The Surprising Reason This RD Recommends Creatine Supplements to Almost Everyone

If you had told me when I was a collegiate long-distance runner that, years later, I’d be taking creatine supplements, I would have laughed at you. While creatine had a reputation for being used to help weight lifters bulk up—the last thing I wanted—I now take Klean Athlete Klean Creatine every day and, as a registered, dietitian, recommend it to most of my friends and family, too.

Creatine is having a moment: recent research suggests it can offer surprising benefits related to brain health—I started taking it to help with my sleep-deprived, hormonal brain fog after having my second baby. I like that it helped me build muscle while losing fat (especially postpartum) and helped keep me injury-free when I returned to exercise after having a baby. Plus, studies suggest it may benefit bone and heart health, help with depression and anxiety, and could even have a role in preventing or treating Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease. 

Dietary supplements are minimally regulated by the FDA and may or may not be suitable for you. Please always speak with a healthcare provider first to discuss any supplements you plan on taking.

I add a scoop of Klean Athlete Klean Creatine to my coffee every morning. I love that it’s unflavored and dissolves easily, so I don’t even know it’s there. In fact, as a registered dietitian, I often recommend it to friends and family because most people don’t get a lot of creatine in their diet, especially if they don’t eat a lot of red meat. And contrary to my previous beliefs, women may especially benefit from taking creatine, as some research suggests it may play a role in healthy menstruation, pregnancy, postpartum, and menopause.  

The main reason I began taking creatine after the birth of my second child was the fact that creatine may help with brain function, specifically from sleep deprivation. Creatine helps offset brain fog, especially when you’re not getting enough sleep, which is exactly what I was experiencing. Sleep deprivation can affect your ability to think, process information, memory, which is not ideal for a busy, working mom. I started taking a 5-gram dose, the standard dose for most creatine supplements. I noticed a difference in my ability to focus and think more clearly, especially after I returned to work.

I chose Klean Athlete Klean Creatine because it is one of the top creatine supplements our nutrition editors here at Health recommend. In our testing, it didn’t have an aftertaste or flavor, and we found it to have a smooth texture (which I can confirm after using it daily for 10 months). As a nutrition editor who reviews supplements all day, I love that it’s NSF Certified for Sport. This means it’s been independently verified to be free of contaminants and has an accurate ingredient label.

Almost all creatine supplements use creatine monohydrate, the most widely studied form. While the science isn’t settled on how much creatine to take, or how long to take it for, a 5-gram dose per day can be a good place to start. Other creatine supplements worth trying include the following.