Tuesday, 9:12 p.m. Your phone buzzes with a link and three exclamation marks. Your mother, 58, has read that creatine "may do more than build muscle", and she wants to know whether she can quit the gym.

The story she sent describes a Texas A&M University trial published in August. Researchers gave 64 adults aged 45 to 65 either creatine or a dummy powder for 12 weeks. Forty of them were women, which is rare in a field built mostly on young men.

Her question has a better answer than the headline. Creatine helped a little on its own. It helped most in people who lifted weights while eating less, exactly when muscle tends to slip away. If someone you love is dieting after 45, the scoop belongs next to the dumbbells.

Who took creatine What changed in 12 weeks
No gym, usual meals About 1 kg more lean tissue, and stronger leg and chest presses
Weights plus lighter eating Body fat fell about 3 points, against about 2 without creatine
Both groups Some memory scores improved, an early signal only

Does creatine work without exercise?

Somewhat. Without the gym, the creatine group gained about a kilogram of lean tissue, roughly a bag of sugar. On the scanner, lean tissue means everything that isn't fat or bone. Creatine draws water into muscle, so part of that kilo is water.

The strength gains are harder to explain away. Those volunteers pushed more weight on the leg press and the bench press by week 12, without a single training session.

The bigger result came from people who trained three times a week and ate 300 to 500 fewer calories a day. Dieting usually strips muscle along with fat. With creatine, their lean tissue grew instead.

"Your father says it's for bodybuilders"

He is about two centuries late. A French chemist, Michel Eugène Chevreul, found creatine in meat extract in 1832 and named it after the Greek word for meat. Your body makes its own every day, and a salmon fillet tops it up.

Research on women is finally catching up. On 24 October, a University of North Carolina team studied perimenopausal women who took creatine while lifting. They slept on a steadier schedule and logged fewer days of feeling overheated. Only 18 women took the real powder, and the authors call the findings exploratory. Your mother will forward it to her book club anyway.

How much creatine should you take after 45?

The Texas team used 10 grams a day, split into a morning and an evening scoop. Canadian labels follow Health Canada's guidance of 3 to 5 grams a day for adults who do resistance training. The bigger dose was chosen partly to test the brain, so nobody knows yet whether she needs double the label.

Start where the label says. A plain, unflavoured powder vanishes into morning coffee and costs less than the coffee.

Regenerlife Creatine Monohydrate unflavoured 300 g tub

Regenerlife Creatine Monohydrate (Unflavoured, 300 g), $22.69

One ingredient from Natural Factors in British Columbia, and about 60 mornings at a 5 g scoop. Pair it with the weights, which is where the label and the trial agree.

Shop now

You type back: yes to the scoop, no to quitting the gym. Three dots appear, then a photo of her old running shoes by the door.

This article is general information and does not replace advice from your doctor or pharmacist.

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Frequently asked questions

Will creatine affect my blood tests?

Sometimes. In the Texas trial, blood creatinine, a waste product doctors use to judge kidney function, rose slightly with creatine. Tell your doctor you take it before bloodwork. Health Canada's guidance says to check with a practitioner first if you have a kidney disorder.

Can I take creatine while pregnant or breastfeeding?

Health Canada's creatine guidance tells pregnant and breastfeeding women to consult a health care practitioner first, and limits use to adults 18 and over. Labels must also warn that you may gain weight, mostly water held inside working muscle.

Who paid for the Texas A&M creatine study?

The WoodNext Foundation funded it through the Texas A&M Foundation. The creatine came from Alzchem, a German manufacturer, and the dummy powder was maltodextrin. The trial was registered in advance as ISRCTN83081058, and the full paper is free to read.

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