Creatine Monohydrate: Safe For Pregnant Women?

Creatine is a compound found in foods derived from animal protein, such as meat, fish, and dairy. It is also produced by the body and used by cells to help produce energy. During pregnancy, creatine is transferred from the mother to the baby through the placenta.

While there is limited research on creatine supplementation during pregnancy, studies suggest that it may be beneficial for both mother and baby. Creatine has been shown to improve cognitive function and is believed to have antioxidant properties. It may also play a role in preventing malnutrition during pregnancy, as evidence suggests that many pregnant women do not consume enough creatine.

A review of existing literature found no evidence of death or serious adverse outcomes associated with creatine monohydrate supplementation in females. However, more research is needed to determine the optimal level of creatine during pregnancy and whether supplementation provides additional benefits beyond a balanced diet.

Creatine is naturally produced by the body and found in some foods

Creatine is a naturally occurring compound that contains the three essential amino acids arginine, glycine, and methionine. It is produced and stored in muscle cells and plays an important role in recycling adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the main energy source that fuels muscle contractions.

Creatine is a carninutrient, which means it is only available to adults through animal foodstuffs. It is estimated that human creatine levels were higher in Paleolithic times than today because humans mostly ate animal-based food. The original paleo diet was rich in creatine.

Creatine is found in foods derived from animal protein, mainly meat, fish, and dairy. It is also found in some foods suitable for vegetarians, such as milk, cheese, and eggs, although in smaller amounts.

For vegans, there are no natural food sources of creatine. However, vegans can still encourage creatine synthesis by eating foods containing the amino acids arginine, glycine, and methionine. These include:

• Pumpkin seeds
• Sesame seeds
• White beans
• Walnuts
• Almonds
• Watercress
• Spirulina
• Seaweed
• Spinach

There is no evidence of death or serious adverse events from creatine consumption

Creatine is a compound found in animal protein, such as meat, fish, and dairy. It is used by cells to produce energy and is also a common nutritional supplement used to enhance exercise performance. While the use of creatine in human pregnancy is yet to be fully evaluated, its long-term use in healthy adults appears to be safe.

A review of the literature for non-pregnant women found no evidence of death or serious adverse events due to creatine consumption. The review examined data from 951 females aged 16 to 67 years who were treated with creatine for up to a year in clinical trial settings. The team also assessed the mother's and offspring's well-being from more than 15 years of data in pre-clinical studies and found no adverse effects of supplementing the mother's diet with creatine during pregnancy.

In addition, there were no known side effects from taking creatine during pregnancy, according to a research scientist with a decade of experience studying creatine in maternal and child health. Creatine is naturally found in our diet and produced by the body, and any excess creatine is successfully eliminated by our kidneys without causing problems.

Creatine may be beneficial for the fetus and newborn

Creatine supplementation during pregnancy may also provide neuroprotective benefits for the fetus and newborn. Animal studies have shown that creatine can protect the fetal brain, diaphragm, and kidney from hypoxic insult, which can lead to brain injury due to a lack of oxygen. Furthermore, creatine supplementation may help prevent or attenuate fetal and neonatal brain injury by acting as a multi-organ protectant. It can stabilise lipid membranes, interact with glutamate and GABAA receptors to reduce excitotoxicity, and improve cerebral vascular function.

Creatine supplementation during pregnancy could also benefit the placenta, which has high energy demands. The placenta is a key source of free radicals of oxygen and nitrogen, and creatine's antioxidant actions could help neutralise these. Additionally, creatine may be beneficial for the endometrium, which uses creatine to produce energy during embryo implantation.

Creatine has neuroprotective effects

Creatine is a nitrogen-containing compound that is endogenously produced and synthesized in the human body from reactions involving the dispensable amino acids arginine and glycine and the indispensable amino acid methionine in a two-step process primarily in the liver and brain [1, 2]. Alternatively, creatine can be exogenously consumed through habitual dietary sources such as red meat and seafood or through the ingestion of commercially manufactured creatine. Almost the entirety of creatine supplementation is in the form of creatine monohydrate, which is the most effective and bioavailable form of creatine for increasing plasma creatine levels, tissue creatine content (i.e., brain, muscle), and performance outcome measures.

There is some evidence that creatine supplementation can improve cognition and memory, especially in older adults or during times of metabolic stress (i.e., sleep deprivation). For example, in healthy elderly participants (16 male; 16 female; aged 68–85 years), improvements in memory (forward number recall, backward and forward spatial recall, and long-term memory) were found following creatine supplementation (20 g/day for 7 days). In contrast, supplementation with creatine (0.03 g/kg/day; ~ 2.2 g/day) for 6 weeks in young adults (6 men and 5 women; aged 21.0 ± 2.1 years) did not improve components of cognitive processing (code substitution, logical reason, math processing, running memory, memory recall). The contrasting findings reported in these clinical studies may be associated with differences in age and the daily dose of creatine which substantially differed between studies (20 vs 2.2 g/day).

Creatine has shown promise for improving health outcome measures associated with muscular dystrophy, traumatic brain injury (including concussions in children), depression, and anxiety. However, whether any sex- or age-related differences exist in regard to creatine and indices of brain health and function is relatively unknown.

Creatine may help prevent malnutrition during pregnancy

Creatine is a natural substance produced by the body and found in muscles, where it is stored as energy. It is also present in some foods like red meat and fish. Research suggests creatine plays a vital role in energy production for various tissues, including those crucial for pregnancy.

Creatine's potential benefits for pregnancy

Prevent malnutrition

Evidence shows that 6 out of 10 pregnant women (57.2%) consume creatine below the recommended quantities for an adult female, indicating a possible risk of creatine malnutrition in this population.

Energy production

Creatine might enhance energy production in the placenta, the developing baby, and the uterus' muscle layer (myometrium), which plays a critical role in labour.

Fetal development

Early research suggests creatine may be essential for a healthy growing baby.

There is robust and conclusive evidence that creatine is safe for non-pregnant women. During pregnancy, there have been no reports of adverse effects associated with creatine supplementation, nor have any issues been observed in comprehensive animal studies.

Creatine's role in reproduction and pregnancy

Creatine is crucial for placental energy metabolism and fetal growth. Studies highlight the importance of creatine in supplementing a mother's diet during pregnancy, which might improve the health of both mother and baby.

Creatine's safety profile

Creatine Monohydrate (CrM) is a dietary supplement used to enhance athletic performance and as a potential drug to modify neurodegenerative diseases or musculoskeletal disorders. Its safety profile has mostly been studied in males. However, a recent systematic review found no mortality or serious adverse events associated with creatine supplementation in women, indicating that creatine appears safe for women when recommended doses are followed.

Creatine's benefits for mother and baby

Creatine supplementation could potentially enhance and stabilise fluctuating placental and pregnancy energy requirements, leading to healthier mothers and babies.

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