3396: Is Diet or Lifestyle Change More Important to Improve Your Physical Fitness and Creatine Supplementation for Women

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[00:00:58] It's another Q&A edition of Optimal Health Daily, and I'm Dr. Neal Malik. Hey there, happy Friday, and welcome to another Q&A edition of Optimal Health Daily, where I answer your health questions related to fitness, diet and nutrition, and lots more. You send in the questions, and I answer them for you. Now, if you want to know more about me and my background and my credentials, once a month, usually the first Q&A of the month, I go into more details about all of that stuff.

[00:01:28] Now, today's Q&A actually features two questions. Sometimes I'll respond to more than one question when my answers are sort of brief. So with that, let's get right to today's two questions as we optimize your life.

[00:01:48] Hello, Dr. Neil. I was just wondering if you would talk about the difference between dieting and lifestyle change as far as fitness is concerned, and the use of supplementation, and when it would be required, or even if it is required for certain people. Thank you. Appreciate it. Thank you so much for taking the time to send in your audio question, Tom.

[00:02:17] You know, I talk so much about lifestyle on this show, but I don't think I've ever taken the time to truly define what lifestyle means. So I really appreciate you asking about this. Think of lifestyle as just another word for habit. If we were to look up the word lifestyle in a standard dictionary, it would say something like, lifestyle, noun, the typical way of life of an individual group or culture. Now, as you can tell, this definition isn't all that helpful.

[00:02:46] If, though, we were to look up the definition in a sociology textbook, we get much closer to the meaning that I discuss on this show. The living conditions, habits, and behaviors that are typical to that person. Now, like the word lifestyle, the word diet has many meanings too. I'll give you some examples. If someone were to say to me, I'm going to go on a diet, this makes me think that what they're about to do is going to be temporary.

[00:03:16] Now, if someone were to tell me, I follow a vegetarian diet, that's very different. This doesn't sound as short term. It sounds more like a lifestyle. So it's really all about the context. Now, of course, I would ask follow-up questions to get a better sense of what they mean and whether these statements imply something different altogether. Okay, so where does that leave us? Basically, a diet could be a lifestyle.

[00:03:45] If a person is following a vegetarian or Mediterranean or high-fiber diet most of the time, and that's their usual eating pattern, then I would say it's probably a lifestyle. But if someone is planning on changing their eating pattern temporarily, like to lose weight, for example, then I wouldn't classify this as a lifestyle. Now, Tom, you also asked about supplementation. Like, is supplementation necessary when physical activity is part of your lifestyle?

[00:04:14] Or to put it another way, if regular physical activity is a habit, do you need to supplement? Well, it's hard to say without more information. The American College of Sports Medicine says that for most adults without pre-existing conditions, supplementing is not necessary. But let's say someone has dietary restrictions or has difficulty absorbing certain nutrients, then supplementation might be needed in those cases.

[00:04:42] It's always best to discuss supplementation with your healthcare provider. If someone were to take dietary supplements regularly, though, and it's a habit, then yes, I would say that's part of their lifestyle. And now, the second question. Hi, my question is regarding creatine. I have read and watched a lot of videos regarding creatine, but most of them have been by men,

[00:05:10] and I was wondering whether creatine affects women differently or does it have the same effect that it has on men. Thank you so much for taking the time to send in your audio questions, Stephanie. You're absolutely right. The majority of information about the effects of creatine have been performed on men. Luckily, I was able to find a meta-analysis that looked at the effects of creatine supplementation

[00:05:37] on those that were identified as women at birth. Now, I should explain what a meta-analysis is. A meta-analysis is basically a way to look at a bunch of previously published studies all at once. This is actually considered the gold standard in research. It's a great way to summarize the results of previously published studies, which makes it really, really powerful. Now, before I get to the results of this meta-analysis, I should first mention what creatine does.

[00:06:07] Creatine has been shown, mostly in men, as you mentioned, Stephanie, to improve athletic performance during short-burst, high-intensity activities. These activities would be things like resistance training, sprinting, jumping, and so on. Better performance during these types of activities may lead to more muscle growth, which is why creatine may help build muscle. Okay, so does this happen among women too? Well, according to the results of this meta-analysis,

[00:06:38] yes. Creatine seems to help improve athletic performance during short-burst, high-intensity activities like the ones I just mentioned in women too. Now, among post-menopausal women specifically, creatine supplementation may be even more helpful. This is because creatine supplementation has been found to improve bone mineral density in post-menopausal women specifically. Now, this is important because after menopause,

[00:07:07] hormonal changes lead to weaker bones in most women. So, supplementing with creatine could be beneficial. Now, I have to mention that when it comes to supplementation, there are three very important things to keep in mind. One, check with your healthcare provider before taking any supplement. This is because you may be taking another supplement or medication that could interfere with creatine metabolism or vice versa. Or, based on your health history,

[00:07:37] creatine supplementation may not be a good idea. For example, those with pre-existing kidney or liver disease may do more harm to these organs by supplementing with creatine. Secondly, if your doctor does approve of supplementing, be sure to find a quality supplement. What I mean by that is, find a supplement that's relatively free of impurities. In fact, about 30% of the supplements sold contain potentially harmful substances

[00:08:06] like anabolic steroids and amphetamines. So, to help you find a supplement that's relatively free of these impurities, look for the symbols USP or NSF on the actual supplement packaging. Another great resource is consumerlab.com. Accessing Consumer Lab's database isn't free. So, if you choose to visit that site, please know that you will have to pay a small fee to access their database. Now, if you're a college student,

[00:08:36] your school may actually already have a subscription to Consumer Lab. But if you're not a member of Consumer Lab, luckily it's not too expensive for a yearly subscription. And finally, three, be sure to follow up with your healthcare provider about dosing instructions. So, if they agree it's okay to supplement and you found a quality supplement that's relatively free of impurities, ask your healthcare provider about dosing. Does your healthcare provider recommend that you follow the dosing instructions on the packaging?

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[00:10:06] Come experience the kind of stillness that stays with you long after you leave. Plan your Scottish escape today at expedia.com slash visit Scotland. Thank you again so much for the questions, Tom and Stephanie. Now, if you want your question answered right here on the show, send one in. You can email one to health at oldpodcast.com. Now, if you want to send one in via audio, just like today's listeners did,

[00:10:35] come by oldpodcast.com slash ask to record right from your computer. Or, you can do it the old-fashioned way and call in your question. The number is 61-ILOVE-OHD. Alright, that wraps up another Q&A edition of Optimal Health Daily. Thank you so much for listening every day. Thank you for listening all the way through. I hope you have a great start to your weekend, and I'll see you back here tomorrow where your optimal life awaits.