Does creatine supplementation contribute to hair loss in healthy young men?
Overview
- What did they test? In this study, researchers tested the effect of creatine supplementation on androgen levels and hair loss in healthy young men. The participants were randomly assigned to take 5 grams of creatine per day or a placebo for 12 weeks, and their total testosterone, free testosterone, dihydrotestosterone, and hair follicle growth were assessed in response to the intervention.
- What did they find? There were no significant changes in any markers of hair growth or DHT levels following the intervention. There was a significant increase in total testosterone and free testosterone over the intervention study period, but these changes were not different between groups.
- What does it mean for you? A large and growing body of research has shown that supplementing with creatine can improve body composition, exercise performance, and cognitive function. However, there have been concerns about potential hair loss with creatine supplementation. The findings of this study counter some of the concerns and provide evidence that creatine supplementation does not impact hair loss.
What’s The Problem?
Creatine is one of the most well-studied nutritional supplements, and a large body of research has shown benefits of creatine use on strength, body composition, running performance, and cognitive function 1 2.
While creatine has proven to have an excellent safety profile with minimal side effects, there has been concern that creatine supplementation may contribute to hair loss, possibly due to increasing dihydrotestosterone levels (DHT) 3.
A study published in 2009 showed a 56% rise in DHT in young rugby players given 25 grams of creatine for 7 days and DHT levels stayed 40% higher than baseline after 14 additional days of supplementation at a 5-gram dose 3.
Since then, no follow-up studies have examined the effect of creatine supplementation on hair loss. It is unknown whether increases in DHT would occur at a lower creatine dose or with a longer duration of supplementation, or whether the increase in DHT will impact actual hair loss.
