Creatine supplement safe for women

A common nutritional supplement, creatine, has been deemed safe for women of all ages following a large review of pre-existing research studies involving women.

The answers provided by the review could pave the way for future clinical trials testing creatine as a pregnancy supplement, to support the development of healthy babies.

What is creatine?

Creatine is an essential part of healthy development, at a cellular level. It supplies and helps to renew energy for our cells. Half our daily creatine requirement comes from fish, meat and dairy products. Our bodies make the other half naturally. During pregnancy, creatine is transferred from mother to baby through the placenta.

Creatine is also a common nutritional supplement used to enhance exercise and athletic performance. It’s safety profile has mostly been studied in males.

Safety of creatine for women during pregnancy

Hudson Institute researchers have previously found, in a preclinical model, that supplementing the mother’s diet during pregnancy improved the likelihood of having a healthy baby at birth.

This discovery suggests a creatine nutritional supplement could be beneficial for a healthy pregnancy and baby.

Dr Stacey Ellery, the leader of creatine research program, said, “Our pre-clinical trials indicate that creatine supplementation may be beneficial in pregnancy. With this safety review, our team are confident of trialing it as an additional supplement in pregnancy.”

Midwife and PhD student, Deborah de Guingand, the first author of the systematic review published in the journal Nutrients, said the study bridged a gap in the knowledge of creatine’s safety profile.

Studies show creatine safe for women

Creatine Monohydrate (CrM) is a dietary supplement routinely used to enhance athletic performance, and as a potential drug to modify neurodegenerative disease or musculo-skeletal disorders, including Huntington’s disease and some muscular dystrophies. It became a popular sports supplement after it was first reported to increase the total creatine content in the skeletal muscle of men. There is a lack of current safety data in females, despite up to 65 per cent of female athletes using exercise supplements such as this.

The purpose of the systematic review was to report the number of adverse outcomes – events and effects – in women taking oral creatine supplements. This included deaths, life-threatening events requiring hospitalisation, disability, side effects and other unwanted effects such as weight gain.

The systematic review identified 656 studies involving creatine supplementation as the primary intervention. Fifty-eight – nine per cent – were female-only studies. Only 34 reviews have addressed the safety of this supplement.

“We found no mortality or serious adverse events associated with creatine supplementation in women, which agrees with previous safety reviews in male or mixed sex populations,” Mrs de Guingand said. “This provides reassurance that creatine as a dietary supplement appears safe for women when the recommended doses are followed.”