Creatine in women, seniors and teens

Creatine is not reserved for young men who do weight training. After menopause and after 60, it adds a little muscle and strength when combined with weight training; taken alone for two years, it changes nothing, and bone density does not budge. In young women, the lean mass gain is much smaller than in men. In teens, a few small trials are positive, but safety remains very little studied. Here is what twenty-one studies measure.

This article discusses who benefits from it. For the weight gain of the first few days, there is Creatine: water or muscle?; for the kidneys, hair, and other fears, the dangers of creatine.

In women: it works, but less than in men?

A 2021 review dedicated to women points out a starting baseline: women have creatine stores 70 to 80% lower than men. In premenopausal women, creatine appears to improve strength and physical performance.

The oldest trial goes in this direction. In 19 young women followed over ten weeks of weight training, creatine (20 g per day for 4 days, then 5 g) increased maximum strength by 20 to 25% more than the placebo, and fat-free mass by 60% more. The gains were maintained during ten weeks of training cessation, with a small dose of creatine.

But the 2022 meta-analysis, on 35 trials and 1,192 people, sees a clear difference between the sexes: +1.46 kg of lean mass in men, +0.29 kg in women, a gain that is not significant. With weight training, all sexes combined, the gain rises to 1.10 kg, regardless of age.

And the menstrual cycle?

In 30 moderately active women, a loading phase of 20 g per day (4 × 5 g) for five days did not change weight, regardless of the cycle phase. Taken during the second half of the cycle (the luteal phase), it nevertheless increased body water by 0.83 liters. In 39 active women, the same loading phase changed nothing regarding recovery measured by heart rate variability, but it reduced fatigue on repeated sprints, especially in the phase where hormones are high (−5.8% versus +0.1% under placebo).

After menopause: muscle yes, bone no

A 2026 meta-analysis brings together seven trials and 608 postmenopausal women, with an average age of 62. Creatine brought them a small but real gain: +0.37 kg of lean mass and +7.5 kg on the leg press on a one-repetition maximum. The gain was clearer at 5 g per day or more, combined with weight training. Adverse effects were mild, and as frequent as with the placebo.

On bone, however, this meta-analysis finds nothing. In 200 postmenopausal women with osteopenia, two years at 3 g per day, without an exercise program, changed nothing in bone density, nor for that matter in lean mass or muscle function. In 237 postmenopausal women who exercised, two years of creatine also did not change bone density; however, they preserved the geometry of the femoral neck, linked to its strength, and slightly shortened the 80-meter walk (from 48.6 to 47.1 seconds).

In 60 vulnerable elderly women, the most telling trial: twenty-four weeks of creatine alone, placebo, or each with weight training. Only the creatine and weight training group gained significantly more strength (+19.9% on the leg press, +10% on the bench press) and a little more arm and leg muscle (+1.31%). Bone mass did not budge in any group.

After 60, men and women

Four meta-analyses point in the same direction. The one from 2014, on 357 people with an average age of 64, finds more fat-free mass, more strength in the bench press and leg press, and a better 30-second chair stand test than with weight training alone, without a change in fat mass. The one from 2017, on 22 trials and 721 people, puts the gain in lean mass at 1.37 kg more than with weight training alone.

The most recent one, in 2025 (8 trials, 482 people), confirms an effect on leg strength and lean mass, small in size (0.29 and 0.27 in standardized difference), but not on upper body strength overall. And a meta-analysis on how to take it shows that creatine taken only on training days is enough to increase lean mass and strength compared to the placebo.

What it does not do: a meta-analysis of five trials (193 people) finds no effect on bone density, at the whole body, hip, femoral neck, or spine. And in 27 older individuals doing weight training, twelve weeks of creatine added nothing to inflammation or insulin resistance.

And in teenagers?

Trials in adolescents are small, but mostly positive. In 20 young soccer players with an average age of 16.6 years, seven days at 3 × 10 g per day improved a dribbling test (from 13.0 to 10.2 seconds), a sprint (from 2.7 to 2.2 seconds) and vertical jump (from 49.2 to 55.1 cm), with no change in endurance. In 19 elite soccer players aged 17, a low dose (0.03 g per kilo per day for 14 days) increased peak and mean power. In 20 young swimmers aged 16.4, four weeks improved a 30-second swim bench test, but not pool sprinting.

The 2021 review on children and adolescents concludes that trials in young athletes generally show performance gains and no adverse effects, while judging the evidence to be limited.

In summary

The studied doses and precautions are on the creatine supplement page. And since everything relies on training, the workout generator offers you a program according to your level, and the 1RM calculator helps you track your strength.

Every figure in this article comes from a study you can open: the underlined mentions lead to the summary of the work it is taken from, written from the abstract alone. Informative content, which does not replace the advice of a healthcare professional.