Should Women Take Creatine? 6 Key Benefits Explained

What’s Creatine?

Before embarking on the benefits of creatine for women, it's critical to know this compound. Creatine is a regular source of energy that supports the flexing and contracting of your skeletal muscles. The compound provides a steady energy flow to your muscles during workouts and other physically demanding activities.

Creatine generates energy to adenosine triphosphate (ATP), a compound that supports muscle growth, recovery, and endurance. You can derive creatine from various foods like fish, red meat, and chicken.

However, these food items supply only 1 to 2 gms of the compound. Thus, if you’re involved in workouts and other strenuous activities, these foods don’t meet your creatine requirements. So, women supplements with Creatine come in handy as they generate 3-5 gm per day.

Why should women take creatine?

Regardless of age, women can take creatine to meet their health goals. Although the body makes creatine, sometimes it’s insufficient to fill specific gaps. For example, women over 65 may take the supplement to stop muscle loss.

Women should take creatine because it has research-backed benefits, such as increasing lean body mass, muscle power, and bone density, and aids muscle healing. Females participating in athletics and workouts can take this supplement to improve their performance.

Creatine can also help reduce the amount of fats in your body, leading to noticeable transformation of your body's composition. This feature helps women who want to stay fit by reducing weight. When taking the formula, weight loss happens because of high-quality workouts that burn more fat.

Key Benefits and Differences

Studies show that creatine can boost women’s mental and physical health. Here are the main reasons why women should take creatine:

1. Building lean muscle

When you integrate creatine with resistance training, you increase and maintain your muscle efficiently. Studies show that individuals who took creatine while undertaking their strength training achieved additional muscle, in contrast to those who followed the same procedure but took a placebo.

The supplement is especially beneficial for older women who normally lose muscle due to advancing age. Remember, the right amount of muscle tissue boosts your body’s metabolic system. Furthermore, older women need to keep muscle tissue to promote general vitality, balance, and movement. Also, stronger muscle translates to sturdy bones, making the supplement necessary for women who prioritize their bone density.

2. Enhances energy to support workouts

When engaging in workouts, you need a consistent supply of power. Creatine supports constant energy flow through ATP boosting. When you're involved in high-intensity exercises, creatine enables you to get quick bursts of power. The supplement can also support your balance and boost proper recycling of power.

With sufficient energy in your body, you can advance well in your exercise performance. When you run quickly and raise heavier lifts for a long time, you’ll gain resilience and get healthier over time.

3. Supports muscle recovery

As creatine boosts ATP, you'll have a consistent supply of energy that enables you to work longer before burnout. With more power, you'll train at a higher intensity, and you might experience sores. The energy boost from creatine helps you to recover quickly after the training.

4. Improve cognitive role

Besides the physical benefits, creatine supplementation can boost your cognitive function. You can improve your learning, recall, and focus while taking this supplement. Research shows that the compound helps to reduce brain exhaustion in healthy adults. Furthermore, when you combine the supplement with physical exercises, you boost your mental power, which might go down as a result of aging.

Studies suggest that creatine may manage neurological diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. Creatine works by supplying the brain with energy, the lack of which might create a fertile environment for neurological conditions.

Dr. Louisa Nicola, a neuroscientist specializing in brain health and performance, emphasizes the cognitive benefits of creatine supplementation for women. She notes that creatine can enhance brain function, particularly in areas related to memory, focus, and mental clarity. This is especially beneficial for women experiencing cognitive decline or mental fatigue.

5. Lessen the impact of sleep deprivation

Creatine helps boost brain function and can ameliorate the negative cognitive effects caused by sleep deprivation. Although the supplement doesn't improve your sleep, it helps you bounce back after a poor night's rest.

6. Retain homeostatic balance during menses

During menses, women experience dramatic hormonal changes, especially estrogen and progesterone. These shifts reduce the body’s normal creatine levels, so supplementing the compound is a better option of replenishing it. Creatine supplementation ensures that you’ve a consistent supply of the compound throughout your menstrual cycle.

Furthermore, pregnant women and those at the post-menopause stage experience creatine shifts due to hormonal changes. With the consultation of your healthcare provider, you can incorporate the supplement to support your body during these phases of your life.

Check out this thought-provoking video for a deeper understanding of the topic.

Creatine for Women: Addressing Specific Concerns

Creatine supplement poses no serious events for females like renal and hepatic issues. Also, there are no mortality events associated with the supplement. Nor does the use of this compound cause dramatic weight gain for women. The myths associated with this supplement are debunked by studies are as follows:

• Water retention: A fallacy that has existed for some time is that creatine supplementation increases the risk of water retention. However, this idea lacks sufficient evidence to support it. Instead, studies done so far indicate no increase in total body water (TBW) as a result of taking creatine.
• Extra weight gain: Research shows no substantial alterations in the body mass as a result of using the supplement.
• Kidney health: Creatine supplementation has no effect on healthy women’s kidney function. Should women take creatine when they have kidney problems? No, individuals with kidney issues should avoid taking the supplement.

How Much Creatine Should a Woman Take?

Creatine comes in various forms, including gummy, tablet, powder, and liquid. Also, there are various types of creatine, such as monohydrate and hydrochloride. Thus, before you start using the supplement, it’s advisable to talk to your healthcare provider. The health expert/ dietician will help you determine the best creatine that will meet your personal needs.

The amount of creatine you take depends on the reason you’re taking it. The recommended dosage is 3-5 grams of creatine per day. Initially, women can start with 0.3 gm a day for a week, followed by 5 gms per day for a month.

When Should Women Take Creatine?

Women who want to boost their performance in aerobic exercises can take the supplement just before starting the workouts. There’s no definite time to take the supplement when you want to derive other health benefits. So, you can establish the convenient time to take the supplement.

On rest days, women can get the most benefits from creatine when they take it with food. So, timing might not be a major consideration.

You can also take the supplement with foods containing carbs and proteins to derive maximum benefits.

Creatine Side Effects for Females

While creatine is safe, some people may worry about mild side effects, including:

• Muscle pains
• Diarrhea
• Dizziness
• Stomach upsets
• Dehydration
• Gastric issues
• Short-term water retention

However, research shows that creatine poses no adverse effects and is safe for women. A good rule of thumb is to stick to the recommended dosage to avoid the likelihood of any side effects.

Who should avoid creatine supplement?

Here are individuals who should avoid creatine:

• People with hepatic and renal issues
• Diabetic people
• Pregnant and lactating women

Best Creatine for Women

The best creatine for women has a single ingredient in a normal five-gram serving. Avoid ones with frills and flavors. Here are the tips that can help you choose the best creatine for women:

• Search for creatine monohydrate: This is the best creatine for your body. It accelerates muscle performance in no time when engaging in high-intensity exercises.
• Check third-party testing: You need to verify whether the product you want to buy has undergone third-party testing by a trustworthy company. This helps you to buy a product without contaminants.
• Brand name: Brand names that have been in the market for many years have established history. They produce products that meet the expectations of their clients. So, it’s crucial to check the reputation of the brand you want to buy the supplement from.
• Peruse for additives and other extras: when choosing the best creatine for women, less is more. This means that you must choose a pure product without any additives that may cause creatine side effects for females.