Creatine is one of the world’s most tested supplements and has an outstanding safety profile. Does creatine work for women? It depends on your exercise routine. But some studies show that people who take creatine supplements may gain an extra two to four pounds of muscle mass during four to 12 weeks of regular exercise than people who don’t take creatine. Are creatine gains permanent? Antioxidants: In Depth. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Accessed 9/28/2021. Strength and conditioning coach Andy Vincent agrees that how you take the supplement is what will determine whether or not you get on with it: ‘Creatine doesn’t dissolve in water, which can cause some women to get an upset stomach, but by starting on a low dose, splitting the dose throughout a day or trying buffered forms of creatine, you rule out the risks.

If you’re a vegetarian or vegan, you may see more significant muscle gains by taking creatine supplements because you don’t get creatine through animal-based sources. However, building up creatine levels in your muscles may take longer.In high intensity exercise, its primary role is to increase the phosphocreatine stores in your muscles. A long-term study of college athletes found no side effects related to liver or kidney function. Other studies measuring biological markers in the urine found no difference after creatine ingestion ( 16, 17, 18). About half of your body’s creatine stores come from the food you eat, especially red meat and seafood. The rest is made in your liver and kidneys from amino acids. Where is creatine phosphate found in the body?

Dr Sims concurs: ‘There is no existing literature to show that hair loss is a side effect of creatine supplementation.’ Does creatine affect sleep?Antonio J, Ciccone V. The effects of pre versus post workout supplementation of creatine monohydrate on body composition and strength. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2013;10:36. Sakellaris G, Nasis G, Kotsiou M, Tamiolaki M, Charissis G, Evangeliou A. Prevention of traumatic headache, dizziness and fatigue with creatine administration. A pilot study. Acta Paediatr. 2008;97(1):31-34.

Working out requires tremendous energy. Straining your muscles literally tears them apart, forcing your body to strengthen and repair them with everything at its disposal. The good news? You can give your body a boost and speed up recovery with the best creatine monohydrate. Avgerinos K. Spyrou N, Bougioukas K, Kapogiannis D. Effects of creatine supplementation on cognitive function of healthy individuals: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Exp Gerontol. 2018;108:166–173. Promotes Muscle Synthesis: MuscleBlaze creatine induces the synthesis of new muscular fibers and increases the levels of the hormone that supports mass muscle gain, insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1). Despite this negative press, the International Society of Sports Nutrition regards creatine as extremely safe, concluding that it is one of the most beneficial sports supplements available ( 2).

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For this reason, people typically use creatine supplements to enhance performance in high intensity exercise. Some people wrongly claim that creatine is an anabolic steroid, that it’s unsuitable for women or teenagers, or that it should be used only by professional athletes or bodybuilders ( 1). Promotes Brain Health: Our brain is constantly in need of energy, which is also given by the creatine that is stored in the brain. Insufficient energy can lead to cell death and raise the risk of age-related neurological illnesses such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. Vegetarian elderly persons are therefore more susceptible to neurological diseases. Oral creatine supplementation has been found to heal damaged brain cells, slow the progression of disease, prevent muscle loss, and enhance motor function. Antonio J, et al. (2021). Common questions and misconceptions about creatine supplementation: What does the scientific evidence really show? Of course, we are not rats, and something to note is that creatine supplementation probably increases brain creatine more in them ( about 30% in rats) than in us as humans ( 5 to 10%). In turn, creatine supplementation is likely to affect sleep more in rats than it is us. As it stands, there is no published research into the effect of creatine on human sleep, but going on the above, it makes sense that creatine may reduce sleep duration, albeit reducing your sleep 'hunger'. What form of creatine is best?