5 Reasons Women 50+ Should Start Taking Creatine

Your supplements should always be personalized to your needs and goals. One that likely deserves a spot in yours—especially for women in their 50s or nearing menopause—is creatine. 

While creatine is best known as a supplement, it's also a compound that the body produces on its own from the amino acids arginine, glycine, and methionine. That creatine is then used by the body or stored in the muscles (or even in the brain1) until it's ready to be used for physical and mental tasks that require quick energy.* 

However, this internal production of creatine gradually decreases with age. What's more, women's creatine stores are about 70-80% 2lower than men's (on average) to begin with. Add aging to the mix and you're likely falling short of optimal creatine status—even if you're eating a high-protein diet. 

Possibly creatine's most notable benefit is its ability to increase muscle mass and size3 when paired with strength training. And this holds true for women after menopause2.

After menopause, muscle mass tends to decrease and fat mass (especially belly fat) increases—in part due to changing sex hormone levels. While most women really will experience slight weight gain during this time, it is possible to counter it.    

Adding resistance training to your weekly routine, eating enough protein, and taking creatine regularly is a solid plan to start building lean mass.* 

And the more lean mass you build, the more your body composition improves. Body composition refers to the amount of lean versus fat mass—and it's often considered a better indicator of health than weight alone. 

During peri- and postmenopause, many women find themselves to be a little more forgetful and lose their train of thought in the middle of a conversation than they once were.

While most of the body's creatine is stored and used by the muscle, a small amount is found in the brain, where it is crucial for supporting cellular metabolism and energy production.*

Creatine supplements are a convenient way to reach the research-backed amount of the compound (3-5 grams daily), which is hard to reach through the diet alone. 

mindbodygreen's creatine+ is a great, clean choice: It only provides the desirable creatine monohydrate at an ideal 5-gram dose and the amino acid taurine (which further supports longevity, muscle, and mental well-being).*