Vireo Systems has announced the publication of a pivotal new study exploring the use of creatine hydrochloride (HCl) in women navigating the menopause transition.
The research found that creatine HCl appears to be a safe and effective strategy for alleviating common menopause symptoms, including cognitive decline, fatigue and mood disturbances.
The randomised, double-blind study of 36 perimenopausal and menopausal women was published in the Journal of the American Nutrition Association.
The researchers compared low-dose (750 mg/day) and medium-dose (1500 mg/day) creatine HCl (CrHCl), a combination of CrHCl + creatine ethyl ester (CEE) and placebo during an eight-week period.
Key findings
Low-dose CrHCL (750 mg/day) significantly improved alertness, executive control, processing speed and reaction times.
The low-dose also led to the largest increase in brain creatine levels across nine of thirteen brain regions, including frontal grey and white matter
Medium-dose CrHCL (1500 mg/day) enhanced reaction times and reduced mood swings and concentration difficulties.
CrHCL-CEE (800 mg/day) alleviated anxiety and improved alertness.
Medium-dose CrHCL and CrHCL-CEE also elevated brain creatine concentrations, but to a lesser extent than the low-dose.
No significant changes were observed in the placebo group.
All interventions were well-tolerated, with no serious adverse effects or weight gain reported.
"For decades, creatine research has centred on creatine monohydrate and on men."
"This study marks a major shift, highlighting benefits for menopausal women and looking at a more bioavailable form of creatine – Creatine HCl," said Mark Faulkner, founder and CEO of Vireo Systems.
"This is significant because creatine is the most important, foundational supplement people can take because it is the rate-limiting molecule for all cellular energy in the body and women often need more supplementation of this compound than men because their bodies store less."
Vireo is planning follow-up studies on women and other health indications.
The findings of this study open the door to new applications of creatine in women's health, supporting both mind and body through one of life's most significant biological transitions and to continued research into the unique benefits of creatine for women's health.