially for women.

I asked Dr. Adam Leid, Longeivity and Functional Medicine, DO, about his recommendation of creatine for all of his patients:

Why do you recommend creatine to your patients? Most know creatine for its physical performance benefits. It allows for improved recovery, muscle protein synthesis and ultimately better performance with physical activity. It is the most studied supplement of the physical performance space, and when used correctly really has no side effects, except in rare cases. But the main reason I recommend it for everyone is because of the cognitive benefits. There is pretty conclusive evidence now that creatine can improve cognition, memory and also be preventative of neurodegenerative disease.

How much creatine do you recommend your patients take? Some will say that creatine needs to be loaded to start but I recommend just starting at 5g per day. Your cells will become saturated fairly quickly without any risk of GI discomfort from a high initial dose. You want to just stick with your old basic micronized creatine monohydrate. There really isn't another supplement that provides more benefits for the cost with [low] risk of side effects. 

I asked Megan Robinson, Board Certified Specialist Sports Dietitian, about women and creatine:

Do you recommend creatine for female athletes? I only recommend creatine when an athlete is consuming enough protein in their diet and strength training to gain the benefits. If an athlete is not eating enough energy or protein and/or strength training, creatine will not help increase muscle mass.

Could all women benefit from supplementing creatine? Women tend to lose more muscle mass as we get older due to declining estrogen levels. Some studies support creatine in women during perimenopause or menopause to help with brain fog, as well.

When should women take creatine? I recommend taking it before or after a workout daily. It is a very safe supplement that you can take in lower doses (3-5g a day) long term. A lot of athletes will go off it during the off-season and cycle it back when trying to rebuild strength.

I’ve been discussing creatine with my trainer, John Daley, certified personal trainer, CSNC, and I finally asked him to write down some answers to my questions.

Do you recommend your creatine to your clients? I suggest it for both men and women. As we age, we lose lean muscle mass so I strongly suggest that my older clients take it. I recommend creatine to all athletes, bodybuilders, everyday fitness enthusiasts, weekend warriors, and especially vegans and vegetarians. 

What kind of creatine, how much and when do you suggest your clients take it? There are many kinds of creatine out there but creatine monohydrated is the most studied. I’ve found this one is the easiest to digest. Creatine gluconate is also a good option. I suggest clients take 5g post workout for muscle recovery and growth. I always tell my clients to stay hydrated, as well, since creatine causes water retention in our muscles.

So I guess you take creatine? I think creatine is something I’ll be taking forever. Studies keep coming out showing more benefits and no side effects. Outside of muscle health and aesthetics, it is also great for brain health. Creatine has shown to help cognitive function, improving memory, mental fatigue and there are new studies coming out that it can help protect against Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease. So for me I’ll be on the reoccurring membership. 

I’m not done talking about creatine just yet. Ladies, I have even more good news for you. I found a creatine product that directly addresses my, and probably your, concerns. And that’s the supplement I chose to finally spend my money on and take every day (almost) for the past month. Learn more about my creatine journey so far and which creatine product I am loving in Part 2, next week on the blog.