Creatine Beyond the Gym: Why Women, Vegans, and Patients Should Consider It

🎧 Audio Article

This is Part 4 of a 4-part series on the power of creatine for brain, muscle, and metabolic health.

Most people think of creatine as a sports supplement used by bodybuilders and athletes. But new research shows that it offers wide-ranging health benefits—even for people who never lift a dumbbell.

A 2023 narrative review published in Nutrients reveals that creatine supports energy metabolism, muscle function, and brain health, and is especially helpful for women, vegetarians, older adults, and people with various health conditions.

Let’s look at who can benefit from creatine and why.

---

👩‍⚕️ Why Women Need Creatine, Too

Women are often excluded from creatine studies, but newer data shows that creatine enhances strength, brain function, and mood in women, especially during:

• Pregnancy
• Postpartum recovery
• Menopause

🧠 Creatine may also help buffer mental fatigue, boost mood, and protect brain energy metabolism when estrogen levels drop.

---

🌱 Creatine for Vegans and Vegetarians

Since creatine is found in meat and fish, vegetarians and vegans typically have lower creatine stores. Supplementation:

• Improves muscle performance
• Enhances memory and intelligence test performance
• Supports recovery from fatigue

A single 5g dose has been shown to improve brain performance in vegetarians in as little as one week.

---

🏥 Creatine for Clinical Conditions

The review highlights creatine’s potential benefits in a range of medical conditions, including:

• Muscular dystrophy
• Fibromyalgia
• Multiple sclerosis (MS)
• Heart failure
• Osteoarthritis
• Chronic fatigue
• Depression and anxiety
• Neurodegenerative diseases (like Parkinson’s, ALS, and mild cognitive impairment)

In many cases, creatine:

• Improves energy levels
• Reduces inflammation
• Increases quality of life

---

🔄 What Kind of Creatine Should You Use?

There are multiple forms of creatine on the market, including:

• Creatine monohydrate (most studied, effective, and affordable)
• Creatine hydrochloride (HCl) (smaller dose, good solubility)
• Creatine magnesium chelate
• Buffered creatine
• Creatine ethyl ester (less effective)

👉 Monohydrate is still the gold standard in terms of safety, cost, and efficacy.

---

🎧 Prefer to Listen?

Listen to the full audio version below for a quick breakdown of how creatine helps women, vegans, and people with health conditions.

🎙️ Audio Title: Creatine Isn’t Just for Athletes—Here’s Why You Might Need It

---

✅ Takeaway Summary

• Creatine isn’t just for athletes — it’s beneficial for women, plant-based eaters, and patients.
• It improves muscle strength, energy levels, mental clarity, and overall well-being.
• Creatine monohydrate remains the best option for most people.
• Supplementation is safe, affordable, and backed by over 500 studies.

How to Use Creatine Safely

• Loading (optional): 20g/day for 5–7 days (split into 4 doses)
• Maintenance: 3–5g/day
• Timing: Can be taken before or after workouts, or anytime during the day
• Hydration: Drink extra water to stay hydrated, as creatine draws water into muscle cells

• Nutricost Micronized Creatine Monohydrate 3,000mg 500 Capsules
• BulkSupplements.com Creatine Monohydrate Powder – Unflavored & Gluten Free, 5g (5000mg) per Serving, 500g
• As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

---

✅ Takeaway Summary: Who Can Benefit from Creatine

Creatine isn’t just for bodybuilders or athletes. A growing body of research shows it can support muscle, brain, and energy function across a wide range of individuals:

👩‍⚕️ Women

• During pregnancy, postpartum recovery, and menopause
• To improve mood, brain function, and energy as hormone levels shift

🌱 Vegans and Vegetarians

• Lower baseline creatine levels due to no meat intake
• Supplementation boosts muscle performance and mental clarity

🧓 Older Adults

• Helps reduce muscle loss (sarcopenia) and improve balance and strength
• May support memory, reaction time, and quality of life

🧠 People with Chronic Conditions

• Creatine shows promise for:
  • Depression and anxiety
  • Multiple sclerosis
  • Muscular dystrophies
  • Osteoarthritis
  • Neurodegenerative disorders (Parkinson’s, ALS, Alzheimer’s)
  • Chronic fatigue and heart failure

---

⚠️ Before You Start

Creatine is generally safe and well-studied, but it’s always best to speak with your healthcare provider if:

• You have a kidney condition
• You’re taking medications
• You’re pregnant or breastfeeding
• You’re managing chronic illness

A quick conversation can help you tailor the dose or timing and ensure it fits your overall plan.

Creatine Dosing

The typical dose of creatine monohydrate depends on the individual’s goals and whether a loading phase is used:

---

1. With a Loading Phase:

• Loading Phase: 20 grams per day
  • Divided into 4 doses of 5 grams
  • For 5–7 days
• Maintenance Phase: 3–5 grams per day
  • Continued for weeks or months

This method saturates muscle stores more quickly.

---

2. Without a Loading Phase (Slower Saturation):

• 3–5 grams per day
  • Taken consistently
  • Takes about 3–4 weeks to fully saturate muscle creatine levels

---

Special Notes for Older Adults:

• 3 grams per day has been used safely and effectively in studies involving older adults over months to years.
• Combining creatine with resistance exercise produces the best improvements in muscle mass, strength, and function.
• No need to cycle off creatine unless advised by a healthcare provider.

---

Form:

• Creatine monohydrate is the most researched, cost-effective, and recommended form.

• Nutricost Micronized Creatine Monohydrate 3,000mg 500 Capsules
• BulkSupplements.com Creatine Monohydrate Powder – Unflavored & Gluten Free, 5g (5000mg) per Serving, 500g
• As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

🧠 Final Thought

Whether you’re recovering from illness, managing fatigue, or simply aging well — creatine may help you do more, feel better, and stay stronger. It’s time we look beyond the gym and bring creatine into mainstream health care.

Don’t Get Sick!

Stay current by subscribing. Feel free to share and like.

Follow me on Truth Social, Gab, Twitter (X), Facebook, Follow, and Telegram.

 You May Also Like:

1. Plantar Fasciitis: A Warning Sign Of Future Health Risks
2. Trigger Finger and Its Alarming Relationship with High Blood Sugar
3. Postprandial Glucose And Kidney Health: The Silent Connection
4. High Blood Sugar Effects: Impact On Hair Color And Growth
5. High Blood Sugar and Vision: A Guide for Everyone
6. High blood sugar damages the arteries and changes the immune system.
7. A Tool Box of Strategies to Prevent Blood Sugar Spikes When Eating High Glycemic Index Foods
8. A High One hour After-Meal Blood Sugar Test can Lead to Several Deadly Conditions
9. A surprising reason why people get heart attacks
10. After-meal high blood sugar predicts Atherosclerosis better than Fasting blood sugar and HbA1c
11. After-meal blood sugar spikes as a cause of vascular failure
12. Veggies Meat Carbohydrate Sequence Prevents After Meal Sugar Spike
13. A Healthy Lifestyle is as effective as Voglibose and Nateglinide in Lowering 10-year Cardiac Mortality
14. The Shocking Truth About Spike Proteins, Sugar And Inflammation

References:

Gutiérrez-Hellín J, Del Coso J, Franco-Andrés A, Gamonales JM, Espada MC, González-García J, López-Moreno M, Varillas-Delgado D. Creatine Supplementation Beyond Athletics: Benefits of Different Types of Creatine for Women, Vegans, and Clinical Populations-A Narrative Review. Nutrients. 2024 Dec 29;17(1):95. doi: 10.3390/nu17010095. PMID: 39796530; PMCID: PMC11723027. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39796530/

© 2018 – 2025 Asclepiades Medicine, LLC. All Rights Reserved
DrJesseSantiano.com does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.