I Took a Creatine Supplement for Two Months—These Were the Surprising Benefits

But more recently, studies have shown that “creatine supplementation can benefit any runner, including long-distance running,” says Kelly, who also works as a sports nutritionist for supplement brand Myprotein. “Creatine has been shown to support exercise recovery, as it can reduce muscle damage, which can help runners who have a high running load. Creatine can also promote greater glycogen replenishment than just carbohydrates alone, and the more full glycogen stores are, the longer an individual can run before hitting the wall.”

And beyond fitness?

Creatine also supports ATP production in the brain. “In fact, the brain is the highest consumer of ATP in the body, consuming approximately 25 percent of the total energy available,” says Kelly. This means that creatine supplementation may help with mood regulation, reducing anxiety, combating depression, and improving cognitive function, with studies finding that it can also improve short-term memory, intelligence, and reasoning, and could potentially be beneficial for aging and stressed individuals.

“A meta-analysis published last year in Frontiers in Nutrition found that creatine supplementation had a significant positive impact on memory function,” says Kelly, while another study found “that a single dose of creatine supplementation improved processing speed in those who were sleep-deprived.”

Coomber says that creatine supplementation could also support “focus and quicker reaction times—particularly in stressful or mentally demanding situations,” adding that “it could help protect against mental fatigue and also protect brain cells from damage—making it an interesting supplement for long-term brain health and potentially reducing the risk of neurodegenerative diseases.”

That said, if you do have any mental health concerns, it’s always best to talk to a medical professional first.

Why is creatine being marketed toward women?

Let’s stay with the brain for a minute. “Women have naturally lower levels of creatine in the frontal lobe, and increasing concentrations through supplementation has been shown to reduce the likelihood of depression, which is common around hormonal changes like puberty, pregnancy, and menopause,” says Kelly. “It may also help with brain fog and mood more generally—common experiences for women throughout menopause.”

There’s also a direct link between creatine and sex hormones, specifically oestrogen, which helps in the production and storage of creatine in the muscles. “As women age, and therefore as oestrogen declines during peri- and postmenopause, creatine synthesis can slow down, leading to lower levels of creatine in the brain and in the muscles,” explains Kelly. “Supplementing with creatine can help keep muscle and brain creatine levels stable as the body produces less of it.”

As women age, creatine’s role in the body becomes more essential. “Muscle mass naturally declines as women age, especially during and after menopause,” explains Coomber. “Creatine helps preserve muscle, maintain strength, and may even support bone density. For postmenopausal women, this is important because muscle loss is linked to reduced metabolism, increased risk of falls, and overall loss of independence.”

My honest review of taking creatine

I’ve seen how creatine can support increased muscle mass in the past, but a big change in physique could take around six months and would require more frequent gym sessions than I do these days, plus heavier lifting. So, over my two-month trial, I was mainly interested in seeing improvements to my running speed, my recovery between sessions, and also energy levels in the weight training I still do. But, most of all, I wanted to see if I felt any non-exercise-related benefits, especially as I enter perimenopause.