Creatine Monohydrate is an incredibly well-researched supplement. While we don't have a lot of women-specific evidence for creatine supplementation, what we do have points in the direction that there are a lot of benefits for females. Don't believe that creatine is just for gym bros; it has a lot of benefits if you know how to use it properly.

If You Are Interested in Using Creatine, You Should:

1. Educate yourself about the myths and benefits surrounding creatine and female athletes

2. Remember to always consult your doctor before taking any sort of supplementation

3. Experiment with taking creatine by calculating the right amount of dosing for your body

Creatine is Not Just for Gym Bros

So, what is creatine? Creatine helps your body recharge and regenerate ADP to ATP, among other things. While we do make creatine naturally through amino acids, we don't maximize our creatine stores naturally, and it is difficult to do it through diet alone, especially if you do not eat meat and fish proteins.

There are many athletic and non-athletic benefits to creatine supplementation. Mental fatigue, mood, sleep, and even perimenopause can all be improved by creatine supplementation. The trick is to understand the benefits and nuances so that you can use it properly.

Science Supported Supplementation

A lot of the concerns I hear surrounding creatine, such as the scale going up, is not shown in the research. If the scale does go up, it is because your tissues are better hydrated and less fatigued. The benefits you get from creatine supplementation are increased if you combine it with resistance training, which is one of the reasons it is such a powerhouse supplement for female athletes.

Creatine is beneficial for women in so many different ways, and the science shows it. If you are interested in accumulating some training and non-training benefits from supplementation, creatine is something you should definitely look into.

Have you ever tried creatine? What were your biggest concerns, questions, and results? Share your story with me in the comments on the episode page.

In This Episode

• Why female only cohorts when it comes to scientific studies are still lacking representation (3:31)
• Discover what creatine is and how it works in your body (5:10)
• Understanding the benefits of creatine, especially for female athletes (10:38)
• Training benefits that you can expect to see from creatine supplementation (21:10)
• What you need to know about recommended dosing when it comes to creatine (29:56)

Quotes

"Creatine supplementation is something that is additive to a well-rounded dietary intake." (9:39)

"There is accurate data to show that creatine supplementation has benefits for athletic performance, including things like strength, lean mass, and in some cases even endurance type training." (10:51)

"There is substantial evidence that creatine can help increase strength and power in trained and untrained women, without large effects to body weight." (21:22)

"It appears that creatine has some promise throughout the menstrual cycle to help offset some of the adverse effects that can happen to cognition and sleep." (29:30)

"Creatine shows a lot of promise for women. There is still a long way to go in terms of the research, but what we have so far shows that creatine has a lot of benefits for females." (38:28)

Featured on the Show

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Creatine Supplementation in Women's Health: A Lifespan Perspective by AE Smith-Ryan

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