Creatine Isn't Just for Bodybuilders—Here's Why Women Over 30 Should Pay Attention

Creatine, a naturally occurring compound made from three amino acids, has moved beyond the gym to offer surprising benefits for women's health, particularly in preserving muscle mass, supporting bone density, and enhancing cognitive function as they age. While long associated with bodybuilders, emerging research reveals that women—especially those approaching or past menopause—may benefit from creatine supplementation combined with resistance training to combat age-related muscle and bone loss.

What Is Creatine and Where Does It Come From?

Creatine is a natural substance produced in your liver, kidneys, and pancreas. "Creatine is a natural substance produced in the liver, kidneys, and pancreas," explains Dr. Nneoma Oparaji, a board-certified internist and telemedicine physician with Teladoc. It's made up of three amino acids: glycine, L-arginine, and S-adenosyl-L-methionine. Your body stores up to 95% of creatine in your muscles, where it helps them contract and recover by supporting the production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), a molecule that provides energy for cells.

You can get small amounts of creatine from animal-based foods. "Creatine is naturally found in animal-based proteins—specifically meat and fish," says Jordan Langhough, a registered dietitian based in Chapin, South Carolina. "There are no plant-based sources of creatine." However, your body can synthesize creatine from plant-based foods like soy.

The foods highest in natural creatine include:

• Beef: One of the richest dietary sources of creatine among red meats
• Fish varieties: Cod, herring, salmon, and tuna all contain significant amounts of creatine
• Pork: Another animal protein with meaningful creatine content

If you're not getting enough from food alone, supplements—typically sold as powders, tablets, and capsules—can raise your creatine stores to support short bursts of energy and aid in muscle recovery.

Why Should Women Care About Creatine After Age 30?

Beginning at age 30, women lose up to 5% of their muscle mass per decade and begin losing bone mass faster than it is rebuilt. These changes can make everyday activities harder and increase your risk of falls and injuries. This is where creatine becomes particularly relevant for women's long-term health.

"In addition to increasing muscle mass, creatine can help improve exercise performance, bone structure, and cognition," says Dr. Oparaji. "These perks may be especially valuable post-menopause, when shifts in hormone levels affect women's muscles, bones, and cognition".

The research on creatine's impact for aging women is compelling. One study found that postmenopausal women who took a daily creatine supplement and performed total-body resistance training three times a week lost significantly less bone mineral density than those who only exercised. Additionally, research shows that among older women at risk of age-related muscle loss, those who took a creatine supplement and did resistance training had significantly higher strength gains than those who exercised without taking the supplement.

Can Creatine Really Boost Your Brain and Mood?

Small amounts of creatine are found in the brain, and emerging research suggests the compound may affect cognitive function in meaningful ways. A 2024 research analysis found that people who took a daily creatine supplement—ranging from 2.2 to 20 grams—experienced significant improvements in memory, attention, and processing speed. Notably, the boosts were more pronounced in women than men.

Beyond memory, creatine in the brain seems to play a role in regulating mood. Research shows that creatine supplements, when combined with either antidepressant drugs or cognitive behavioral therapy, help decrease symptoms of depression. Other research suggests that creatine supplementation improves cognitive performance and speed during periods of stress.

For older women specifically, the cognitive benefits appear even stronger. One study found that when people 60 and older consumed 0.95 grams of creatine daily, they performed significantly better on cognitive tests. Other research shows that creatine may boost short-term memory and reasoning in older adults.

How Does Creatine Actually Work in Your Muscles?

Creatine works on a biological level in two main ways. First, it helps your body generate ATP, the molecule that creates a steady supply of energy for a wide variety of functions. "In this way, creatine supplementation supports the body's natural energy system," says Langhough. Second, creatine helps muscles produce energy more efficiently by providing a steady supply of ATP, making it easier to lift heavier weights and perform more reps.

With more readily available energy, women can often perform more reps, lift slightly heavier weights, and recover better between sets. This typically leads to increased strength and better muscle tone. Research shows that creatine may increase high-intensity exercise performance because when you lift heavy weights, run fast, and jump high, your muscles burn through more ATP. If there is more creatine available to replenish those stores, your muscles will have more power to perform.

One important note: creatine won't turn you into a bodybuilder. Women naturally have much lower testosterone levels than men, which places a natural limit on how much muscle they can build. But that doesn't mean the strength gains aren't real or valuable for functional fitness—your ability to perform everyday activities.

What About Safety and Kidney Health?

There has been some concern that creatine can negatively affect the kidneys, but research has found that creatine supplements do not affect kidney function in healthy people. However, more research is needed to determine how it might affect someone long-term with kidney disease. It's also important to note that creatine is sometimes mistaken for an anabolic steroid, but they work very differently. Steroids are a synthetic version of the hormone testosterone and directly increase muscle protein synthesis. Creatine, on the other hand, is a natural compound that indirectly increases muscle mass by helping maintain a continuous energy supply during exercise and increasing anabolic hormones that contribute to growth and tissue repair.

Before starting any new supplement, especially if you have a chronic health condition or take medications, it's wise to talk with your doctor about whether creatine is right for you.