Women over 50 are thrown quite a few curve balls, in terms of changes to the body. In a world where we all want to feel our best, is creatine worth adding to your supplement collection?
As we get older, the right supplementation has the potential to make a real difference to health and fitness. More pre, peri and postmenopausal women are choosing to try creatine monohydrate.
What is creatine?
Creatine is a compound in your system the body relies on, including moments when a rush of energy is needed. Muscles, tissues, and the brain all benefit from creatine down the line.
Transformed into phosphocreatine (PCr) by the cells, PCr helps produce adenosine triphosphate (ATP) that your body employs as an energy source. Your muscle cells use ATP for that energy push.
Part of creatine’s appeal for athletes is its role as an ergogenic aid, meaning creatine helps improve the way the body utilises energy.
Where have you heard of it before?
You’ve likely seen the powder containers on shelves at supermarkets, chemists, health food stores, and supplement stores. Creatine is popular with athletes, especially weightlifters.
You won’t need to take it at the levels of an athlete, though. A small dose approved by your doctor should be enough to help improve body function.
Creatine is viewed as a safe supplement, thanks to extensive research over the years.
Due to growing popularity, creatine is now found in shakes and energy bars, as well as in powder and pill form. Watch out for unwanted extras in the ingredient list, such as sugar.
How does it help the body?
Women over 50 may find muscle mass reducing, and fat levels increasing. Creatine helps with muscle mass, something menopause influences via changing hormone levels.
Working out creates micro-tears, a normal part of exercise. The post-workout healing process contributes to muscle mass, and creatine assists with healing micro-tears faster.
Because of this positive effect on muscle mass, creatine is believed to have a positive impact on bone biology as well, when combined with resistance workouts.
Wait, there’s more
As we age, decreased muscle mass slows our metabolic rate – meaning increasing your muscle mass should also help increase the calories you burn.
Reducing fat then improves your body composition, a measure of health that records a person’s fat mass and fat-free mass (which includes muscle mass).
Why is this a good thing? Because healthy body composition reduces the chances of chronic disease.
Studies show creatine helps with fatigue after exercising as well, due to anti-inflammatory action in skeletal muscle and the brain.
Does it help the mind?
Creatine has a great reputation for helping improve cognitive function, including memory, especially as we age. Research has also shown creatine to assist with mental fatigue.
Research continues into creatine’s neuroprotective potential. There is interest too in the possibility of creatine having a positive effect on mental health.
Creatine sources
Your body’s creatine supply comes from certain foods and various organs: the kidney, liver and pancreas.
Creatine-rich foods include beef, chicken, cod, herring, pork, salmon, and tuna, but you’d need to eat a lot. A supplement more effectively ensures your body has increased access to creatine.
One study showed vegetarians are prone to lower creatine levels, so if vegetarian or vegan, a creatine supplement might be worth considering.
Why should women over 50 take it?
Women produce less creatine as they get older, and women also produce markedly less creatine than men. Creatine supplementation has become increasingly appealing.
With the potential to increase muscle mass, reduce fat mass, and improve memory and thought processing, what busy woman wouldn’t welcome even one of these outcomes?
Before you begin taking it, run the idea of creatine past your GP. It’s always best to check first before introducing a new supplement to your routine.
Have you tried creatine supplements? Do you prefer the powder or capsules? Let us know in the comments section below.
