Any hard-working athlete has either taken, or knows of creatine, a enzyme supplement widely used within the world of sports. This enzyme is also naturally occurring in the body. The creatine kinase circuit, phosphocreatine, and creatine are fundamental to the production of increased ATP, as well as cellular function. It also has particular importance in tissues with high and fluctuating energy demands, such as skeletal muscle, cardiac muscle and the brain (Ellery et all. 2016). Because of this, a large number of studies have been looking at how this affects exercise performance as well as muscle hypertrophy (although quite a bit still remains unknown).
Physiologically, males and females are just built different, leading into differences in how creatine affects the body. When comparing the metabolism of creatine between males and females, females have a lower rate of creatine synthesis, as well as lower creatine consumption than men. Therefore, they have a decreased creatine exertion rate overall, approximately 80% of the excretion rate for males (Ellery et all. 2016). Males and females also differ within physical makeup, and since skeletal muscle is a major storage component for creatine, these variations within physical makeup of the body can be/are a major determinant of the differences of creatine amongst the two sexes (Ellery et all. 2016). Traditionally and evolutionary wise, males have more muscle mass/skeletal muscle than women, so it makes sense why males would have more creatine content in their bodies. This also has a direct relationship with creatine kinase activity; less skeletal muscle means less creatine kinase activity (Ellery et all. 2016), a correlation we see with females.
Hormone regulation also plays a huge role with creatine activity. Hormone driven shifts (Ellery et all. 2016) due to the female menstrual cycle can reduce muscle damage after exercise, all the while preventing the release of creatine kinase (Ellery et all. 2016). Females are also at risk for muscle and bone loss after menopause due to these hormone shifts, in which creatine supplementation seems to be showing promise in targeting the progression of these ailments (Ellery et all. 2016), as well as increasing creatine kinase activity by increasing the creatine content within the skeletal muscle of females. Creatine is proving more and more to be a vital supplement for both men and women, not only aiding in the prevention of muscle and bone loss, but in the production of muscle growth as well, making it a beast of a supplement for both athlete and non-athlete individuals.Ellery, Stacey J., et al. “Creatine for Women: A Review of the Relationship between Creatine and the Reproductive Cycle and Female-Specific Benefits of Creatine Therapy.” Amino Acids, vol. 48, no. 8, 2016, pp. 1807–1817., https://doi.org/10.1007/s00726-016-2199-y.
As a female athlete I've often contemplated taking creatine, I've always refrained from it because of the preconceived notion that it is for men. Before reading this post I was unaware that there were major benefits for women too. I find it super interesting that hormone regulation plays a large role with creatine activity. It seems as though you could even argue in cases of menopause and the menstrual cycle that creatine is almost more beneficial for women. In this case you speak of prevention of bone and muscle loss. Many of creatine benefits are physical benefits, but upon looking into the benefits I realized that there are numerous other benefits than just looking "huge" in the gym.
ReplyDeleteThere are studies that actually prove that creatine improves brain function. The same way our muscles store phosphocreatine and require plenty of ATP, our brains have the same requirements. Studies show that creatine improves cognitive function as well as protecting the brain. Through creatine supplementing you increase the energy supply to the brain which reduces the risk of developing neurological diseases. Creatine also improved brain function in those who have low creatine levels, creatine is often found in meat, so people on plant based diets can really benefit from supplementing creatine. There was even a study that those who were supplementing scored significantly higher on both memory and intelligence tests (OriGym 2021). After looking into creatine more, It's made me realize that as women there is no reason we should be afraid to take it. It seems as though there are benefits for just about everyone.
Can women take creatine? Origym. (2021, August 2). Retrieved October 3, 2021, from https://origympersonaltrainercourses.co.uk/blog/creatine-for-women.
I really enjoyed these posts. With such strong data supporting the use of creatine in athletes, and even casual gym-goers, I wanted to look into some more of the negative side effects of creatine and share what I was able to find. I have heard about creatine supplementation potentially causing hair loss, or baldness. The article I was able to find was actually a comprehensive exploration of the side effects and potential outcomes from creatine supplementation, but for the sake of my post I will only go into hair loss. So, the article I found reported that the reported hair loss after taking creatine all came down to testosterone, or at least a metabolite of the hormone testosterone. Research has shown that creatine supplementation can lead to the increase in serum amounts of DHT, or dihydrotestosterone, by quit large margins (think 40% above baseline, prior to supplementation). The reason this is notable is because DHT levels have been shown to correlate with hair loss, thus it would stand to reason that creatine supplementation could potentially lead to hair loss. But there is a catch, the article I found exposed some holes in the research that originally attributed increase DHT to the consumption of creatine, weakening this argument. They go on to explain that several other studies have been completed in hopes of replicating the results, and none have been consistent. It goes to show how bad science, or science that hasn't been entirely flushed out can mold a point of view that is incorrect or at least not entirely true. This was something that I previously thought was a real side effect of taking creatine, and it turns out, it does not have very much evidence to support it.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7871530/
Based on the review you cited, it is very clear that there is not enough research being done on the potential benefits of creatine for women specifically. I think many people like myself would instantly think that creatine is reserved for body builders and athletes and not necessarily look at the therapeutic benefits. What stood out to me was high amounts of serum creatine kinase (CK) present after birth was comparable to patients that had a myocardial infarction (Konttinen & Halonen, 1963). And how supplementation could alleviate some of the adverse events of pregnancy (Wallimann, Tokarska-Schlattner, & Schlattner, 2011). I think the evidence presented shows a lot of promise to encourage women to supplement with creatine as they age, but it will take a lot of education on the provider. With any of the articles above, is there any commentary from women on dealing with the side effects of creatine or if the benefits outweigh the risks of weight gain and hair loss?
ReplyDeletehttps://doi.org/10.1007/s00726-016-2199-y.
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