Creatine offers menopause benefits, study finds

Creatine supplements could help with brain fog and poor sleep in perimenopausal and menopausal women, according to new research.

Creatine is a naturally occurring compound that supplies energy to muscles.

It is widely used by people who exercise, with research showing it can increase strength, improve recovery and support brain health.

Researchers at St. Olaf College in Minnesota ran the study with five perimenopausal and 10 postmenopausal women.

Participants took 5g of creatine a day and completed two total-body strength training sessions each week during the trial.

The small study of 15 women found improvements in sleep quality, body composition, cognitive function, oestrogen levels and muscle strength after 14 weeks of daily creatine alongside strength training.

The supplement, most often sold as creatine monohydrate powder or tablets, is among the most widely researched nutritional products.

Professor Emeritus Trevor McMorris has suggested in separate work that creatine benefits appear when the body experiences stress, such as insomnia or brain fog linked to perimenopause, and that higher doses may help counter these effects.

Despite possible benefits, creatine can cause side effects including weight gain from water retention, nausea, diarrhoea, vomiting and excessive sweating.

Harvard Health advises taking three to five grams daily, adding that higher doses do not improve outcomes and may place extra strain on the kidneys.