Creatine has a reputation of being a supplement built for serious athletes and bodybuilders. When it’s mentioned, an unrelatable image comes to mind: a man opening a giant tub of white powder, adding it to his shaker bottle before diving into his latest weight routine. But lately, the supplement’s become fodder for discussions surrounding women’s health, too, particularly for those who are in perimenopause or menopause.
With that in mind, Needed, the women-specific nutritional supplement brand, formulated its newest launch to fill gaps women often face, rather than simply slapping a pink label on the average gym-goer’s drink additive.
Currently, creatine is one of the most studied supplements in nutrition, but much of that research has focused solely on men. Needed points to the more than 4,500 published creatine studies, only four percent of which focus exclusively on women. And while the supplement has become increasingly popular among women interested in strength training and healthy aging, there’s still little research looking specifically at women in general, and even less that includes women during perimenopause.
The launch is part of a broader shift in the supplement world that’s been a long time coming: Brands are starting to question the age-old practice of assuming women are simply men in different body shapes. Our bodies are built completely differently, function differently, and have unique needs. (In fact, the lack of female-specific medical research is the driving force behind Katie’s new documentary, HORMONAL!.)
That distinction matters to Needed, founded by two mothers and trained nutritionists who built their business around supplements for different stages of women’s lives. Its lineup includes a prenatal multivitamin, omega-3, collagen protein, and egg-quality support.
Women’s creatine is a somewhat unexpected addition to that lineup — and maybe that's what makes it interesting. Creatine has been marketed for years as a way to get stronger and faster. Needed knows that’s not the only reason to take it, though. Not all women are trying to become bodybuilders, but they do want to maintain muscle, support their energy levels, and be more intentional about how they age.
