Creatine- What’s the evidence?
Creatine is one of the most widely accessible nutrients on the market and one of the most self prescribed supplements.
Almost everyone is taking creatine. It is all over the various social media platforms and its use is advocated by health practitioners across the world especially, when looking at the menopausal hormonal shift and transition. But, is there actually evidence to support its use? The simple answer is yes, mostly.
As a biomedically trained Naturopath, I love looking at the Science and evidence to support the use of nutrients and herbal medicines.
The most common uses of creatine is for increased exercise performance and output, improved muscle mass, increased energy and improved memory and concentration. As a whole, the evidence supports this however, it is dose dependent and many studies looked at small sample sizes however, its use is still positive.
Muscle Strength:
A meta-analysis published in 2024 by Wang, Z et al, concluded that creatine supplementation alongside resistance training, increased upper and lower body strength and the benefit was greater in males compared to females in the under 50 age group.
Dos Santos, E et al, concluded that ageing women, resistance training for 24 weeks, showed improvements in upper body strength when taking creatine daily, for the duration of the training block.
Menopause and women:
Korovljev D et al, conducted an 8 week RCT on the use of various forms of Creatine (monohydrate and ethyl ester) and dosages on Menopausal women and its affect on cognitive function, biochemical markers in menopause and brain concentrations of creatine. They concluded creatine supplementation at varying dosages 800-1700mg, improved reaction time, blood lipid levels, concentration and reduced brain fog.
Ryan A et al, concluded that 5g daily dosing of creatine monohydrate in women, improved mood, cognition, muscle strength during resistance training, improved body composition and bone mineral density and improved exercise capacity, over 4 weeks.
Overall, the use of Creatine is an inexpensive way of improving many facets of health with minimal side affects. Dosing and form is always individualised to achieve the best possible results. It is certainly a nutrient I prescribe to many patients whether they be the seasoned exerciser or athlete through to menopausal women and the aging population and everyone in between.