Protein vs. Creatine: What's the Difference?

Lifestyle |
8 min read

Written By

Emma Caplan-Fisher

Published

November 02, 2026

Medically reviewed by

Alyssa Dweck MS, MD, FACOG, MSCP, Chief Medical Officer

If everyday tasks like carrying groceries or climbing stairs feel a bit more difficult than they used to, you're not alone. The menopause transition can be a time when bone and muscle loss happen at their fastest rate;¹ where lean muscle loss can speed up to about 1.5 pounds per year during perimenopause.²

Understanding what nutrients can best support your body during this time can help you make more informed choices about how to navigate potential menopause muscle loss. Keep reading to learn more about protein vs. creatine, two common supplemental nutrients looked to support muscle, and how each may support your muscle health during menopause and beyond.

Why Muscle Health Matters During the Menopause Transition

During perimenopause, declining hormone levels, more specifically estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone, can contribute to strength and muscle mass loss.³

This impacts more than how strong you feel at the gym. That's because age-related loss of muscle mass, strength, and physical function (known medically as sarcopenia) can reduce mobility, raise the risk of falls and fractures, and worsen frailty.⁴

What is Protein?

Protein is a nutrient made of chains of smaller units, called amino acids. Your body relies on protein from your diet to help repair cells and create new ones.⁵

Protein can help you maintain your muscles, and not getting enough may put you more at risk to lose muscle as you get older.⁶ Foods with protein include chicken, seafood, red meat, beans and peas, eggs, soy products, nuts, and seeds.⁷

Protein Benefits for Muscle Health

Research suggests dietary protein plays an important role in preserving muscle mass and supporting bone health as you age.⁸

In a study of women aged 60–75 experiencing age-related muscle loss, those who followed a moderately higher-protein diet, specifically1.2 grams per kilogram of body weight per day for 12 weeks, saw improvements in their muscle composition, grip strength, and knee strength compared with women eating a standard amount (0.8 grams per kilogram).⁹

How Much Protein You May Need

The recommended dietary allowance (RDA) of protein, or the amount set to prevent deficiency in an average less active adult, is 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight, as reported by the Mayo Clinic.¹⁰

But the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030, set a higher goal of 1.2–1.6 grams per kilogram of body weight per day, adjusted based on individual calorie needs.¹¹ This suggested intake has been debated, , including by the American Society for Nutrition, which noted more research is needed to better understand how protein intakes in the suggested higher range apply to different groups.¹²

Your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian or nutritionist can help you determine a target amount that best suits your health needs.

What Is Creatine?

Creatine is a compound your body makes from three amino acids created in the liver, kidneys, and pancreas; you also can obtain it from foods like seafood and red meat.¹³ Most creatine is stored in muscles, with smaller amounts found in the brain. Your body utilizes much of its creatine supplies to make energy quickly during fast bursts of activity.¹⁴

Research is demonstrating that creatine supplementation may be especially relevant for women, mainly as studies have suggested that women may make about 20% less creatine than men and, on average, may take in 30–40% less creatine through food.¹⁵ In order to obtain the amounts needed to support health and wellness, supplementation may be helpful.

Creatine Benefits for Menopause Muscle Loss

Creatine may help with maintaining strength and muscle loss. A review of seven clinical trials involving more than 600 postmenopausal women reported that creatine, especially when taken at 5 grams or more per day, and when combined with strength training, was linked to small but meaningful gains in lean muscle and strength.¹⁶

There was no measurable effect in trials using 3 grams of creatine per day or less without strength training.¹⁷ The review also found no overall change in bone density, with only mild side effects observed, similar to those seen with a placebo, and no negatives changes liver function.¹⁸

Creatine Benefits for Brain Health

In addition to muscle health, early research suggests creatine may be helpful in supporting thinking skills and memory, particularly in older adults – more research is required in this space to determine the true benefits.¹⁹

Initial findings are encouraging. For example, an eight-week trial of 36 women in perimenopause and menopause, taking creating was tied to faster reaction time and higher creatine levels in the front of the brain, with a possible reduction in mood swing severity.²⁰ It’s important to keep in mind, that this was a small group. A 2025 review notes that limited research exists on creatine specifically in perimenopausal women – therefore more work needs to be done in this space to validate benefits.²¹

Key Differences Between Protein and Creatine

Protein and creatine are often discussed together due to their ability to support muscle health, but they don't play the same roles in your body. For example: ²²,²³,²⁴,²⁵,²⁶,²⁷

They do different jobs. Protein can help you maintain your muscles, while creatine can help your muscles create energy quickly during short bursts of activity, like lifting weights.
They come from different places. Protein comes from a wide variety of animal and plant foods, including eggs, chicken, seafood, red meat, beans, lentils, nuts, seeds, and soy. Creatine comes mainly from seafood and red meat, and a typical diet provides about 1–2 grams per day.
Their daily amounts differ. Dietary guidelines set a daily protein goal of 1.2–1.6 grams per kilogram of body weight. By comparison, postmenopausal women's research suggests creatine benefits appear at 5 grams or more per day.

Because the two are different substances and work differently, creatine isn't meant to replace getting enough protein from your meals.

How Strength Training Fits into Menopause Fitness

A review of 34 studies including more than 1,500 postmenopausal women reported that regular strength training was consistently linked to improvements in body composition, strength, and bone density.²⁸ In the studies that looked at protein, eating more of the nutrient didn't appear to add significant muscle or strength benefits when women were already getting at least 0.8 grams per kilogram per day.²⁹

A separate review also suggests strength training may help reduce bone and muscle loss during the menopause transition, though the authors noted current evidence comes from a small number of lower-quality studies.³⁰ Creatine's benefits in postmenopausal women were seen solely when it was combined with strength training.

For strength training women in midlife, this suggests protein and creatine may work best as partners to exercise, rather than replacements for it.

Protein and Creatine in Menopause: What to Try

As always, it’s important to talk with your healthcare provider first before incorporating any new supplements or changes to your dietary routine. Additionally you can consider taking these steps to incorporate protein and creatine into your routine, as they make sense for you, during the menopause transition: ³²^,³³^,³⁴^,³⁵

Choose a variety of protein-rich foods, such as eggs, poultry, seafood, beans, lentils, nuts, seeds, and soy, to help you work toward your daily protein goal.
Add regular strength training to your weekly routine to help support your muscle strength and bone density.
Talk to your healthcare provider before starting protein or creatine supplementing, especially if you experience kidney health concerns, to help make sure it's appropriate for you.
If you and your healthcare provider decide protein and/or creatine is right for you, choose a product that uses independent (third-party) testing to help support product quality.

Creatine Safety Considerations and Side Effects

When it comes to safety, at recommended doses, creatine taken orally appears to be safe for many people for up to five years.³⁶ Weight gain is a possible side effect of creatine.³⁷

Creatine, when taken at recommended amounts, hasn't been tied to kidney damage in studies of healthy adults, though far less is currently known about its effects if you have pre-existing kidney disease — a particularly important reason to check with your healthcare provider before supplementing with creatine.³⁸

Supporting an Active Lifestyle During Perimenopause and Beyond

If you're researching supplementing protein and creatine on your own, you're in good company. Bonafide's 2026 State of Menopause survey found 85% of women feel the best way to navigate perimenopause and menopause is to educate themselves.³⁹

For women looking to support healthy aging, current evidence seemingly points to a combined approach: enough protein from a variety of foods, regular strength training,⁴⁰ and, if your healthcare provider agrees, supplementing with creatine as a possible add-on that may offer strength benefits.⁴¹

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