Creatine Woman

Will Creatine work for a women like it does for men?  And if it does, is creatine safe for women?

Creatine is a well know and widely researched supplement.  It has well over 100 peer-reviewed studies and both the short term and long term effects of creatine have been documented.  With millions of people using it with great results, it's not a surprise that it has become a foundation sports supplement.

But the majority of users have also been male.  One of the reasons for this trend is that many people perceive creatine to be a supplement that will build muscle and become 'muscle-bound.'

Over time, the male dominated trend of creatine use has slowly change to women using creatine for sports endeavors.

There is a study listed at the end of this article that examined twenty-six college female softball players and split them into two groups.  Each group was given an exercise regimen and each group took twenty grams of creatine for a one week period.

After the first week, the second group consumed three grams of creatine per day for two weeks, while the other group ingested three grams of a placebo substance for weeks three and four.

This double-blind study found that although isometric strength did not differ between groups, twenty grams of creatine drastically improved muscular torque and strength. The effects seen in females, however, were less than the effects seen in males on the same protocol.

Creatine isn't gender specific.  Men and women can obtain benefits from the supplement.  The perception that women who take creatine will somehow be big and bulky like men is simply a myth.  In fact, there's many other benefits to creatine then just brute strength and exercise benefits.  There's been some promising studies done on anti-aging and mental capacity as well.

Creatine woman.  Creatine man.  Regardless of your gender, you can benefit from this supplement.  The safety issues and potential side effects are the same for both genders.  Women can use creatine both safely and effectively.

But what about bloating?  Doesn't creatine make you retain water?  Maybe men don't care if they gain 5 lbs of water weight but most women might. 

Creatine will add some water weight to you as your cell volumize with water.  However, the bloating effects and such can be minimized by using certain brands of creatine, drinking plenty of fluids and using doses that are recommended.  Bloating is more of a problem with a particular brand of creatine then it's use in general.  The water weight that you may gain will be minimal.

SOURCE: Ayoama, R., Hiruma, E., Sasaki, H. Effects of creatine loading on muscular strength and endurance of female softball players. Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness. Vol. 43, No.4: 481-487, 2003.