Effects of Creatine and Resistance Training on Bone Health in Postmenopausal Women.

Study answer

What this study found

Creatine added to resistance training had a modest positive effect on bone health in postmenopausal women. Compared with placebo, creatine showed a greater preservative effect on femoral neck bone mineral density over 12 months (group-time interaction P < 0.05) and increased femoral shaft subperiosteal width (SPW) (P < 0.05). Other bone outcomes, including total hip, lumbar spine, whole body BMD, bone geometry at other sites, ultrasound measures, lean tissue mass, muscle thickness, and strength, did not differ meaningfully between groups. The intervention was reported to be safe, with no…

Study & population

Randomized, placebo-controlled trial in postmenopausal women in Canada enrolled in a supervised resistance-training program.

Intervention

Creatine monohydrate was given orally at 0.1 g/kg/day for 12 months, split as 0.05 g/kg before and after training sessions, or taken with two meals on nontraining days.

Key limitation

The analyzed creatine sample was small (n = 15 at 12 months), limiting precision and power.

View full study detailsView sourceOpen PDF

Original abstract