Should you take creatine in perimenopause?
The reel accurately describes creatine's role in enhancing workout performance and muscle mass, especially when combined with strength training. However, the claim about creatine's impact on insulin sensitivity and metabolism is overstated without direct evidence.
“Creatine helps your body to produce ATP, which is your body's quick source of energy. And more ATP means you're able to push harder in your workouts, you're recovering faster, and you're able to build more lean tissue over time.”
Creatine is well-supported to improve strength, power, and training volume by increasing ATP availability, especially when combined with resistance training.
“More muscle mass means better insulin sensitivity, and it means maintaining a stronger metabolism that holds up through the aging process.”
While muscle mass can influence insulin sensitivity and metabolism, the direct impact of creatine on these factors is not well-established.
“A small 2013 study followed postmenopausal women for 24 weeks while they were strength training. And the group that added creatine to their regimen built more lean muscle mass and had better overall muscle quality compared to the group that did not add creatine.”
Studies show that creatine supplementation can enhance muscle mass and quality when combined with resistance training, even in postmenopausal women.
Should you take creatine in perimenopause? The short answer is yes… especially if you’re lifting weights. And cognitive function/brain fog is a whole other beast which I’ll break down in a later video. Here’s why creatine is worth considering: Creatine helps your muscles produce ATP, the energy your body uses for force production. More ATP means you can push a little harder in your workouts, recover a little better, and build more lean muscle over time. And here’s why muscle matters more in your 30s, 40s, and beyond. As estrogen declines through perimenopause, we lose muscle faster than at any other point in life. But muscle isn’t just about strength. It’s the largest site of glucose disposal in your body… about 80% of the glucose from your meals gets taken up by your muscle. So more muscle means better insulin sensitivity and a metabolism that holds up through aging, instead of slowing down the way so many women are afraid of. A 2013 study by Aguiar and colleagues followed postmenopausal women through 12 weeks of resistance training (CORRECTION NOT 24 weeks). The group that added creatine built more lean body mass and had greater improvements in muscle quality than the placebo group. Important nuance… creatine is not a hormone, it’s not a menopause treatment, and it does almost nothing from a muscle standpoint if we aren’t incorporating resistance training. Cognition benefits to be discussed later… If you are lifting, 3 to 5 grams of creatine monohydrate a day is the research-backed dose. No loading phase needed. Take it whenever works for you. And always check with your doctor before starting something new, especially if you have any kidney concerns. Want the actual dosing breakdown (it’s different for muscle vs brain)? Comment CREATINEGUIDE and I’ll send the current research-back recommendations and best practices for taking it. Save this for when you’re ready to start. And tell me… are you team lifting yet, or is this your sign to begin? References: Aguiar AF et al. Eur J Appl Physiol 2013. Smith-Ryan AE et al. Nutrients 2021. #perimenopause #womensmetabolichealth #creatineforwomen #midlifewomen #strengthtrainingforwomen