Science Digest: Creatine Beyond the Gym

This week’s paper, “Creatine in women’s health: bridging the gap from menstruation through pregnancy to menopause”, was published May 2025 in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, a respected (Q1), peer-reviewed journal in sports science and nutrition1.

Creatine has long been marketed as a supplement for male athletes chasing performance gains. This paper caught my attention because it moves past gym folklore and looks at what creatine actually does in the female body, from menstruation to menopause, and why it might be far more relevant to women than most realize.

The Study in a Nutshell

This isn’t a single clinical trial but a comprehensive scientific review that examined existing research on creatine supplementation in women across the lifespan. The authors, led by Dr. Abbie Smith-Ryan, evaluated studies spanning from the 1990s to 2025. 

“The review examines creatine’s effects on muscle strength, body composition, cognitive function, mood, sleep, and cellular health in premenopausal, pregnant, perimenopausal, and postmenopausal women.”

Key Findings

Women naturally make about 20% less creatine than men and eat 30–40% less of it (since it mostly comes from meat and fish), creating a baseline gap that hormonal changes can make even larger.