Move Over Protein, Make Way For Creatine

As a keen gym-goer, I’ve recently seen a shift in people talking less about the importance of protein in your diet, and more about the importance of creatine.

Creatine is amino acids (glycine and arginine) and amino acids are the building blocks that make up protein. Roughly half the body’s creatine stores come from food sources, namely red meat and shellfish. The rest is made in the kidney and liver. 

Creatine supplies energy to the working muscles and the brain. Some like to take additional creatine through supplementation due to the found positive impacts of increased strength and therefore performance within chosen sports. 

It can be overwhelming to know where to start, so we’re sharing some of the creatine products we’ve tried recently and some commentary about the benefits:

Products

Novomins Creatine Gummies

Novomins is setting a new standard with the launch of their latest product: Creatine Monohydrate Gummies — a game-changing innovation that’s set to revolutionise the market. Each 3-gummy serving delivers over 5 grams of pure creatine monohydrate, independently lab-verified to ensure unmatched quality and potency.

Creatine monohydrate has the ability to enhance the body’s capacity to rapidly produce energy during high-intensity exercise, helping to increase strength, endurance and muscle mass. It’s also shown to accelerate recovery and support lean muscle development when paired with resistance training.

But the benefits go beyond physical performance. Creatine monohydrate also fuels brain cells, supporting mental clarity, memory and cognitive performance, particularly in vegetarians since meat is the richest natural source of creatine. 

With 5g of clinically studied creatine monohydrate per serving, Novomins Creatine Monohydrate Gummies offer a convenient, enjoyable way to unlock the full benefits of this powerhouse supplement, all with the peace of mind that comes from verified quality and potency.

Novomins Creatine Monohydrate Gummies are available on novomins.com for just £19.99.

Free Soul

Leading female-focused wellbeing brand, Free Soul continues to redefine performance nutrition for women with the launch of its Creatine Collection, created specifically with females in mind. Combining science backed formulas with beauty and wellbeing benefits, the range features three unique products. Designed to energise, empower and elevate women through all life stages each product has their own targeted formulas delivering specific benefits:

• CreaGlow – A revolutionary 3 in 1 blend targeting hair care, improved skin hydration and an enhanced glow in just 12 weeks. RRP: 34.99
• HydraCreatine- All the performance benefits of Creatine Pure, optimised for hydration needs, hormonal balance & endurance. RRP: £24.99  
• Creatine Pure – 100% creatine monohydrate designed for high performance, recovery and cognitive focus. RRP: £7.99

Warrior’s Creatine+ Range 

The range combines premium creatine with targeted functional ingredients, making supplementation simple, effective, and great-tasting:

• Creatine+ Electrolytes (RRP £14.95) – supports hydration and performance
• Creatine+ EAAs (RRP £14.95) – aids muscle growth and recovery
• Creatine+ Collagen (RRP £14.95) – promotes joint and tissue health
• Creatine+ Vitamins (RRP £14.95) – helps maintain energy and wellbeing

Warrior® also offers the Creatine Protein Bar (RRP £11.99), delivering 5g of creatine in a convenient and great-tasting snack format — ideal for on-the-go performance support.

Commentary

Dr Linia Patel, Women’s Health Dietitian & Performance Nutritionist at Pure Sports Medicine:

What’s behind creatine’s rise in popularity, especially among women?

Creatine has been reported as one of the most used sports supplements. As a Performance Nutritionist with over 15 years of experience I have been recommending creatine as an ergogenic aid to be used to improve strength and exercise performance in high intensity, short duration activities or repeated bouts of high intensity activity. However, in the last few years, there has been some interesting research showing that creatine benefits extend to brain health, energy levels, bone density and muscle retention. In detail the research implies:

• Creatine supplementation among pre-menopausal females is effective in improving strength and exercise performance.
• Clinical evidence indicates positive effects from creatine supplementation on mood and cognition for perimenopausal women.
• Post-menopausal women may experience benefits in muscle size and favourable effects in bone health when combined with resistance training.

Can creatine support hormone health?

While the direct link between oestrogen and creatine in the female body is not well-established, we know that the decreasing levels of oestrogen in the perimenopausal women have an influence on muscle mass, fluid balance, bone health and hormonal interactions which may directly impact creatine metabolism meaning perimenopausal women have even lower amounts, which in turn is why we are seeing such positive results with this population group when they are supplemented with it.

Are there any ingredients or nutrients that work well alongside creatine for enhanced results?

• Thought to work well with carbs – but this is more in a sports setting.
• Important to drink enough water so your kidneys are supported.
• Caution that creatine can interact with certain medications, including those that affect kidney function, such as NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) or certain diuretics. Always check with a healthcare provider if you’re taking medications.
• As always with supplements, it’s important to remember there are no magic bullets. It’s important to get the lifestyle pillars right as a start – hydrate, manage blood sugar levels, eat in balance, exercise regularly, manage stress levels and spend enough time in bed. If you want to dabble with a supplement like creatine during the perimenopause you can give it a go – however it is always best to do this with a women’s healthcare professional who can personalise recommendations based on your specific needs and goals.

Dr Linia Patel, Women’s Health Dietitian & Performance Nutritionist Phd, Msc, Bsc, Bsc, IOC Dip at Pure Sports Medicine is an award-winning Dietitian and Performance Nutritionist. Her other specialisms include Women’s Health, Bone Health, Osteoporosis, Weight Management, Performance Nutrition and Gastro-Intestinal Disorders.

Dr. Richard Allison, Nutritionist for global health and wellness company Herbalife, is keen to shed light on how creatine can play a beneficial role in healthy aging, female health, and even cognitive performance, alongside his top tips for taking it:

• “There’s a perception that creatine is only really used by bodybuilders or for sports performance, but it has a wide range of benefits and can support healthy aging and female health.

• “It can be beneficial for healthy ageing as it increases muscle function in ageing individuals especially when combined with resistance training, such as lifting weights. Creatine can also support female health as it can help women maintain muscle health, regulate glycogen levels, and reduce oxidative stress.

• “Creatine supplementation can also enhance cognitive performance, particularly in tasks requiring short-term memory and mental processing, especially under stress or sleep deprivation.

• “The way creatine works is that it’s a non-protein amino acid which helps supply energy to your muscles in a natural way. While it can be found in meat and fish, these sources typically provide only small amounts of creatine, which is where supplementation can make a difference.

• “A daily intake of 3g of creatine is ideal for short-term, high-intensity activities helping increase physical performance in successive bursts. It’s typically consumed as a fine powder which can be added to protein shakes or water. Herbalife’s Creatine+ product is a great way to boost your overall fitness performance and wellbeing.”

Herbalife offers creatine designed by sports nutrition experts, to enhance performance, support energy production and benefit brain function. For more about the product, visit https://www.herbalife.com/en-gb/u/products/herbalife24-creatine-228g-488k

Creatine Benefits, Written by Jess Hillard, Sports Nutritionist at Warrior

Supplementing with creatine for gym goals:

• When supplementing with Creatine, you are increasing the levels of Phosphocreatine in the body. This helps the body to produce more of the highest energy molecule, adenosine-triphosphate (ATP). ATP is the molecule used for high power, e.g. weightlifting and high power sports. More ATP = more energy to the working muscles. This ATP-PC system usually lasts about 10 seconds, so that first initial power lift. However, when supplementing, this increases the amount of time we can use this energy system for. Creatine is widely researched and is seen to increased muscular strength and therefore muscle growth, helping us lift heavier weights and hit more PB’s in the gym.  

Creatine and weight loss: 

• Creatine may be your friend when it comes to PB’s in the gym but it is not for weight loss, as such. Creatine draws water into cells which creates water retention in the body. This will increase “weight” on the scales. However this temporary and usually only for the first few weeks of taking it. It is important to note that weight gain during this period is not fat gain, which is why focusing on scales can be so dangerous. While using creatine you’ll be becoming stronger and growing muscles so while weight will be increasing, this will predominantly be water and even muscle mass, but fat % tends to decrease! Don’t focus on the scales all the time!  

What products to choose:

• There are so many creatine supplements to choose from when supplementing. The most common is in the form of creatine monohydrate. Most common is powders which you can add to water. Warrior have many options to choose from with flavoured and plain Creatine powders. They have also just brought out their new Creatine Protein bar which can be a good snack if you need to get your creatine in while on a high protein diet, before exercise.  

How to take creatine:

• The best way shown through research to supplement with creatine is through loading and maintenance. Loading up with creatine ensures you are increasing levels within the muscles. The loading phase consists of taking 20g of creatine per day, for 5-7 days. This should be spread out throughout the day as morning, lunch and then either before or after your workout.  
• Maintenance of supplementing can stay at roughly 3-5g per day. This is shown to best be taken after your workout. It has also been shown that mixing creatine with a protein such as in a protein shake or having it alongside a protein bar, can help with creatine saturation within the muscles, helping to transport nutrients to the muscles at an increased rate.