Is taking creatine worth it?
I have had many close friends mention that they are taking creatine, and a few have achieved very noticeable differences in their muscle mass. I had always wondered how creatine works and how it actually made a difference in your body, so I decided to do some research. When working out, ATP is used by your muscles within seconds. If you have creatine in your system, it can rebuild ATP to burn much faster. Creatine is stored in the muscles as phosphocreatine, which can donate its phosphate to turn ADP into ATP.
The part about creatine I find especially interesting, however, is the fact that when taking creatine continuously, your phosphocreatine stores can increase by up to 40%. This means that you are able to store more energy to run faster, lift stronger, recover faster, and lessen fatigue. Therefore, that creatine doesn’t magically make your muscles bigger, but it does let you lift more without feeling fatigue. Creatine also benefits other cells in your body, such as your brain cells. More ATP available to your neurons may improve memory, reaction time, and overall cognitive function. The specific effects of creatine on the brain are currently being studied. If found beneficial, creatine could be utilized for concussion recovery and mental illnesses such as depression.
Growing up I always heard of guys mentioning creatine, but I had never heard of girls taking it until I entered college sports. A few of my teammates started taking it and saw noticeable differences, so I also began to wonder about the differences between men and women taking creatine. After doing some research, I found that women actually respond better to creatine than men! This is because women naturally have lower starting muscle creatine levels, which means there is more room to fill up their phosphocreatine stores. I also found no reports that stated creatine could negatively affect menstrual cycles or fertility among women. This leads me to wonder why creatine is not more popular among women. Is it the fear of growing too muscular, or is it due to the fact that there is little to no information on women taking creatine in the media or news? I wonder if more women would begin taking creatine if they were informed on the variety of benefits it could bring.
References:
Kraemer, William. “Https://Www.Sciencedirect.Com/Science/Article/Abs/Pii/S1051200421000968 | Request PDF.” CREATINE SUPPLEMENTATION: Its Role in Human Performance, Science Direct, www.researchgate.net/publication/351163114_httpswwwsciencedirectcomsciencearticleabspiiS1051200421000968. Accessed 29 Nov. 2025.
Smith-Ryan, Abbie E, et al. “Creatine Supplementation in Women’s Health: A Lifespan Perspective.” Creatine Supplementation in Women’s Health: A Lifespan Perspective, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 8 Mar. 2021, pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7998865/?utm.
Great post, I enjoyed how you mentioned creatine is more beneficial for women than men! I do think there is more fear among women simply going to the gym so taking supplements is even scarier. I am sure more women would take it if they knew about the added benefits such as lifting stronger and recovering quicker. I do wonder how the dosage would differ depending on what phase of the menstrual cycle you are on.
ReplyDeleteSuper interesting post! I liked how you acknowledged the lack of research in women taking creatine because I too have heard that the main reason women steer clear of creatine is because they think they will become 'too muscular'. However, I found it most interesting that women benefit more from creatine usage than men, and I wonder if creatine could be used as a therapy for extreme muscle cramps during periods similar to birth control. As for your reference towards concussion recovery, I am interested to see how that might work because another important aspect of taking creatine is drinking enough water.
ReplyDeleteThis is super cool! I think that its really cool that you not only were able to show the biology behind creatine and how it increase the rate at which ATP is rebuilt. I never knew how it worked and know that I know maybe its somehting to consider for future use! I also really liked your tie that compared the use of creatine in men and women. I think looking at this really shows how knowledge is essential in understanding a process and how things can be beneficial for certain parties.
ReplyDelete