A Women's Guide To Creatine Supplements: Benefits, Myths & Dosage Tips

Look up "creatine supplements" and you'll find giant tubs with macho fonts, clearly marketed toward the stereotypical gym bro. Historically, creatine has been sold to a primarily male audience focused on muscle gains and athletic performance, but there's compelling research to show that women could benefit from them too, for reasons that stretch beyond exercise.

Creatine is a naturally occurring compound that helps the body produce energy in the form of adenosine triphosphate (ATP).

Creatine is well known for its performance-enhancing effects during high-intensity, short-duration activities such as sprinting and weightlifting, hence why it's such a popular supplement in the exercise space.

There is no denying the performance-enhancing effects of creatine2. Studies have consistently shown that creatine supplementation improves high-intensity exercise performance and training adaptations. 

As females age, their estrogen levels decrease, resulting in skeletal muscle weakness3.

"Creatine assists in muscle maintenance, which is crucial for aging populations to prevent sarcopenia (age-related muscle loss)," says Louisa Nicola, a neurophysiologist and Momentous human performance adviser. "[Creatine] also potentially enhances bone density in combination with training, reducing the risk of osteoporosis, a significant concern for postmenopausal women." 

Darren Candow, Ph.D., CSEP-CEP, a professor at the Aging Muscle and Bone Health Laboratory in the Faculty of Kinesiology and Health Studies at the University of Regina, notes that creatine has been shown to combat bone mineral density4 loss in combination with resistance training in the hip region in postmenopausal females4. 

An exciting growing area of research is how creatine may benefit birth outcomes. "Creatine supplementation during pregnancy5 has been shown to enhance neuronal cell uptake of creatine and support mitochondrial integrity to support brain health," says Grimm. "Reduced creatine levels in late pregnancy6 have also been associated with low fetal growth."

Supplementing with creatine may have benefits for improving cognitive processing7, brain function8, and even recovery from trauma in both men and women. "Studies have shown improved memory and cognitive function, especially when sleep is scarce," says Grimm. 

Nicola explains that creatine supplementation has been shown to support brain health by enhancing memory and intelligence, especially in tasks requiring speed of processing. 

Because creatine aids in maintaining energy levels in the brain, Nicola notes that it is now being implicated in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's9 in preclinical research. 

Depression rates are two times higher in females than males10, with the highest depressive episodes correlated with increased hormonal phases such as puberty, menstrual cycle, pregnancy, and menopause. 

Jenna Stangland, M.S., RDN, CCSD, co-founder of A4 Health and performance dietitian for the Minnesota Wild and Minnesota Timberwolves, explains there is a relationship between creatine metabolism in the brain and depression11. 

Creatine plays a key role in cardiovascular function as it's involved in heart contraction and energy production in heart cells. Because of this, supplementing with creatine may offer cardio-protective benefits. 

Wondering how much creatine to take at a time? It depends on your goals.

Candow notes that from a muscle health and performance perspective, 3-5 grams per day is adequate2 for most people.

You may have heard of a "loading phase" for creatine. Loading creatine involves taking 20 to 25 grams in divided doses for five to seven days to up your muscle's stores of the compound before moving on to a normal dose after that.

However, Grimm says the loading phase is not necessary. "If a woman is hoping to maximize the performance benefits of creatine in a very short period of time (less than 30 days), following a creatine 'loading' strategy may be helpful," she explains. "However, if a woman is planning to ingest creatine over an extended period of time (more than 30 days) and for a variety of benefits, she can avoid the loading phase and just follow the maintenance strategy of 5 grams a day." 

One of the biggest deterrents women have about supplementing with creatine is the possibility of gaining weight or getting bloated. This one's both a myth and a fact. While you may experience temporary weight gain due to water retention (especially if you're taking a loading dose), creatine does not cause fat gain.

"The hair loss myth originated from a study conducted in 200915, where rugby players experienced an increase in DHT [after creatine supplementation]," explains Stangland. "Changes in DHT levels have been linked to hair loss; however, these athletes already had lowered DHT levels, so the increase in DHT looks statistically significant. Furthermore, there was only an increase in DHT and not overall testosterone. No other studies have produced statistically significant increases in DHT or overall testosterone when consuming creatine."

You've likely heard that creatine is one of the most researched supplements2 out there, but what exactly does that mean? Candow explains that "numerous studies have shown that the safety profile of creatine is excellent, with creatine not causing any greater adverse effects than placebo on measures of kidney, liver, or cardiovascular function." 

Stangland adds that studies in both diseased and healthy populations with varying doses have revealed no adverse health effects. "You could theoretically take 30 grams a day for many years2 and be fine," she says. "There have been repeated findings that age, training level, and health in relation to creatine consumption did not produce any severe side effects." 

Because of the continued misconceptions surrounding creatine, there are many health experts who believe that supplementing with creatine is unnecessary and that you can get adequate creatine from your diet.

While creatine is found in small amounts in foods like meat and fish, Nicola points out that the quantities are insufficient to achieve the levels used in studies. "Vegetarians and vegans can particularly benefit from supplementation, as their diets typically lack creatine-rich foods," she adds. 

Many health experts don't recommend creatine for women with kidney disease, liver disease, or diabetes. However, Emily N. Werner, Ph.D., R.D., CSSD, a registered dietitian and exercise physiologist, previously told us that this myth has been dispelled by decades of research17 showing chronic creatine supplementation at recommended doses had no effect on kidney function. 

Creatine has been marketed as a "man's supplement" for far too long. Active women can use creatine to improve their athletic performance, build lean muscle mass, and support their cognition (and they're naturally lower in it than men). Supplementing with creatine might be especially beneficial during particular periods of a woman's life, like pregnancy and menopause, based on emerging research. 

It's a myth that creatine supplements cause weight gain, hair loss, and acne. In reality, creatine is one of the most extensively studied supplements on the market, and it's shown to have very few side effects. Most women won't need to take a loading dose of the supplement and can simply start by taking 3-5 grams daily at any time of day.