I took creatine for 2 months - here's what surprised me

It’s all over social media but does the hype hold up? What does the science actually say? I took creatine for 2 months, and did not expect this one benefit

Apr 01, 2025

I have a confession: I used to think creatine was just for bodybuilders. The guys grunting at the gym, chugging protein shakes, and flexing in the mirror.

But after diving into the research—which I’m sharing with you today—I decided to give it a try. Over the last year, I tested a few different types (y’all know how picky I am!), expecting the usual cited benefits: better workouts, faster recovery, sharper cognition, and memory.

But what surprised me? The impact on my mood.

I was noticeably happier, and I could not explain it…. until this article came out, and I put two and two together 🤯.

So today, I’m breaking it all down: what creatine is, what the benefits are, best practices, and the biggest myths floating around.

What is creatine?

Creatine is a naturally occurring compound found in small amounts in animal-based foods like meat and fish. Our bodies also produce it in the liver, kidneys, and pancreas, storing most of it in our muscles - this declines with age, hence why creatine supplementation may be particularly beneficial as we get older.

Its main job? Helping produce ATP—the body’s energy currency—when we are ready to spring into action.

In simple terms, creatine helps our cells generate more ATP (energy), which gets used up when we exercise - and that's why it’s a game-changer for strength training and recovery.

Why are we seeing research suggesting creatine can have benefits for our brain, bones, and even fertility?

These organs use and require a lot of ATP, so it’s no surprise that boosting creatine levels may help support cognitive function, bone health, and potentially even reproductive health!

If you are a skim reader, here’s a quick summary of benefits (and if you want to dig into the studies & pitfalls/myths, keep reading).

Benefits of Creatine Supplementation

Good evidence:

✅ Muscle strength – may prevent sarcopenia (loss of muscle mass) and supports muscle strength when combined with resistance training. Muscle mass and strength are important for so many reasons - better blood sugar control, metabolic health, brain health, preventing frailty, and much more.
✅ Supports Bone Health – may help maintain bone density when combined with resistance training.1
(P.S. Don’t expect results just by taking creatine alone - pair it with exercise!)
✅ Improves Brain Function – may enhance memory and cognitive clarity.2 This study also showed a single dose of 0.35g/kg body weight after sleep deprivation helped with cognitive performance.3

Preliminary evidence (more studies needed):

Supports healthy mood - This is the benefit I wasn’t expecting… but both preclinical and clinical studies have shown it could be a helpful adjunct to conventional depression treatments (I’m not saying come off your anti-depressants, however, it could help anti-depressants work better - it’s important to talk to your doctor if you have depression and don’t act on the information here alone).4

Knee Osteoarthritis - when combined with resistance training.5
Fertility - its safety has not been shown in pregnancy yet - however, some preliminary research suggests it could be beneficial in both male and female fertility.6
Cardiovascular health - A recent study showed it had a positive impact on arterial stiffness and atherosclerosis in older men.7

But wait! Doesn’t creatine lead to:

Hair loss?
Weight gain?
And kidney damage?

Let’s take a look at what the science says, shall we? 👩🏻‍🏫

1. Creatine makes you lose hair

This myth stems from a single study that showed an increase in DHT (a type of testosterone linked to hair loss) in rugby players after supplementing with creatine for 3 weeks. But let’s put this in perspective: the DHT still stayed within normal ranges. And this study did NOT even look at hair loss! People who propogated this myth assumed that a small increase in DHT led to hair loss, when it was not demonstrated - i.e. there is NO evidence that creatine makes you lose your hair - this is why you should ALWAYS find the original research when you read things online - more often than not, studies are taken out of context.

2. Creatine makes you gain weight & bloat

If you’ve heard that creatine causes water retention, you’re not wrong—but it’s not the kind that makes you feel puffy or bloated like menstrual water retention.

The extra water is stored inside your muscles, not under your skin - so it can make you look more toned.8 In fact, increasing hydration in the muscle is one of the ways it can help us with our workouts.

And if you notice the scale creeping up? That’s likely temporary water weight from your muscles holding more fluid, which typically settles after the initial loading phase.

Tip: Ditch the “scale obsession” and focus on strength and body composition instead. More muscle mass might mean a higher number on the scale, but that’s a good thing—one that fosters our independence and benefits our metabolic health as we get older.

Weight Gain & Creatine

✔️ Expect a temporary 2-5 lb increase in water weight within the first week or two of supplementation - but this is again, not a ‘bad’ thing - most of us are under-hydrated.
✔️ Any additional weight gain is from fat-free mass (muscle), not fat, assuming no major dietary changes.9

So while creatine might nudge the scale up a bit at first, it’s not causing unwanted fat gain—just better hydrated, stronger muscles - which actually helps your muscles produce more ATP - a desirable effect.

Bloating from creatine is usually linked to the higher 10-20g daily doses, which are often used by people training intensely—something that can take a toll on gut health. So it is the creatine? Or is it damaged gut health from over-training? We don’t know! Personally, I had zero bloating with this one at 5g/day, but if you do, you can cut that dose even further down to 2.5g and see how you go.

3. Creatine is bad for your kidneys

Multiple long-term studies have shown creatine is safe for kidney health in healthy adults. Creatine is excreted naturally by the kidneys, but supplementation has not been linked to kidney damage when taken at recommended doses like 3-5/day.

Minor, temporary elevations in serum creatinine (a lab measure of kidney function) may sometimes be observed, but these may not be indicative of actual kidney damage, as creatinine levels can rise as a result of increased muscle breakdown or metabolism from strenuous strength training, often paired with creatine consumption - rather than impaired kidney function.

Be sure to stay on top of your hydration game to help your kidneys - not just for creatine, but optimal hydration can help prevent injuries, mental clarity, detoxification, and so much more.

If you have pre-existing kidney conditions or health conditions, I suggest consulting with your doctor before supplementation, but I could find no evidence that kidney damage is a concern at normal, 3-5g/day doses.

Know a friend who believes these myths? This post is public so feel free to share it.

Which products do I use?

I tried a few until I stumbled on this one (30% off via my commissionable link) which has given me the most noticeable results.

I love that this product includes D-ribose and Taurine, both of which support ATP production—especially helpful for plant-forward folks like me, since Taurine can be lower in a plant-based diet. It also happens to be the best-tasting creatine I’ve tried, and I love how pure the creatine monohydrate is —purity can be a real concern in creatine supplements.

I take my creatine every morning shortly after my breakfast, and about 30 minutes before I work out, I’ll have a coffee with high flavanol cocoa powder (code:platefulhealth) + protein. As we get older, protein becomes very important for preserving muscle mass, and I found I just couldn’t get enough from food alone.

Now, both my husband and I take protein and creatine daily—and it’s the only plant-based protein powder he hasn’t found completely revolting (which says a lot!) that’s also Prop 65 compliant for heavy metals (important for me given how widespread protein powders can be contaminated).

Two protein smoothies topped with coconut flakes next to a container of protein powder.

How do I take it?

I personally take 5g/day, and not the huge loading doses bodybuilders take.

With the 5g/day daily dosing, I will have built up an optimal ‘store’ in my body after 28 days, and I prefer this more gentle approach, although some of the studies on cognitive and mood health use higher doses.

If you want, you can take it 1.5-2 hours before exercise to ensure there is a maximal blood level while you are exercising, but you don’t have to - it’s more or less something you take consistently to build up the body store rather than a one-hit wonder. Taking it with carbs can also help it get into the muscles.

If I’m jet-lagged, I will take more - 10g for that one or two days, to help me with my cognition along with some rodiola to support my heightened stress response from circadian disruption.

Do you take creatine? Have you noticed any benefits? Let me know in the comments! ⬇️