Do you have to take creatine for menopause signs? Let’s discuss it.
Creatine is the brand new large factor, particularly for ladies in menopause. Touted as a miracle for every little thing from mind fog to bone well being, creatine is displaying up extra often in dietary supplements marketed towards girls over 40. However does creatine truly work? Is creatine good for menopausal girls?
Let’s discover how the scientific analysis stacks up towards the most typical claims.
Declare #1: Creatine Improves Bone Density
Verdict: False
Bone well being is a serious concern throughout menopause. As estrogen ranges drop, bone mineral density (BMD) declines, rising the chance of osteoporosis. Due to this, many dietary supplements declare to enhance bone energy or density — and creatine isn’t any exception.
Some have hypothesized that creatine may assist with bone well being by enhancing muscle energy, thereby enhancing mechanical loading on the bones. Nevertheless, the scientific proof doesn’t help this idea.
A randomized managed trial (PMID: 25386713) involving postmenopausal girls discovered that though creatine improved muscle perform, it had no vital impact on BMD. Equally, a complete 2023 meta-analysis (PMID: 37144634) concluded that creatine doesn’t stop bone loss or osteoporosis.
In comparison with vitamins with well-documented results on bone well being — resembling calcium, vitamin D, and magnesium — creatine lacks a powerful physiological mechanism or scientific proof for enhancing BMD in menopausal girls.
In abstract, whereas creatine could contribute not directly to musculoskeletal perform, it doesn’t enhance bone density and shouldn’t substitute confirmed osteoporosis prevention methods.
Declare #2: Creatine Helps with Cognition
Verdict: Most likely False
Many ladies going by way of menopause report signs like mind fog, reminiscence lapses, and problem concentrating. This has led to rising curiosity in brain-boosting dietary supplements like creatine.
Creatine performs a central position in mobile vitality manufacturing, together with in mind cells. The speculation is that declining endogenous creatine ranges with age may impair mind perform, and supplementation may assist replenish these shops.
A 2018 assessment (PMID: 29704637) checked out creatine’s results on cognitive efficiency and located combined outcomes, with solely modest cognitive advantages in very particular conditions. For instance, some research used extraordinarily excessive doses (as much as 20g/day) and centered on sleep-deprived or cognitively burdened people. These situations are usually not consultant of the final menopause inhabitants.
There’s additionally restricted proof on creatine’s position in enhancing temper or despair. A 2024 pilot research (PMID: 39488067) discovered that creatine may improve the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral remedy (CBT) in individuals with despair. Nevertheless, extra strong trials are wanted to verify this potential profit.
Different analysis has examined creatine’s results in neurodegenerative ailments, however findings are preliminary and never straight relevant to the common lady experiencing menopause.
In conclusion, creatine shouldn’t be a confirmed answer for cognitive decline or despair in menopause, and any potential advantages are possible small and context-specific.
Declare #3: Creatine Helps with Muscle Power
Verdict: True
One of the crucial well-documented results of creatine is its skill to improve muscle energy and energy, particularly when mixed with resistance coaching.
Menopause usually accelerates sarcopenia, the age-related lack of muscle mass and performance. This contributes to a decline in mobility, metabolic fee, and general high quality of life.
A number of meta-analyses help creatine as a helpful ergogenic help for older adults:
- A 2021 assessment (PMID: 34836013) confirmed that creatine supplementation improved upper-body energy in older adults.
- One other 2024 evaluation (PMID: 40292479) reported that creatine, paired with resistance coaching, led to higher enhancements in energy and lean physique mass than train alone.
Creatine will increase intramuscular phosphocreatine shops, which in flip helps produce extra ATP throughout quick bursts of high-intensity train. This results in higher coaching efficiency, higher workload capability, and quicker restoration.
Though creatine doesn’t straight construct muscle with out coaching, it does assist improve the advantages of weightlifting, making it a wonderful complement for bodily energetic menopausal girls.
Is Creatine Secure for Menopausal Ladies?
Verdict: Sure
Creatine is without doubt one of the most extensively studied sports activities dietary supplements and has a robust security profile, together with in older populations.
A 2021 place paper by the Worldwide Society of Sports activities Diet (PMID: 33800439) concluded that long-term creatine supplementation (3–5g/day) is secure for wholesome people. Frequent myths about kidney injury have been disproven repeatedly by scientific trials.
Creatine is mostly well-tolerated. Some customers could expertise gentle water retention or bloating early in supplementation, however these results are non permanent. Importantly, creatine doesn’t negatively have an effect on hydration standing, liver enzymes, or kidney perform in wholesome adults.
Ladies with kidney illness or different persistent situations ought to seek the advice of their healthcare supplier earlier than beginning any new complement, together with creatine.
Ought to You Take Creatine Throughout Menopause?
In case you’re questioning whether or not creatine is price including to your complement routine throughout menopause, right here’s the quick reply:
- Don’t take it for bone well being or cognitive efficiency — the proof simply isn’t robust sufficient.
- Do think about it in the event you’re doing resistance coaching and desire a secure, efficient means to enhance energy and restoration.
On this context, creatine is a device to reinforce efficiency, not a magic tablet. However for energetic girls in midlife, it may be a part of a complete technique to keep up muscle, enhance exercise capability, and keep robust by way of menopause and past.
The right way to Use Creatine for Finest Outcomes
In case you resolve to attempt creatine, right here’s easy methods to use it safely and successfully:
- Dosage: 3–5 grams per day of creatine monohydrate (essentially the most researched kind)
- Loading: Not vital. Simply begin with the day by day dose.
- Timing: Anytime of day is ok, although some proof suggests post-workout could provide slight advantages.
- Hydration: Keep nicely hydrated, as creatine attracts water into muscle cells.
- Consistency: Take it day by day to keep up muscle saturation, even on relaxation days.
Remaining Ideas on Creatine for Menopause
Creatine shouldn’t be a miracle treatment for menopause signs, but it surely generally is a precious device for ladies centered on energy, mobility, and general well being.
Right here’s the underside line:
- Creatine doesn’t enhance bone density or considerably increase cognitive perform.
- It could improve temper when paired with different therapies, however extra analysis is required.
- It improves muscle energy and efficiency, particularly with resistance coaching.
- It’s secure and well-tolerated in most wholesome people.
In case you’re lifting weights, recovering from exercises, or managing age-related muscle loss, creatine could be price including to your routine.
References:
- Candow DG, et al. (2015). Results of creatine supplementation and resistance coaching on bone mineral content material in postmenopausal girls. PMID: 25386713
- Forbes SC, et al. (2023). Creatine and bone well being: A scientific assessment and meta-analysis. PMID: 37144634
- Avgerinos KI, et al. (2018). Results of creatine supplementation on cognitive perform. PMID: 29704637
- Silva S, et al. (2024). Creatine in adjunct with CBT for despair: A pilot research. PMID: 39488067
- Chilibeck PD, et al. (2021). Impact of creatine supplementation throughout resistance coaching on muscle mass and energy in older adults. PMID: 34836013
- Candow DG, et al. (2024). Creatine and resistance coaching in getting older: A essential assessment. PMID: 40292479
- Kreider RB, et al. (2021). Worldwide Society of Sports activities Diet place stand: Security and efficacy of creatine supplementation in train, sport, and medication. PMID: 33800439