Q: Do I need to take supplements like creatine, collagen, or magnesium after 40?
A: Nobody ever needs to take a supplements. Supplements, are well, supplemental, or additional. However, most women will benefit from all 3 of the above supplements, and the benefits are usually greater with age. Here is a quick breakdown of the benefits, what they will not do, and dosing.
Creatine
What it does: creatine helps with all “high energy” tissues and processes in your body – your heart, muscles, bones, brain, etc.
What it does not do: build large or bulky muscles, or rapidly accelerate muscle growth. Back in the 90’s creatine was marketed to teenage boys on the promise of huge muscles, but the reality was that the benefits were slight. It will allow you to work slightly harder, and that slight boost will speed up your results slightly. So, it does something, but only illegal steroids deliver rapid, extreme changes in muscles… and, maybe the newly approved myostatin inhibitors.
Benefits:
- Immediate benefits: improved cognitive function, sleep quality
- Medium term benefits: further improvements on the above
- Unexpected benefit: animal studies show it helps accelerate bone & wound healing, as well as reducing concussion recovery time.
Down sides: the only downside is that, if you are a responder (it delivers any benefit to you), you will gain a few pounds. 1-3 pounds most of the time. This is not fat, but water retained in your muscle and other cells because the increase in creatine requires more water in those cells. Water is heavy.
Dosage: usually 5-10g/day. You can get unflavored (but mix it with something), or flavored. Plain creatine monohydrate. This is our favorite flavored mix.
Collagen:
What it does: especially BioCell collagen, improves skin appearance and reduces arthritis symptoms.
What it does not do: support muscle recovery. Meaning it does not. Collagen scores a 0 on a 0-100 scale for protein quality because it is missing an essential amino acid.
Benefits
- Skin: Hydrolyzed collagen improves the hydration and elasticity of the dermis (layer under the skin you see), and BioCell adds reduction in fine lines and wrinkles.
- Joints: reduces osteoarthritis pain and symptoms. BioCell works faster.
Downsides: the downside is price. While creatine is a super cheap commodity, the most effective formulations of collagen are not. We think this one is a very good value.
Dosage:
- Biocell: 1-2 grams per da
- Hydrolyzed collagen: 10 grams per day for skin and joints.
Magnesium:
What it does: helps with sleep – both getting to sleep and staying asleep.
What it does not do: treat anxiety, nor is it absorbed through the skin.
Benefits: sleep, and sleep helps everything.
- Sleep: it helps people, especially women, get to sleep and stay asleep.
- Muscle cramps/spasms: anecdotally, magnesium is often quite helpful for female clients that get recurring nighttime muscle cramps/spasms. (I do have to say that randomized controlled trials have not shown consistent benefit for leg cramps at night.)
Downsides: nothing really comes to mind… it’s cheap, safe… perhaps one thing to be aware of is that most women find it relaxing, so if you have had an exhausting day try to take it close to bed time (60-ish minutes), or you might be so relaxed that you fall asleep on the couch.
Dosage: start with about 200mg magnesium glycinate. Do not exceed 400.
- Glycinate is well absorbed and tends to be easy on the digestive system (not a laxative).
- Magnesium citrate works for sleep, and can also act as a laxative, which can be a good thing or a bad thing.
Disclaimer: This blog post is for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Please consult a doctor before starting any new supplements. Always seek the advice of a qualified professional with any questions you may have regarding a specific situation. Reliance on any information provided is solely at your own risk.