Creatine is an amino acid that is made in the liver, pancreas, and kidneys. It helps to supply energy to cells throughout the body. We can also get creatine from certain foods like meat and seafood.
Many people supplement with creatine to improve athletic performance, as research suggests it might enhance muscle building and reduce soreness.
Recent studies have even shown a potential benefit of creatine for skin health. Continue reading this article to understand how creatine may improve skin.
How does creatine help skin?
Creatine is naturally found in our skin and it is important for the function of our skin cells. Our body’s production of creatine declines as we age, which is why it’s important to make sure we are getting enough from our diets and/or supplements.
Some studies claim that creatine can help reduce wrinkles, increase skin firmness, protect the skin from UV damage, and help with the overall youthful appearance of the skin in general.
What’s more, creatine also plays a role in the production of collagen, which is important for skin health a well.
Creatine may help reduce the signs of ageing by supporting and improving skin health in the following ways
Creatine protects skin from UV exposure
Creatine may help repair ageing skin cells as it can protect the skin from UV exposure.
It may reduce DNA damage in the skin caused from UV light (1).
As we age, skin cell metabolism is reduced, which causes the appearance of aged and damaged skin.
However, creatine helps to recharge skin cells and boost skin cell metabolism, thereby protecting the skin from harmful effects of UV damage and other factors that cause stress on skin cells (2).
Creatine helps to create new skin cells
Creatine also plays a role in generating new skin cells.
Creatine improves skin turnover, thereby helping to continuously replenishing skin with new, healthy skin cells.
It is believed that the increase in skin cell turnover can therefore increase skin elasticity and reduce signs of hyper-pigmentation (1).
Creatine may help to keep skin hydrated
Another anti-ageing property of creatine is its ability to increase our cells’ hydration status.
Some signs of ageing skin result from a reduction in intracellular water, however, creatine may help to improve this.
Creatine may help to increase our total body water, which can explain how skin can appear more hydrated and glowing with the addition of creatine (5).
However, it’s important to understand that there is minimal research on how creatine can impact skin hydration, so more research is needed.
Creatine may reduce wrinkles and increases firmness
Creatine can also help the appearance of skin as well by reducing wrinkles and increasing firmness. It may even help boost collagen synthesis.
Creatine is an active ingredient in certain skin care products as well due to its role in the prevention of human skin aging.
Research shows that when creatinine is applied topically to skin, collagen synthesis is stimulated and skin appears firmer (3, 4).
Plus, studies also show a reduction in wrinkles and skin roughness when supplementing with creatine (1).
How to integrate creatine into your routine?
First of all, it’s important to know that creatine has been extensively researched and is a safe supplement to consume for healthy people (6, 7).
Although there is no one best time to take creatine, absorption may be improved if you take it with a meal.
Creatine supplements are found in powder form and can be dissolved in any beverage such as water, juice, milk, or even a smoothie.
Adding about 5 grams of creatine to your daily routine is a great way to ensure you are not only meeting your body’s needs and boosting athletic performance, but may allow you to reap the benefits of improved skin health as well.
Try the following smoothie recipe with nutrient-dense ingredients that can help boost the health of your skin:
Glowing Skin Mango Smoothie
Ingredients:
- ½ cup frozen mango
- ½ cup frozen strawberries
- 1-2 handfuls of spinach
- 1 scoop of creatine monohydrate
- 2 tbsp. ground flax seeds or flax oil
- ½ cup Greek yogurt or 2 scoops of Naked Whey
- 1 cup of soy milk
Directions: Blend all ingredients together. Enjoy!
