What is Creatine and should I be taking it?
Osteoporosis and osteopenia are often linked to weak muscles. It gets harder to build muscle after menopause, so let’s take a dive into creatine and see what benefit it may have for you.
You may have heard of it, as it has gotten a lot of attention lately. First, I want to make sure you don't confuse it with collagen, which is completely different. I have written about collagen both here and here.
Back to creatine.
This is a new supplement for me. I am not a big fan of taking supplements. But anything with real science behind it is always a possibility. I'm open to new things
What is it?
Creatine is a non-protein amino acid. Your body can synthesize about half of what you need, and the rest you get from your diet, specifically red meat and seafood. The supplement I decided to try, from Momentous, states that it is vegan. It looks like it is produced in a lab. My husband and son are taking a creatine supplement from BulkSupplements.com. It also states it is vegan.
Why am I trying it?
The benefits of creatine include increased muscle strength, improved muscle recovery after exercise, and improved mood, and while the research is still in its infancy, combined with resistance training, it may improve bone density. There are no real risks to taking it in small doses either if you are healthy.
It is well known that women post-menopause (like me) have a decreased ability to absorb and digest the protein we eat. We also start to lose lean muscle mass. This means that even when we are eating the same amount of protein we have always eaten and our workouts are the same, we still seem to lose strength and bone, and we have a tendency to get injured and need longer to recover after exercise. Depression is also more common, as well as sleep issues
Adding a creatine supplement to my routine can help with most of these things. I am willing to give it a try.
What I have noticed so far:
Thirst! I immediately found that I was more thirsty than normal the first week I added creatine to my post-workout water. That seems to have tapered off a bit now.
A bit less brain fog.
Less pain. I have been struggling with hip pain, a tendonitis, for about 4 months. It has subsided substantially.
I want to note that in addition to creatine, I have also added prescription strength Vitamin D to my weekly routine. The combination of these two things has made a difference I was not expecting. I will be writing about Vitamin D next week. This change was made in consultation with my primary care physician after I had bloodwork done - I always recommend discussing supplements with your doctor and not self-prescribing!
Creatine has a few medications it interacts with, particularly diuretics, NSAIDs, kidney medications, and more. Please check in with your PCP if you want to try it. You can use the following articles to support your reasons for giving it a try in a very low dose (5 g or less).
That’s all for today, time to get active,
Andrea Trombley PT, DPT
PS - If you are looking for ways to work with me, I am all online. Here is the link to my current passes.
References:
Kreider, R. B., Kalman, D. S., Antonio, J., Ziegenfuss, T. N., Wildman, R., Collins, R., Candow, D. G., Kleiner, S. M., Almada, A. L., & Lopez, H. L. (2017). International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: safety and efficacy of creatine supplementation in exercise, sport, and medicine. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 14, 18. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12970-017-0173-z
Smith-Ryan, A. E., Cabre, H. E., Eckerson, J. M., & Candow, D. G. (2021). Creatine Supplementation in Women's Health: A Lifespan Perspective. Nutrients, 13(3), 877. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13030877
Smith-Ryan, A. E., Cabre, H. E., & Moore, S. R. (2022). Active Women Across the Lifespan: Nutritional Ingredients to Support Health and Wellness. Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.), 52(Suppl 1), 101–117. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-022-01755-3