I get a lot of questions about creatine in my private practice – especially from my ladies! Once considered a supplement reserved for men trying to bulk up, creatine has certainly made its way into the mainstream as a top supplement to help women build and repair muscle tissue, boost their sports performance, and even improve their mental health. If you are an active woman, creatine supplementation may be one of the best additions to up your game.

I’m Angie, a Registered Dietitian, sports nutrition expert, and endurance athlete who takes creatine monohydrate daily. I always have a “food-first” mentality, meaning I’m trying to get as much of what I need from the end of my fork, not from a bottle. However, creatine is one of the most researched supplements, demonstrating benefits for active women, and the doses that are most effective really aren’t possible to get from food alone.

By the end of this blog post, you will learn the benefits of creatine for women and how you may want to consider incorporating it into your routine. I will cover:

• What is creatine exactly?
• The key benefits of creatine supplementation for women (this isn’t just for the gym bros)
• FAQs about creatine, such as: Will it make you bulky, bloated, or broke? How much should you take, and when? 
• What are some popular/common forms of creatine supplements? Are gummies as good as powder?
• 7 recommended brands to try 

Note: This blog post contains affiliate links. This means that I may earn a commission at no cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. 

See why I’m pumped about creatine…let’s go!

 

What is creatine?

The first thing I want you to know is that creatine is something that we produce naturally in our bodies. In our muscles, creatine helps produce energy during intense exercise or heavy lifting. 

Our body stores some creatine in our muscles in the form of creatine phosphate. When we require extra energy for a strenuous activity, like a hill sprint or a deadlift, our body calls on our rocket booster system, which is fueled by creatine. So, folks who fuel properly, hydrate, AND use creatine have more power for their most challenging activities.  

There is actually more than one kind of creatine; the most researched form of supplemental creatine is creatine monohydrate. This odorless, tasteless powder can be mixed into food and beverages without much fuss.

Key benefits of creatine supplementation for women

Enhances strength/builds muscle

Supplementing with creatine monohydrate can help women increase their body creatine stores, which helps to provide more power in your muscles during intense, short bursts of exercise. 

Alas, women tend to have 70-80 percent lower stores of creatine phosphate than men do. But with supplementation, we can improve our stores by about 20 percent (1).

Having more creatine saturation in the muscles allows women to train harder and hit fatigue later. This translates to greater improvements in strength and muscle building – wahoo!

 

Boosts energy and performance

The vast majority of studies about creatine monohydrate have been performed on men. 

However, a meta-analysis (2) comparing men and women’s responses to creatine supplementation showed that “female subjects have greater relative improvements from baseline (14.8%) compared with men (5.5%).” This means the benefits of creatine supplementation might be even greater for the ladies.

 

Supports brain function

So far, we’ve been focusing on how creatine is essential for energy metabolism in your muscles. However, it is also critical for fueling your brain. Having enough creatine means that you optimize your brain function, mental clarity, and mood. According to a 2021 review in Nutrients, “Creatine supplementation may be even more effective for females by supporting a pro-energetic environment in the brain.” 

This “pro-energetic environment in the brain” means that creatine supplements may support energy metabolism in your brain, helping you fight mental exhaustion, especially in stressful situations.

 

Improves hydration, decreases muscle soreness, and improves recovery

Having enough creatine is kind of like packing up a sports drink for your muscles. Supplementation with creatine monohydrate helps draw water into muscle cells, enhancing cell volume and hydration. I’m sure this will come as no surprise, but hydrated muscles can perform and recover more optimally than dehydrated ones (4). 

 

Promotes healthy aging

One of the best ways to stroll into the next year or decade of life is to focus on preserving lean body mass, keeping bone health optimized, and preventing fall risk. Adding creatine supplementation to your routine may aid in maintaining lean body mass as you age. More lean body mass means more strength and mobility, and in turn, less fall risk and incidence of other age-related injuries. 

 

Supports you through menopause

As estrogen and progesterone levels decrease with menopause, post-menopausal women may be subject to inflammation and muscle loss. When paired with resistance training, creatine supplementation may have beneficial effects on bone density and decreasing age-related inflammation (3). Let’s hear it for strong muscles and bones for life!

Now that we’ve covered many of the benefits of creatine for women across our life span, let’s address a few of the most common questions I get from my clients in my private practice. 

FAQs about Creatine

Here, I’m answering the most common questions I get about creatine. If you have a burning question that isn’t answered here, be sure to send me a message, or we can talk about it in our next session together (contact me to schedule). 

 

Q: Why should women supplement with creatine? Can’t I get it from food?

Our bodies make about 1 gram of creatine per day in our liver, pancreas, and kidneys. A typical diet that includes ample animal protein, like 16 ounces of red meat and seafood, will provide about 1 gram of creatine. Most women will have a hard time eating more animal products than that, so to get the beneficial dose of 3-5 grams, it’s most effective to supplement with creatine monohydrate.

Q: Will creatine supplementation make me bulky?

If a muscle-bound gym bro comes to mind when you think of creatine, fear not – this won’t be you. 

Supplementing with creatine does not have the ability to make you grow giant muscles without heavy lifting and adequate nutrition. However, if you are looking for muscle growth, creatine can help your body train harder and faster to get the gains you desire (and deserve).

 

Q: Will creatine supplementation make me bloated?

Much of the bloating that you might hear about with creatine is related to the past practice of starting with a “loading dose,” or a bigger dose of creatine, around 20-25 grams per day for 5-7 days. These larger doses could cause temporary fluid shifts and water retention, leading you to feel bloated. 

Since loading doses are no longer recommended, we can largely skip any bloat risk by sticking to the 3-5 gram per day maintenance dose and choosing a high-quality product.

Q: Will creatine supplementation make me broke (aka…is it expensive)?

If your creatine supplement is leaving your wallet hurting, you are likely choosing the wrong brand. High-quality creatine monohydrate is a relatively inexpensive addition to your routine, with many quality, third-party-tested brands costing only pennies per day. 

Q: How much creatine is recommended per day to build muscle?

Most studies have found benefits with supplementation at 3-5 grams/day.

Q: When should creatine be taken?

Some studies have shown performance benefits from taking creatine prior to strenuous exercise, while others have found recovery benefits when taking it afterward. We know for certain that the most important thing about taking creatine is to make sure it is taken daily. So, if it’s easy to remember it with your morning coffee or a post-workout smoothie, pick one and be consistent.

Common Forms/Popular Types of Creatine Supplements – Gummies vs. Powder 

Most research studies have looked at 3-5 grams of creatine monohydrate powder. Specifically, the most researched brand of creatine monohydrate is a trademarked brand from Germany called Creapure™, which is featured in many high-quality products. Creapure™ is considered the purest form of creatine monohydrate, is vegan, and is also kosher and Halal-certified. 

Creatine is also packaged into easier-to-consume forms, like gummies. There are fewer third- party-tested brands of gummies than there are creatine monohydrate powders, and they will run you about double to triple the cost per serving. Also, while creatine monohydrate is purely creatine, gummies will usually bring along some extra ingredients, like sugar and flavorings.

Creatine monohydrate will also appear in some pre- or post-workout sports nutrition products. Be picky with your label reading if you are choosing to get your creatine dose this way, as many pre- and post-workout products contain questionable ingredients, like stimulants and artificial sweeteners, which may not be the best fit for everyone.

Top Brands to Try

I’ve provided links to the manufacturer’s section on Amazon, as I know many of you purchase your creatine there. I get it; it’s convenient and quick, and there is a huge selection. However, please be aware that there have been reports of fraud and low-quality products with some supplements suppliers on Amazon. 

For an added measure of quality, I’ve included links to purchase on Fullscript (a professional supplement dispensary with greater quality measures in place), as well as links to purchase directly from the manufacturer’s websites.

NSF-certified powders

Choosing a brand that is NSF-certified is essential for collegiate and professional athletes subject to drug testing. Why? NSF International tests and certifies that sports nutrition products are not contaminated with substances that could cause athletes to fail a drug test and be banned from participating in sports.

Having the NSF seal on a product will inherently make it more expensive, but for athletes who depend on participation in sports for academics or to make a living, it is an essential consideration when choosing a supplement.

Klean Athlete: All products from the Klean Athlete line are NSF-certified, and the Klean Creatine is no exception. A 60-serving container will run around $30 on Amazon, bringing the cost to about 50 cents per day.

BUY ON AMAZON // BUY on FULLSCRIPT // Company Website

Momentous: Momentous is another brand that goes the extra mile for the NSF certification and also uses Creapure™ in their product. A 90-serving container will run around $36 on Amazon, making this an excellent choice at about 40 cents per day.

BUY ON AMAZON // Company Website

Designs for Sport: Another high-quality company committed to NSF testing, you can feel confident with products from Designs for Sport. At around $43 for 90 servings, this creatine monohydrate will cost about 48 cents per day.

BUY ON AMAZON // BUY on FULLSCRIPT // Company Website

NSF-certified gummy

Create: I love the ingenuity behind Create’s creatine monohydrate daily gummy. Three delicious gummies give you 4.5 grams of creatine monohydrate, and each bag contains 90 gummies (about a one-month supply). 

They are the only brand of gummies that is NSF-certified and also uses Creapure™, so there is a reason that the price point of this product is higher. Taking this from a simple powder to a chewable gummy that is easy to remember to take also carries a price. However, at $50 per bag, the daily dose costs $1.67-ouch.

BUY ON AMAZON // Company Website

 

Informed Sport Certified Powders

Looking for the Informed Sport label on your creatine monohydrate supplement is another gold standard to ensure the product has passed rigorous testing for contaminants and banned substances. Much like the NSF label, these are the products to choose if you are subject to drug testing.

NOW Foods: NOW Foods Sports Nutrition Creatine Monohydrate powder is third-party tested for over 220 banned substances, bringing you a safe and economical supplement. At just over $24 for 120 servings, your daily dose is around 20 cents.

BUY ON AMAZON // BUY on FULLSCRIPT // Company Website

Optimum Nutrition: A lot of my clients like the cost savings of purchasing supplements in bulk from Costco. This one caught my eye when it showed up in my local warehouse. Even if you don’t have a membership, this Informed Sport, high-quality brand has a great price on Amazon. A 135-serving container is just a little over $26, making your daily dose around 20 cents.

BUY ON AMAZON // Company Website

 

Budget-friendly

Naked: If you are not concerned with testing for banned substances, you can opt for a slightly less expensive product without NSF or Informed Sport Certification. While the Naked brand does not have such credentials, it has an extensive product line of high-quality supplements and is known for its “nakedness,” i.e., they have no added, unnecessary ingredients. A 200-serving container is around $26, keeping you stocked with creatine at 18 cents per day.

BUY ON AMAZON // Company Website

 

Key takeaways on Creatine supplementation for Women

I don’t recommend supplements lightly, but when the evidence and safety are as strong as it is around creatine, I think it’s worth exploring. Numerous studies have examined the benefits of creatine supplementation for women; we know it’s not just for gym bros.  

Quick recap: 3-5 grams of creatine monohydrate supplementation may help women to:

• Build and repair muscle
• Boost energy and sports performance
• Support mental health and regulate mood
• Improve hydration, decrease muscle soreness, and improve recovery
• Promote healthy aging
• Support you through menopause

Reviewing the safety and efficacy of your supplement routine is just one part of working with a Registered Dietitian. If you would like personalized recommendations for your individualized nutrition or supplement plan, let’s talk! 

Contact me to set up an appointment so we can work together toward your strongest, most nourished self this year! P.S. Your insurance may fully cover the cost of your visit – ask me for more details.