The Study
A 2-yr Randomized Controlled Trial on Creatine Supplementation during Exercise for Postmenopausal Bone Health
This study is like a fair test where half the women took creatine and half took sugar pills, and everyone did the same exercise. It found that creatine helped keep some parts of the hip bone stronger, but didn't make the bones denser. We can say creatine probably helped with those specific changes, but we can't say it stops bones from breaking.
Analysis score
Maximum 90 for a randomized controlled trial.
Where the score came from
This study tested if taking creatine daily with exercise helps older women’s bones stay strong, even if their bone density doesn’t go up.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 572 / 100
Quality score
Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, minimizing bias. The gold standard for testing whether an intervention causes an effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Even without higher bone density, these geometric changes suggest bones may resist bending and breaking better — and walking faster reduces fall risk, which matters for fracture prevention.
- 2Creatine kept the femoral neck’s shape stronger (section modulus stayed high) and reduced buckling risk.
- 3Walking speed improved by 1.1 seconds over 80 meters.
- 4Bone density didn’t change.
- 5Lean mass increased only in those who took nearly all the pills.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise
Year
2023
Authors
P. Chilibeck, D. Candow, Julianne J Gordon, W. Duff, Riley S. Mason, Keely A. Shaw, R. Taylor-Gjevre, B. Nair, G. Zello
Related Content
Claims (8)
Taking creatine supplements along with resistance training leads to higher bone density in humans.
Postmenopausal women who take 0.14 grams of creatine per kilogram of body weight daily and complete two years of resistance training gain more lean tissue mass than those who do not, but this gain is not seen in all women who start the program because many do not finish it.
Taking creatine daily for two years along with strength training does not change bone density in the hip, spine, or femoral neck of postmenopausal women.
In postmenopausal women, taking creatine monohydrate daily for two years along with resistance training and walking results in stronger bone structure that resists bending and compression, even though the total amount of mineral in the bone does not increase.
Postmenopausal women who take 0.14 grams of creatine per kilogram of body weight daily for two years while doing resistance training walk 80 meters 1.1 seconds faster than before, regardless of whether their muscle strength changes.
Creatine monohydrate supplementation at 5g/day combined with resistance training increases lean body mass in postmenopausal women, but has no effect on bone mineral density or cognitive performance beyond minimal, inconsistent changes.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.