What You Need to Know about Creatine.
As the new year kicks into full gear, many of us are still focused on our resolutions and intentions to improve health and well-being. Chances are, you've been bombarded with promotions for gym memberships, coaching programs, and supplements you must add to your routine to help you crush your fitness goals.
One supplement that likely caught your attention is CREATINE—and for good reason. Creatine is one of the most well-researched compounds, consistently delivering proven benefits for strength, muscle mass, and recovery across all populations. In today’s newsletter (Part One), I’ll break down what creatine is and how it supports physical strength and power. Next week, we’ll dive into its amazing benefits for brain health, bone density, and mood regulation.
What is Creatine?
Creatine is a naturally occurring compound found primarily in skeletal muscle, cardiac muscle, and the brain. It plays a vital role in the production of ATP (adenosine triphosphate), the body’s primary source of cellular energy. ATP is especially crucial during short bursts of high-intensity activities, like sprinting or strength training.
Creatine is made from three amino acids: arginine, glycine, and methionine. These amino acids combine to form creatine, which is then transported through the bloodstream to your muscles, where it’s stored and used for energy. The body naturally produces about 1g of creatine daily, primarily in the liver, kidneys, and pancreas. However, the amount your body produces may not be enough to maximize performance, especially during intense exercise.
Fun Fact: If you’ve had your annual blood work done, you might have seen a lab value for creatinine. It’s important to note that creatinine is a by-product of muscle tissue breakdown and is excreted through the kidneys, while creatine is used by muscles to fuel performance.
How Does Creatine Help?
Support for Muscular Strength and Power
Creatine is renowned for boosting strength, power, and performance, especially during high-intensity, short-duration exercises. Both men and women can benefit from creatine's ability to increase ATP availability, giving muscles more energy for contractions. This makes creatine particularly effective for activities like strength training, sprinting, or any other intense, explosive movement.
Improved Muscle Mass
Creatine is also a powerful ally in building lean muscle mass, which is key for maintaining a healthy metabolism and overall body composition. While it’s common to associate creatine with bodybuilding, it’s important to know that it doesn’t necessarily cause excessive muscle size. Instead, it promotes muscle quality—helping muscles perform better and recover faster.
Women, in particular, may worry that creatine will make them "bulky," but it’s unlikely. Instead, creatine supports strength training and resistance workouts by increasing muscle quality, which enhances both strength and performance.
Enhanced Recovery
Creatine isn’t just about performance; it also plays a role in recovery. By reducing muscle damage and inflammation, creatine can help speed up recovery after intense exercise—especially important for women, who may experience slower recovery due to differences in muscle fiber type, hormones, and recovery strategies.
Note: While both men and women can benefit from creatine, women typically store about 70% of the creatine that men can. They also consume 20-40% less creatine from food sources, which is why supplementation may be particularly useful.
If you’re wondering how much creatine you’re already getting from food, here’s a breakdown of creatine content in common protein sources (per 6-ounce serving):
Beef (Red Meat): 2–3 grams
Pork: 1.5–2 grams
Herring: 3–4 grams
Salmon: 1–1.5 grams
Chicken: 1 gram
Lamb: 1.5–2 grams
Turkey: 1.5–2 grams
Venison (Game Meat): 2–3 grams
Bison: 2–3 grams
As you can see, certain types of meat—especially red meat and fish—are great sources of creatine. However, the average person might not get enough through diet alone, especially if they don’t eat meat regularly, or are vegetarian.
When it comes to choosing a creatine supplement, Creatine Monohydrate is the most well-researched, effective, and cost-efficient option. The version to look for is CreaPure, which is ultrapure, colorless, and odorless.
Creatine Monohydrate consistently delivers the best results in terms of improving strength, muscle mass, and recovery. It's the most affordable and widely available form of creatine without fillers or additives.
To see optimal results, creatine should be taken daily. It’s best mixed with water or a non-caffeinated beverage (as caffeine can reduce its effectiveness).
Recommended Dosage:
3–5 grams per day is a typical dose for most individuals.
Many women I've worked with find that starting with 3 grams can sometimes cause gastrointestinal discomfort (bloating, nausea, or constipation). If you’re one of those women, I recommend starting with a smaller dose—around 1–2 grams per day—and gradually increasing it to allow your body to adjust. Even at lower doses, studies have shown that muscle creatine levels will saturate over time.
Creatine is one of the simplest, most effective ways to support your overall health and fitness goals—whether you’re aiming to improve strength, build lean muscle, or recover more efficiently. Next week, we’ll dive deeper into how creatine can support brain health, bone density, and even your mood!
As always, if you have any questions or want personalized recommendations,
feel free to book a discovery call by following the link below.
I'm Lisa Thompson, a Functional Nutritionist (FNTP) and I'd like to guide you on a journey to optimal health by providing education, support, accountability, motivation and inspiration. Using a holistic approach, I look deeply at how all of our inter-dependent systems work uniquely, and specifically in each of us- keeping in mind the bigger picture and LIFESTYLE choices that impact our well-being. For instance: how and when we eat, whether we get good sleep, what role exercise plays in our life, and how community, friends, family and belief systems impact our health and vitality.
I am currently taking new clients at this time and would love to work with you.
Email me: lisa@lisamarlenethompson.com