Creatine: What Is It and Should Women Consider Taking It?

What Is Creatine?

Creatine is a naturally occurring compound that helps your muscles produce energy during short bursts of high-intensity activity, such as lifting weights, sprinting, or HIIT workouts.

Your body produces creatine from amino acids, and it is primarily stored within your muscles. You can also obtain small amounts through certain foods, particularly meat and fish.

Why Creatine Matters for Exercise

Creatine is one of the most researched supplements in sports nutrition. Studies suggest that it may help to:

• Improve performance during short, intense bouts of exercise.

• Support strength gains when combined with resistance training.

• Help build or maintain lean muscle mass over time.

• Support recovery between training sessions.

• Improve overall training quality and consistency.

  
  

There is also emerging research suggesting that creatine may help support energy levels and cognitive function in women.

Dietary Sources of Creatine

Creatine is found naturally in animal-based foods such as meat and fish, which means vegetarians and vegans typically consume little to none through their diet. Most omnivorous diets provide around 1-2g of creatine per day. Reaching the amounts commonly used in research studies through food alone would usually require consuming relatively large portions of meat or fish on a regular basis, which may not be practical (or desirable) for everyone.

Creatine Supplements

For healthy adults, supplementation is considered safe and well researched when taken at recommended doses.

Key points:

• Creatine monohydrate is the most studied and evidence-based form.

• Most research uses 3-5g daily.

• Creatine should be taken every day, including rest days.

When Creatine May Be More Helpful

Creatine supplementation may be particularly worth considering for:

• Women performing regular strength training or high-intensity exercise.

• Perimenopausal and menopausal women experiencing changes in strength, energy levels, or exercise performance.

• Women who experience fluctuations in energy or training performance throughout their menstrual cycle.

• Vegetarians and vegans.

  
  

Even in these situations, supplementation should complement good nutrition, adequate hydration, quality sleep, and regular exercise rather than replace them.

Lastly, some people notice a small amount of water retention when they first start taking creatine. For this reason, I usually suggest starting with a lower dose (around 1.5–3g per day) and increasing it gradually over a few weeks.

Important: If you have a kidney condition, are pregnant, breastfeeding, or take medication, speak with your healthcare professional before starting any supplement.

If you'd like support with your training, nutrition, and overall health, please get in touch - I'd love to help!