Friday blog: Why Women Should Use Creatine
Creatine is an amino acid that occurs naturally in the body and helps to supply energy to cells, particularly muscle cells. It has been shown to improve exercise performance and increase muscle mass, which is why it is often used as a supplement by athletes and bodybuilders. However, creatine can also be beneficial for women, even those who are not athletes or bodybuilders.
Creatine can also help you build muscle, and this is probably what it is best known for by gym rats. Thing is you don’t have to be a meat head to benefit from this supplement. The research is clear that using creatine will increase strength and performance in the gym for almost anyone, minus a few non responders.
It could help you lose body fat. If you are struggling to lose body fat (not just weight, hello muscle loss!) creatine can help. A study published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition found that taking creatine while following a calorie-restricted diet can help you lose more fat than just dieting alone. The participants in the study who took creatine lost an average of 2.2 kg (4.9 lbs) of fat, while those who just dieted lost an average of 1 kg (2.2 lbs).
Creatine has also been shown to improve brain function. A study published in Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment found that taking creatine improved memory and intelligence in people with Alzheimer’s disease. While more research needs to be done on healthy adults, the findings suggest that creatine could also improve brain function in healthy adults as well.
Do you always feel tired? Creatine can also help with that. Some research found that taking creatine increased levels of ATP (adenosine triphosphate), which is responsible for providing energy to cells, and thus can help combat fatigue.
Creatine can possibly help stabilize blood sugar levels. Some research found that taking creatine helped people with type 2 diabetes maintain stable blood sugar levels after meals. Another added bonus for anyone as keeping your blood sugar stable helps keep cravings, energy, and hunger balanced through the day.
No you don’t need to front load, 5g of creatine monohydrate a daily is fine for anyone. If you have known kidney issues you should consult your doctor but creatine is such a well researched supplement and is safe for most!
Many women will steer clear of it because of water retention, when in reality the water is retained in the muscle, hence increased performance and growth. Yes this could show on the scale but this doesn’t mean you are gaining fat or holding onto all this fluid like you may during certain times of the month due to fluctuating hormones. At the end of the day this comes back to your relationship with the scale. I always encourage my clients to detach emotion from the scale going up or down. We should all see it as data collection in a much larger whole body and mind picture. Afterall when the scale goes down you could be dehydrated or losing muscle, and neither of those are positive things!
Like any supplement, quality matters. This is the brand I use daily and recommend to clients. https://www.thorne.com/u/PR732501