Fitness: Why women should take creatine supplements
Summary
While the myth that women should not lift weights has been busted, another misconception that women should not take creatine supplements should also go
Over the last few years, there has been a shift in attitudes in India to the idea of women lifting weights. Gone are the days there would be a fear of women growing “manly muscles" by lifting, leading to treadmills being full of one gender and the weights section with the other. With more women trainers taking to social media to talk about the science of growing muscles and gaining strength, awareness about the importance of resistance training is now at an all-time high.
But now, there is another taboo that needs breaking—taking creatine as a supplement. The body produces a supply of daily creatine (an organic compound that is a natural source of energy for skeletal muscles) through the liver, kidneys and pancreas. This amount of natural creatine may not be enough for the body if one’s diet does not include red meat and seafood.
Which is where creatine monohydrate in powder, tablet and capsule forms come in. There are different ways to take creatine, with some people—especially body builders—ingesting it through what is called a loading cycle. Most people, including myself, take it every day (I take one serving of 3g of creatine every day in the morning). It’s been really positive, not just for exercise, but also—as a Sweat.com article titled The Benefits & Risks Of Creatine For Women states—for “cell hydration, memory and brain health".
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My partner has been taking creatine regularly for the last 8 months, and for her, this has had an incredible effect on her energy levels. “The maintenance of my energy from the start to the end of my workout is the biggest change apart from strength. I am not wiped out. Another change is how defined my pump became. I can also lift heavier significantly," she says. Her performance has gotten better, going from working with a barbell on the bench press, to now hitting five reps of 80 lbs (about 36kg).
This is very much in line with popular American neurologist David Perlmutter’s observation on his Instagram page that, “women who supplemented with creatine saw a 15% increase in exercise performance—more than double the benefit seen in men".
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But while strength and muscle recovery are the obvious plus points, it is certain other advantages for women, that makes the pro-creatine argument so strong. “Creatine monohydrate supplementation in women also contributes to brain health, showing positive effects on mood and cognition, possibly by restoring and increasing brain energy levels. In young premenopausal women who engage in physical exercise, creatine improves strength and exercise performance. Older postmenopausal women may also experience benefits in skeletal muscle size and function," states a research-backed article titled, Creatine And Women’s Health.
A lot of this research is new. The article mentioned above, published on Creatineforhealth.com cites 12 papers published mainly between 2020 till 2024. Another champion of creatine supplementation for women is endocrine nutritionist Lilly Bezuidenhout. She points out in one post on her Instagram page that “Women have 70-80 percent less tissue stores of creatine than men," while citing a study titled Creatine Supplementation In Women’s Health: A Lifespan Perspective, published in the National Library of Medicine. It states that the risk to benefit ratio is very low, and highlights the use of creatine “in females from young adulthood to old age."
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While the use of the supplement in younger females was more in tune with exercise performance, there are two stunning takeaways from this research. The first one says: “Recent human data suggests a dramatic alteration in creatine homeostasis during pregnancy and a reduction in creatine stores during pregnancy have been linked with low birth weight and pre-term birth."The second one says that “supplementation may be even more effective for females for supporting a pro-energetic environment in the brain."
There is a reason why creatine is the most researched supplement in the fitness science world. Apart from aiding high-intensity training, and short bursts of energy, there are other benefits as well, as we have seen. It is important to remember that using creatine along with resistance training is the best way to get its benefits.
If you are already leading a fit lifestyle, you can start with loading 10g a day for a week before settling into a 3-5g per day dosage to maintain those levels. The changes initially will be more energy and strength, but the long-term effects are too good to ignore.However, as ever, do not begin a supplementation routine without first consulting your doctor.
Pulasta Dhar is a football commentator, podcaster and writer.
