7 Benefits of Creatine for Women

In a world full of workout supplements, creatine is one of the naturally occurring substances found in muscle cells. It is highly recommended for athletes and bodybuilders to enhance strength, quick recovery, and improve performance. Apart from foods, creatine can be sourced through various nutritional supplements to maintain optimum levels in the body. In this blog, we will discuss the main benefits of Creatine for women, its dosage and precautionary measures.

Overview of Creatine for Women

Creatine is an amino acid that is available in foods like meat, garlic, beans and fish. Since the food offers a limited amount of creatine for the body, consuming creatine supplements is a better choice to attain optimum levels. For athletes and bodybuilders who wish to enhance their performance during exercise sessions, creatine supplements offer increased strength and faster recovery. Apart from providing several advantages to men, there are many notable benefits of creatine for women. 

Benefits of Creatine for Women

The various benefits of creatine for women include the following:

1. Boosts muscle power and exercise endurance

Creatine enhances the strength of the muscles as well as the exercise performance. During exercise, the body has to consume a compound called adenosine triphosphate, which stores energy when food is digested. 

2. Improved Recovery Time

Post-workout recovery is required for regularising workout routines. Creatine helps to decline inflammation and muscle soreness in women. Besides, it leads the women to recover faster and return to their workouts in shorter gaps, especially in the case of hard exercise schedules. Thus, muscle healing becomes faster with creatine supplements.

3. Increased Muscle Mass

Women typically have lower muscle mass as compared to men and creatine can bridge this gap by promoting muscle growth. Creatine helps to grow lean muscle mass, usually for older women who are facing muscle loss. At the same time, the increased muscle mass can induce better metabolism and overall health.

4. Enhanced Cognitive Function

If various past research is to be believed, Creatine has proven to increase brain function, memory, and cognitive skills. This is particularly true for women, who are susceptible to age-related memory loss. Creatine contributes to enhanced mental performance, learning ability, focus, and brain health.

5. Better Bone Health While Tackling Menopause

For those women who are facing menopause, declining bone density is a major concern. By taking Creatine supplements, women can increase the strength of bone health and function of the muscle cells, while reducing the risk of developing osteoporosis.

6. Support During Menstrual Cycle

The menstrual cycle may affect women’s physical performance and energy level fluctuations. These fluctuations can be managed with the assistance of creatine – the compound that constantly supplies energy to the muscle irrespective of hormonal fluctuations in performance and daily activities.

7. Improved Metabolic Health

Creatine has an important function regarding energy, it can also control blood sugar levels and insulin sensitivity. It may be especially useful for women who have a higher probability of developing metabolic diseases, preventing diseases such as type 2 diabetes.

What Does Creatine Do To Your Body?

In short, high-intensity exercises, the energy source is adenosine triphosphate (ATP). But to sustain it, the energy is obtained through anaerobic processes. ATP, derived from the digested foods, makes muscles contract and carry out the various functions in the cell. The ATP-PCr system refuels ATP through the reaction of ADP to ATP, which is a fast energy source for muscles. When the levels of ATP reduce, phosphocreatine is used to replenish ATP.  Our body naturally produces creatine, but the levels can be enhanced through diet or supplements. This would mean more energy during exercises.

Why should Women take Creatine?

Creatine should be taken by women due to its scientifically proven benefits, such as boosting high-intensity exercise tolerance, increasing lean supplementary muscle mass and strength, healthy bones, and a faster recovery period. There is a lot of scientific research that states that creatine has a positive impact on physical performance.

So, should women take creatine? Indeed, creatine helps in gaining muscle and Strength aids women in gaining muscle mass while losing body fat. This can result in weight loss in two ways: 

• Shedding body fat through better workouts 
• Burning up calories all-day

To sustain the high levels of creatine in the muscles, it would be best to continuously consume supplements.

Creatine - Dosage Guidelines for Women

Should women take creatine then the initial loading dose must include 20 grams per day, divided into four equal doses for 5-7 days. Whereas, the maintenance dose of Creatine ranges from 3-5 grams of creatine supplement per day.

Common Side Effects  and Precautions of Creatine  

Creatine is usually safe. However, it comes with  slight side effects, such as:

• Weight Gain: Working out at times can increase weight due to water retention in muscles than weights. This is because more water gets retained in muscles.
• Digestive Issues: Generally, during the loading dose, the user can experience abdominal pain and/or diarrhoea. 
• Dehydration: Hydration also needs to be well managed, especially during the hot season.

Special attention should be paid to those females who are pregnant, breastfeeding, or have chronic health issues and it is better to consult a doctor before use.

Conclusion

Creatine for women is important as it helps increase strength, stamina, building of muscles, superior brain functioning, and better density of bones. Therefore, creatine is safe to use to achieve health and fitness goals. Nevertheless, it is still advisable that women who take creatine should consult their healthcare provider first. So, ladies, get your muscles pumped up and increase your level of energy with the power of creatine

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Is creatine safe for women?

Indeed, it is a safe and effective supplement for women that enhances physical performance. 

2. How much creatine should a woman take daily?

The average daily administered dose of creatine for women ranges from 3 to 5 grams, with 20 grams a day taken during the first 5-7 initial days. 

3. Is creatine good for women during periods?

The study revealed that there is no sign that creatine for women will impact the menstrual cycle. However, it helps moderate fluctuations caused by hormonal changes during the menstrual period. 

4. Can women take creatine during pregnancy?

Pregnant women are advised to consult their doctors before undertaking creatine or any supplement. 

5. Can women take creatine to lose weight?

Yes, Creatine assists in weight loss by enhancing the development of muscle tissue and raising metabolism, leading to a lean body.