Creatine: Beyond Muscle Building

Creatine’s Moment in the Spotlight

Creatine has been declared the “supplement of the year” for 2025, and for good reason. Long associated with bodybuilders and gym enthusiasts, creatine is now gaining attention for benefits that extend far beyond muscle building, including brain health, cognitive function and specific benefits for women.

As someone who works with athletes and active individuals, I’ve recommended creatine for years. But the emerging research on its broader applications is genuinely exciting and worth understanding.

What Is Creatine?

Creatine is a naturally occurring compound found primarily in muscle tissue, with smaller amounts in the brain. Your body produces creatine from the amino acids glycine, arginine and methionine, and you also obtain it from dietary sources like meat and fish.

Creatine’s primary function is energy production. It helps regenerate ATP (adenosine triphosphate), the molecule your cells use as their primary energy currency. When your muscles or brain need quick energy, creatine is there to help replenish ATP stores.

The Traditional Use: Athletic Performance

The evidence for creatine’s benefits in exercise performance is robust and well-established. Research consistently shows increased strength and power output during high-intensity activities, enhanced muscle recovery between sets and workouts, increased lean muscle mass when combined with resistance training and improved performance in repeated sprint activities.

Creatine is one of the most studied supplements in sports nutrition, with decades of research supporting its safety and efficacy for athletic performance¹.

The Emerging Story: Brain Health

Here’s where things get interesting. Creatine can cross the blood-brain barrier, and your brain requires significant amounts of energy to function optimally. Researchers have begun exploring whether creatine supplementation might benefit cognitive function.

A 2024 meta-analysis of 16 studies published in Frontiers in Nutrition concluded that creatine supplementation may improve memory, attention and information processing in adults². One particularly interesting study found that a single dose of creatine improved cognitive performance in sleep-deprived individuals³. When you haven’t slept well, your brain’s energy reserves are depleted and creatine appears to help compensate.

The mechanism involves creatine helping to regenerate ATP in neurons with increased energy demands. When your brain is working hard, whether solving complex problems, dealing with stress or functioning on inadequate sleep, creatine may help maintain the energy supply your neurons need.

While the research is promising, it’s important to note that the evidence for cognitive benefits is still developing. Many studies are small, and the effects appear most pronounced under conditions of stress or cognitive challenge rather than in well-rested, healthy individuals⁴.

Creatine for Women: Closing the Research Gap

Historically, creatine research has focused predominantly on men. Women have made up only about one-third of exercise science study subjects, and even fewer in creatine-specific trials⁵. This is changing, and the emerging research is particularly relevant for women.

Women naturally have lower endogenous creatine stores compared to men, which means supplementation may have proportionally greater effects. Additionally, hormonal fluctuations throughout life, during menstruation, pregnancy and menopause, can influence creatine metabolism.

A 2025 randomized controlled trial (the CONCRET-MENOPA study) found particularly interesting results for perimenopausal and menopausal women, including improved reaction time, increased frontal brain creatine levels, favorable changes in serum lipid profiles and potential advantages in reducing mood swing severity⁶.

Perhaps most striking: when creatine was combined with resistance training, one-third of postmenopausal women went from scoring in the mild cognitive impairment range to within the normal range⁷.

Postmenopausal women are at increased risk for osteoporosis and sarcopenia (muscle loss). Research suggests creatine supplementation combined with resistance training may help maintain both muscle mass and bone density⁸.

Who Might Benefit from Creatine?

Based on current evidence, creatine supplementation may be particularly beneficial for athletes and active individuals engaged in high-intensity or strength training, those in sports requiring repeated sprints or power output and anyone looking to optimize recovery between workouts.

Older adults may also benefit, particularly those concerned about age-related cognitive decline, individuals looking to maintain muscle mass and strength and postmenopausal women, especially when combined with resistance training.

People under cognitive stress may find creatine helpful, including those dealing with sleep deprivation, individuals facing periods of high mental demand and shift workers with irregular sleep schedules.

Those following plant-based diets may see particularly noticeable effects since vegetarians and vegans have lower baseline creatine stores (dietary creatine comes primarily from meat and fish).

Practical Considerations

Creatine monohydrate remains the most studied and cost-effective form. Despite marketing claims, there’s limited evidence that other forms are superior.

Research hasn’t identified a dramatically superior time to take creatine. Taking it consistently matters more than precise timing, and many people find it convenient to take with a meal.

Creatine can be taken continuously. Unlike some supplements, there’s no need to cycle off and long-term studies have not identified safety concerns with ongoing use. Your naturopathic doctor can help determine an appropriate approach for your individual situation.

Safety and Side Effects

Creatine is one of the most studied supplements available, with an excellent safety profile. The most common experience is modest weight gain due to increased water retention in muscles. This is not fat gain and is generally considered beneficial for muscle function.

Some people experience mild digestive discomfort, usually resolved by taking creatine with food or adjusting the approach.

Several myths about creatine have been debunked by research. Creatine does not cause kidney damage in healthy individuals, does not cause dehydration (this myth arose from misunderstanding water retention) and the concern about hair loss has limited supporting evidence.

Those with pre-existing kidney disease or anyone on medications affecting kidney function should consult their healthcare provider before starting creatine.

The Bottom Line

Creatine has evolved from a bodybuilding supplement to a compound with genuinely broad applications. The research supporting its traditional uses in athletic performance is robust, and the emerging evidence for cognitive benefits, particularly for women and older adults, is compelling.

For most people, creatine is safe, affordable and backed by decades of research. Whether you’re an athlete looking to optimize performance, a woman navigating perimenopause or someone interested in supporting cognitive health, creatine deserves consideration.

Creatine and Sports Medicine in Halifax

If you’re interested in learning whether creatine supplementation might benefit your specific situation, or if you have questions about optimizing your athletic performance and recovery, please contact Dr. Colin MacLeod ND to book an initial visit. Dr. MacLeod provides sports medicine services and works with athletes and active individuals to develop evidence-based supplementation and training strategies.

References

1. Kreider RB, Kalman DS, Antonio J, et al. International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: safety and efficacy of creatine supplementation in exercise, sport and medicine. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2017;14:18.
2. Prokopidis K, Giannos P, Triantafyllidis KK, et al. Effects of creatine supplementation on cognitive function of healthy individuals: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Front Nutr. 2024;11:1127132.
3. Gordji-Nejad A, Matusch A, Kleedörfer S, et al. Single dose creatine improves cognitive performance and induces changes in cerebral high energy phosphates during sleep deprivation. Sci Rep. 2024;14(1):4937.
4. Candow DG, Forbes SC, Kirk B, Duque G. Current evidence and possible future applications of creatine supplementation for older adults. Nutrients. 2021;13(3):745.
5. Smith-Ryan AE, Cabre HE, Eckerson JM, Candow DG. Creatine supplementation in women’s health: A lifespan perspective. Nutrients. 2021;13(3):877.
6. Candow DG, et al. The effects of 8-week creatine hydrochloride and creatine ethyl ester supplementation on cognition in perimenopausal and menopausal women (CONCRET-MENOPA). J Am Nutr Assoc. 2025.
7. Candow DG, Forbes SC, Ostojic SM, et al. “Heads Up” for creatine supplementation and its potential applications for brain health and function. Sports Med. 2023;53(Suppl 1):49-65.
8. Candow DG, Chilibeck PD, Forbes SC. Creatine supplementation and aging musculoskeletal health. Endocrine. 2014;45(3):354-361.