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Is Creatine the Best Supplement You’ve Never Tried?

June 9, 2025

What if there were a supplement that could help protect your muscles and strength as you age, relieve symptoms of depression, and maybe even slow the cognitive decline tied to Alzheimer’s disease?

Sounds promising, right?

Now, what if I told you that supplement is creatine?

If your first thought was, “Isn’t that just for bodybuilders?”, you’re not alone. For years, creatine has been typecast as a muscle builder for gym rats and powerlifters. Some people even confuse it with a steroid. (It’s definitely not a steroid!)

That reputation has kept a lot of folks—especially women—from seeing what it can actually do for them.

In reality, creatine is one of the safest and most effective supplements out there—backed by more than 1,000 studies over the last five decades.¹ And its benefits go far beyond the weight room.

In this article, I’ll break down:

• What creatine actually is (and what it’s not)
  
  
• The wide-ranging benefits for your muscles, brain, and mental health
  
  
• Why women can benefit just as much as—or even more than—men
  
  
• What to buy and how much to take
  
  

If you haven’t given creatine a second thought, it’s time for a closer look: It might just be the best supplement you’ve never tried. 

What Is Creatine?

Creatine is a natural compound your body makes from amino acids, and you also get some from food—mainly red meat and fish. 

About 95 percent of the creatine in your body is stored in your muscles.^²,³ The rest is found in places like your heart and brain.

Think of creatine as a backup power source, helping your cells quickly produce energy when they need it most.

That’s why it’s so well-known in the fitness world. It can help you complete more reps and lift heavier weights, which leads to increases in strength and muscle.

But the same energy support that helps you in the gym may also benefit your brain, mood, and how your body functions as you age.

What Creatine Supplementation Can Do for You

Research shows that most people’s creatine stores are only 60 to 80 percent full.⁴ It’s not hard to see why: Red meat is the best food source of creatine, but a 6-ounce serving of steak or hamburger contains just 0.7 grams (less than a gram).⁵ 

That’s a relatively small amount of creatine overall. For example, a typical supplementation dose of creatine is 5 grams—equivalent to about 2.4 pounds of uncooked red meat.²

Now have a look at this chart, which shows creatine levels in vegetarians, omnivores (people who eat both meat and plants), and those who “loaded” creatine by taking 20 grams every day for a week.⁶ (Note: You can achieve the same “loaded” levels by taking 5 grams a day for a longer period of time, as you’ll see in the dosing section.)

Essentially, supplementing with creatine allows you to dramatically increase your body’s creatine stores beyond what you can typically get from food.

Why does that matter? There are a few reasons, but here are three big ones…

1. Creatine Helps You Stay Strong as You Age

As you get older, it gets harder to hold on to muscle—and that can affect everything from balance and mobility to metabolism and independence.

Creatine can help. In a 2021 meta-analysis of 16 randomized controlled trials, adults over 50 who took creatine while doing resistance training gained an average of nearly 3 pounds more lean mass than those who did the same training without it.⁷

That’s not a small boost—it’s a meaningful difference that could help offset the natural muscle loss that comes with aging.

When combined with resistance training, creatine is highly effective for helping you build muscle and strength—which is critical for staying active and independent as you age.

2. Creatine May Help Fight Depression

Your brain uses creatine, too. It helps keep energy production steady inside brain cells, particularly in areas that regulate mood and cognition. 

Low brain creatine levels have been linked to more severe depressive symptoms—especially in women.⁸ On the flip side, University of Utah scientists reported that young women who consumed the most creatine were significantly less likely to suffer from depression than those who ate the least.⁹

There have only been three experimental studies on creatine supplementation for depression, but the results, while preliminary, have been encouraging.^{¹⁰,¹¹,¹²}

In one randomized controlled trial, adult women who added 5 grams of daily creatine to their antidepressant experienced faster and greater improvements than those taking the antidepressant alone—reducing symptoms in just 2 weeks, compared to the typical 4–5 weeks it usually takes for antidepressants to show an effect.¹⁰

3. Creatine Might Help You Stay Sharp

A small pilot study from the University of Kansas tested high-dose creatine in people with Alzheimer’s disease.¹³ After taking 20 grams per day for 8 weeks, participants saw an 11 percent increase in brain creatine levels and showed significant improvements in memory, attention, and executive function.

There was no control group, so the results have to be taken with caution. But researchers believe the benefit may come from creatine’s ability to support mitochondrial function and help reduce inflammation and oxidative stress in the brain.

Is Creatine Good for Women?

Yes—potentially even more so than for men.

Women tend to have significantly lower creatine stores than men—by as much as 70 to 80%, according to research.⁸ That’s likely due to a combination of lower dietary intake and differences in muscle mass.

And because women are also more likely to struggle with depression,¹⁴ creatine’s brain benefits may be especially meaningful.

Still, many hesitate to try it. The most common concern? Weight gain. But studies show that worry is mostly unfounded.⁸ 

While some men may see an increase on the scale during a short-term “loading” phase—due to water being drawn into the muscle cells—that effect is rarely seen in women. And even when it does occur, it reflects healthy cellular hydration, not fat gain or bloating.

The Best Way to Supplement with Creatine 

The best-studied and most effective form of creatine is creatine monohydrate. It’s widely available, affordable, and backed by decades of research. 

I take Thorne Creatine myself—it’s the highest quality pure creatine monohydrate powder I’ve found. (Plus, Thorne also makes it available in convenient, single-serving travel packs.)

Dosage Recommendation

• Option 1: Loading + Maintenance. Start with 20 grams per day, split into 4–5 smaller doses, for 5 days. This loading phase saturates your muscle creatine stores quickly—typically within 5 days, leading to about a 19 percent increase in total muscle creatine.⁸ After loading, switch to a maintenance dose of 5 grams per day.
  
  
• Option 2: Steady Daily Dose: If you prefer to skip the loading phase, you can start with 5 grams per day from the beginning. This approach still works—it just takes longer (around 3–4 weeks) to fully saturate your creatine stores.
  

Both strategies are effective. The choice depends on how quickly you want to see benefits and how your body responds. It’s also worth noting that creatine is well-tolerated, even at dosages of up to 20 grams per day.

How to Take Creatine

Creatine can be mixed into any drink—including water and coffee. While some have speculated that caffeine might interfere with creatine’s effectiveness, research doesn’t support this claim.¹ 

One consideration: Consuming creatine with a meal or shake that includes a substantial amount of carbohydrates and protein may boost absorption—especially in people who don’t respond as well to creatine on its own (estimated to be about 20 percent of users).^{¹,¹⁵,¹⁶}

When to Take Creatine 

Anytime you want. Research hasn’t shown a significant difference between taking creatine before a workout, after, or at another time of the day.¹

So don’t overthink it: The real key is consistency. Daily use is what helps you maintain elevated creatine levels in your muscles and brain—and that’s what matters most.

References

1. Antonio J, Brown AF, Candow DG, Chilibeck PD, Ellery SJ, Forbes SC, et al. Part II. Common questions and misconceptions about creatine supplementation: what does the scientific evidence really show? J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2025 Dec;22(1):2441760.

2. Harris RC, Söderlund K, Hultman E. Elevation of creatine in resting and exercised muscle of normal subjects by creatine supplementation. Clin Sci (Lond). 1992 Sep;83(3):367–74. 

3. Kreider RB, Stout JR. Creatine in health and disease. Nutrients. 2021 Jan 29;13(2):447. 

4. Kreider RB, Kalman DS, Antonio J, Ziegenfuss TN, Wildman R, Collins R, et al. International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: safety and efficacy of creatine supplementation in exercise, sport, and medicine. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2017 Jun 13;14:18.

5. Antonio J, Candow DG, Forbes SC, Gualano B, Jagim AR, Kreider RB, et al. Common questions and misconceptions about creatine supplementation: what does the scientific evidence really show? J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2021 Feb 8;18(1):13.

6. Kreider RB, Peter Jung Y. Creatine supplementation in exercise, sport, and medicine. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2011 May 15; 6(1):53–69.

7. Forbes SC, Candow DG, Ostojic SM, Roberts MD, Chilibeck PD. Meta-analysis examining the importance of creatine ingestion strategies on lean tissue mass and strength in older adults. Nutrients. 2021 Jun 2;13(6):1912. 

8. Smith-Ryan AE, Cabre HE, Eckerson JM, Candow DG. Creatine supplementation in women’s health: A lifespan perspective. Nutrients. 2021 Mar 8;13(3):877.

9. Bakian AV, Huber RS, Scholl L, Renshaw PF, Kondo D. Dietary creatine intake and depression risk among U.S. adults. Transl Psychiatry. 2020 Feb 3;10(1):52.

10. Lyoo IK, Yoon S, Kim T-S, Hwang J, Kim JE, Won W, et al. A randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled trial of oral creatine monohydrate augmentation for enhanced response to a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor in women with major depressive disorder. Am J Psychiatry. 2012 Sep;169(9):937–45. 

11. Kondo DG, Sung Y-H, Hellem TL, Fiedler KK, Shi X, Jeong E-K, et al. Open-label adjunctive creatine for female adolescents with SSRI-resistant major depressive disorder: a 31-phosphorus magnetic resonance spectroscopy study. J Affect Disord. 2011 Dec;135(1–3):354–61. 

12. Roitman S, Green T, Osher Y, Karni N, Levine J. Creatine monohydrate in resistant depression: a preliminary study. Bipolar Disord. 2007 Nov;9(7):754–8. 

13. Smith AN, Choi I-Y, Lee P, Sullivan DK, Burns JM, Swerdlow RH, et al. Creatine monohydrate pilot in Alzheimer’s: Feasibility, brain creatine, and cognition. Alzheimers Dement (N Y). 2025 Apr;11(2):e70101.

14. Bebbington P, Dunn G, Jenkins R, Lewis G, Brugha T, Farrell M, et al. The influence of age and sex on the prevalence of depressive conditions: report from the National Survey of Psychiatric Morbidity. Int Rev Psychiatry. 2003 Feb;15(1–2):74–83. 

15. Greenhaff PL, Bodin K, Soderlund K, Hultman E. Effect of oral creatine supplementation on skeletal muscle phosphocreatine resynthesis. Am J Physiol. 1994 May;266(5 Pt 1):E725–30.  

16. Steenge GR, Simpson EJ, Greenhaff PL. Protein- and carbohydrate-induced augmentation of whole body creatine retention in humans. J Appl Physiol. 2000 Sep;89(3):1165–71.