At 59, Halle Berry is a fountain of (peri)menopause knowledge. Of course, every woman’s experiences differ, but Halle has spent a considerable amount of time researching what might actually help alleviate symptoms and what, in her own words, is ‘bullsh*t’. Like many others, when she initially sought support for her perimenopausal symptoms, she was dismissed, receiving several misdiagnoses, including for herpes.
This led Halle down a path of self-advocacy and independent research into (peri)menopause – the findings of which she’s been vocal about. Discussing the lifestyle changes and health habits that have helped her navigate menopause on a recent episode of The Run-Through with Vogue podcast, Halle revealed that she’s meditating more, eats more carbs, has switched cardio-based exercise like running for (heavy) lifting, worked on her sleep, and started experimenting with vitamins and supplements.
What supplements does Halle take?
As well as adding magnesium to her stack, Halle explained that she has also started taking creatine despite previously thinking she never would, having associated it with bodybuilders and bulking. ‘I thought I would never take creatine – that’s going to blow me up – but no… girl needs that,’ she said on the podcast, adding that it ‘helps with brain fog.’
Does creatine help with brain fog?
So, are there merits to Halle’s claim? Well, creatine is actually one of the most-researched supplements out there, with studies highlighting benefits such as increased muscle mass and strength, bone density maintenance and energy levels.
In recent years, as well as the physical benefits, research has also increasingly explored the potential cognitive benefits of creatine. For example, we’ve seen early but promising studies suggesting it may help reduce mental fatigue, improve cognitive scores in Alzheimer’s patients, be an effective adjunctive treatment for depression, and, as Halle highlighted, also help with brain fog.
Indeed, one small study published in Food Science & Nutrition found that, following six months of creatine supplementation, patients with long Covid experienced significant improvements in brain fog.
Research has also investigated how supplementing can help tackle the effects of sleep deprivation, which can often trigger mental fog and affects many (peri)menopausal women. One recent study suggested that a single, high dose of creatine may help offset sleep deprivation-associated cognitive decline.
How does creatine work?
So, why can creatine be helpful in these scenarios? First, it’s important to understand what it actually is and how it works. ‘Creatine is a naturally occurring compound found in small amounts in foods like red meat and fish, and it’s also made in the body from amino acids,’ health and wellbeing physiologist Hannah Belsham previously explained to WH. Women typically have lower baseline muscle creatine stores than men – meaning we may actually respond better to supplementing – and while you can obtain some creatine from food, it would be nowhere near the levels of a supplement.
Creatine helps regenerate ATP – the body’s primary energy currency – during short bursts of high-intensity exercise, a mechanism which researchers are now suggesting may also support cognitive function. The sleep deprivation study above found that creatine helped sustain normal phosphocreatine and ATP levels in the brain even when participants were severely sleep-deprived. These are vital brain chemicals that play a key role in energy metabolism (how the body produces energy), and if they become imbalanced – which happens when your sleep suffers – you can experience a mental fog.
How much creatine should you take?
Most experts still generally recommend a daily dose of 3-5g – as this is what has most commonly been studied – but some of the newer research on creatine’s potential cognitive benefits uses larger doses.
We would always recommend consulting a doctor or pharmacist – who can advise you on dosage, any potential medication interactions and general safety – when starting a new supplement.
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