Creatine Supplementation Beyond Athletics: Benefits of Different Types of Creatine for Women, Vegans, and Clinical Populations-A Narrative Review.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative review without systematic search or meta-analysis
PubMed 39796530 · doi:10.3390/nu17010095
What was done
This narrative review synthesized literature evaluating the effects of creatine supplementation, specifically creatine monohydrate, in non-athlete populations including women, vegans, and clinical cohorts with neurological, metabolic, or cardiovascular conditions.
What was found
No quantitative findings, sample sizes, or effect sizes were reported in the abstract. Qualitatively, the review reports that creatine monohydrate may reduce fatigue-related symptoms across menstrual cycle phases in women, enhance physical and cognitive function in vegans and vegetarians, mitigate muscle loss in sarcopenia and cachexia, provide neuroprotection in neurodegenerative disorders and traumatic brain injury, and improve exercise capacity in cardiovascular disease and chronic fatigue syndrome.
Why it matters
This paper broadens the clinical and nutritional scope of creatine monohydrate beyond sports performance, summarizing potential indications in populations with lower baseline stores or altered energy metabolism.
Limits
The review is narrative and lacks systematic search protocols, risk of bias assessment, or quantitative pooling. The abstract reports no numerical data, specific dosing ranges, or comparative efficacy metrics between clinical subgroups.
Cited by
- supports Dietary creatine is found exclusively in animal flesh (red meat, seafood, and poultry), and vegans and vegetarians show the greatest response to creatine supplementation.