Creatine Supplementation in Women's Health: A Lifespan Perspective.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative review of pre-clinical and clinical literature without systematic search methodology.
PubMed 33800439 · doi:10.3390/nu13030877
What was done
This narrative review synthesized pre-clinical and clinical evidence examining creatine kinetics, endogenous stores, and supplementation across the female lifespan (pre-menopause, menses, pregnancy, post-partum, and post-menopause), focusing on physical performance, skeletal muscle, bone health, mood, cognition, and dosing strategies.
What was found
Females exhibit 70% to 80% lower endogenous creatine stores compared to males. Creatine supplementation appeared effective for improving strength and exercise performance in pre-menopausal females, and high doses (0.3 g·kg⁻¹·d⁻¹) combined with resistance training showed favorable effects on skeletal muscle size, function, and bone in post-menopausal females. Positive effects on mood and cognition were also reported. No numerical effect sizes, variance estimates, or statistical test values were provided in the abstract.
Why it matters
Female-specific creatine metabolism is historically understudied despite hormone-related shifts in creatine kinetics across life stages that may alter requirements and clinical efficacy.
Limits
The abstract describes a narrative review without reporting systematic search methods, study quality criteria, or total sample sizes. Quantitative effect sizes, confidence intervals, and safety data across distinct reproductive stages were not reported in the abstract.
Cited by
- supports Animal cell studies show that estrogen is directly involved in creatine metabolism and is implicated in the enzymes required to synthesize creatine.