My boyfriend turned 50 this year. He didn\u2019t buy an expensive sports car. Or quit his job and form a garage band. He started taking \u2026 creatine.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is that, exactly?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, one of those things everyone takes after 50,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Or 30. Or 80, as it turns out.<\/p>\n
My 84-year-old mom called just the other day: \u201cWhat\u2019s, um, cree-ah-teen?\u201d She asked. \u201cOh, and what\u2019s some new popular music I should be listening to?\u201d (Mom stays on top of the trends.)<\/p>\n
Creatine seems to be everywhere lately, the \u201cit\u201d supplement. It crowds grocery store shelves and regularly pops up on social media.<\/p>\n
\u201cShould you be having creatine?\u201d one fitness influencer, @tashmaraiss<\/a>, urged on TikTok (from, where else, the front seat of her car). \u201cOnly if you want to be absolutely jacked, smart and recovering [from workouts] faster.\u201d <\/p>\n Was that true? I set out to find out. <\/p>\n So what\u2019s the deal with this supplement?<\/p>\n What it is: Creatine <\/a>is a natural compound that helps power our muscles<\/a>. It\u2019s naturally produced in our liver, kidneys and pancreas and comes from<\/a> the amino acids arginine, glycine and methionine \u2014 the \u201cbuilding blocks of protein.\u201d We also get creatine from food<\/a> such as red meat, fish, seafood and poultry, among other sources. Most of the creatine in our bodies \u2014 about 95% \u2014 is stored in our skeletal muscles, with a smaller amount stored in the brain, heart and other tissues. It helps support muscle performance and recovery, and may aid brain function<\/a>.<\/p>\n Benefits: Creatine helps skeletal muscles regenerate ATP for energy. It creates \u201cquick burst\u201d <\/a>energy and increased strength, so it\u2019s particularly useful during short duration, explosive exercise like weight lifting, jumping, sprinting and high-intensity interval training. It may also help with cognition<\/a>, including short-term memory, reasoning and neuroprotection (of nerve cells), particularly in older adults, though more research is needed in this area.<\/p>\n Creatine doesn\u2019t build muscle<\/a> on its own. Instead, it aids exercise, helping you lift heavier weights or do more reps per set. It sends water to our muscles, which helps to maintain cell volume and support muscle contractions. All of that, in turn \u2014 together with a well-balanced diet \u2014 then helps to offset age-related muscle loss. <\/p>\n The experts weigh in<\/p>\n A sports medicine doctor says: The thinking around creatine has changed in the last two decades, says Tracy Zaslow, <\/a>a Cedars-Sinai Sports Medicine specialist. The medical establishment used to consider creatine as helpful primarily for athletes doing \u201cpower-focused sports,\u201d she says, like weight lifting or cycling. \u201cActivities where the smallest increment of speed would make a difference,\u201d she says. \u201cBut we\u2019ve really learned how broad it can apply. If you\u2019re not under 18, pregnant or nursing, have kidney or liver disease and aren\u2019t taking other stimulants or are bipolar, I\u2019d recommend it. It appears safe to take long-term as long as you don\u2019t have any of those risk factors.\u201d For those over 40, creatine can not only help counteract age-related muscle loss, but \u201cit can be helpful for bone health,\u201d Zaslow says. \u201cWhen partnered with resistance training, it can increase bone mineral content and reduce that reabsorption of the bone. To help prevent osteopenia and osteoporosis.\u201d Other outdated myths about creatine: \u201cPeople used to believe creatine caused dehydration and cramps, but it doesn\u2019t seem to,\u201d Zaslow says. \u201cIf anything, it might protect against cramps and heat issues because it increases the water content in muscles. Also [it was thought] that it would cause liver or kidney disease. It does not seem to if you don\u2019t have a preexisting condition. But I always recommend checking with a doctor [before taking it] because they understand your full medical profile. And creatine is not regulated by the FDA, so choosing clean sources is really important.\u201d<\/p>\n A nurse \/ fitness trainer says: \u201cI recommend creatine to everybody, especially women in perimenopause and menopause,\u201d says Michelle Nouraei<\/a>, an L.A.-based nurse and fitness trainer who works primarily with active women as the owner of the Fit4Mom<\/a> L.A. franchise. \u201cAs we age, we lose muscle. And women going through perimenopause and menopause lose muscle even faster because their estrogen declines. So as women, fight muscle loss by lifting weights and taking creatine to develop muscle to protect your bones.\u201d<\/p>\n Nouraei says creatine may also aid the uncomfortable symptoms of perimenopause and menopause. \u201cThings like fatigue, foggy memory and mood. But start low and slow and see how your body feels. Too much too quickly can give you stomach bloating, diarrhea, nausea and other gastric issues.\u201d <\/p>\n For adults, the recommended daily dose<\/a> of creatine is three to five grams. Nouraei tells her patients and clients, however, that the safest way to start taking creatine would be incrementally, beginning with three grams daily for a week, then four, then to five. It\u2019s less important what time of day you take it and more important to be consistent so your muscles stay well-saturated. <\/p>\n A registered dietitian says: Creatine is not only helpful for gym activity, but also for enhancing recovery from exercise, says Yasi Ansari,<\/a> a UCLA Health dietitian who works with athletes. And it helps with \u201cadaptations in training.\u201d But creatine is not just for athletes, Ansari says. \u201cVegetarians can benefit from creatine supplementation because they\u2019re not consuming the foods that have higher amounts of creatine, like red meat and salmon, which have 1-2 grams per pound.\u201d<\/p>\n Creatine may also be helpful to older adults, and the supplement is being studied with regard to cognitive heath, Ansari says. \u201cIf you have sleep deprivation, creatine supplementation can help with fatigue and foggy memory. It\u2019s almost like a battery recharge for the brain and the muscles. Creatine helps the recharge that takes place in the brain to support your functioning. It\u2019s promising, but we still need more research and information on that.\u201d<\/p>\n Ansari stresses that, as with any supplement, creatine should be complementary to diet. \u201cIt\u2019s important people are eating their protein, carbs, fat \u2014 you can take all the creatine you want, but if you don\u2019t have a solid foundation when it comes to your nutrition, you\u2019re not gonna see the benefits.\u201d <\/p>\n Ansari suggests taking creatine with yogurt or in fruit smoothies. \u201cIt\u2019s great when you\u2019re taking it with carbohydrates,\u201d she says. \u201cThat helps it get delivered to the cells because carbohydrates provide energy.\u201d<\/p>\n Practicalities<\/p>\n Side effects, warnings: Creatine is \u201cone of the most researched supplements,\u201d Ansari says, and is safe, overall. But some people don\u2019t tolerate it well. Those with sensitive gastrointestinal systems should consult a doctor as it could cause gas, bloating and other GI discomfort. Minimal weight gain is possible, but it\u2019s water weight not fat, Ansari says, and \u201cnot guaranteed.\u201d \u201cThere may be some fluid shifts in the muscles \u2014 because there\u2019s more water stored in the muscles \u2014 but over time that should regulate itself. And it\u2019s a very minor shift, not permanent weight gain.\u201d<\/p>\n Shopping for creatine: Creatine is available in powder, capsule, liquid and even energy bar form. Look for creatine monohydrate and avoid products that have proprietary blends, which often don\u2019t tell you exactly how much creatine is in the mixture. Make sure that the product has been third-party-tested. It should have a seal that says \u201cNSF for sport\u201d or \u201cinformed sport.\u201d The \u201cNSF certified for sport\u201d website has a directory<\/a> of clean, third-party-tested products. <\/p>\n Bottom line: Creatine is a widely researched supplement that is considered safe. By powering our muscles, it allows us to exercise longer and harder. It\u2019s not dangerous to take if you don\u2019t exercise, but you won\u2019t see as much benefit. Bloating is often temporary and other gastric side effects may be mitigated by starting the supplement at a low dose and increasing daily consumption incrementally. More research is needed to better understand the connection between creatine and cognition; but the supplement may be beneficial for brain health, particularly in older adults and for issues related to sleep deprivation.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a strong interest now in aging,\u201d Ansari says, \u201cand how we can maintain our physical strength, movement and health as we age \u2014 which is a beautiful thing. And creatine is one of the supplements that can support us in doing that.\u201d<\/p>\n