Does Creatine Cause Hair Loss?
Diego Cervo / EyeEmGetty Images
If you don’t take creatine yourself, you probably know someone who does. The sports supplement became popular after the 1992 Olympics, when British athletics star Linford Christie said it helped him train for his 100-meter gold medal. Almost 30 years later, it is still one of the most popular and studied workout supplements on the market. According to exercise physiologist Jose Antonio, PhD, of Nova Southeastern University, “Creatine has been the subject of more than 500 scientific studies. No other food or dietary supplement has so much data to back it up. ”
Yet creatine remains a perpetual target of rumors and misconceptions. Among the most powerful: this creatine causes hair loss. Research continues, but “the current body of evidence does not indicate that creatine causes hair loss or baldness,” says Dr. Antonio.
Why the myth of creatine and hair loss persists
The hair loss rumor comes from a single 2009 study in South Africa in which a group of college-aged rugby players took creatine every day for three weeks. The study showed a “statistically significant” increase in participants’ dihydrotestosterone (DHT) levels, the byproduct of testosterone that at high concentrations can shrink hair follicles, shorten the hair growth cycle, and thin out. the hair.
However, according to Dr Antonio – who, along with a team of internationally renowned researchers, reviewed the most common misconceptions about creatine Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition—None of the rugby players in the study experienced hair loss as a result of taking the supplement. Additionally, the people in the study who received the creatine started with baseline DHT levels of 23%. lower than the placebo group, and their measured increase in DHT “remained well within normal clinical limits.” In other words, their DHT levels started out low and they stayed low. “’Statistically significant’ is not the same as physiologically significant,” says Dr. Antonio.
Twelve other clinical trials have looked at the effects of creatine supplements on testosterone, and so far none have replicated the results of the South African study. Nonetheless, the study made its way to social media and the rumor of hair loss caused by creatine was born.
The good side of creatine
Creatine is simply an amino acid derivative. It helps create and store the phosphocreatine (Pcr) molecule, which muscles use to generate energy for low duration, high intensity exercise. Dr Antonio laments the bad reputation of creatine. “I’ve been taking it for 25 years,” he says. He cites studies showing that creatine can help improve memory and brain function and benefit patients with neuromuscular diseases, type II diabetes, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and traumatic brain injury. The supplement may even help limit the amount of damage caused by a concussion. Creatine may also work synergistically with exercise to slow or even reverse age-related muscle loss (sarcopenia).
What else to know about creatine
Creatine is not approved by the FDA as a drug, but it is designated GRAS (generally recognized as safe) by the Food and Drug Administration. If used correctly, creatine doesn’t have many side effects other than weight gain, although usually in the form of lean muscle mass.
A study in the International Journal of Sports Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism suggests that caffeine may make creatine less effective, although more research is needed. Leslie Bonci, dietitian for the Kansas City Chiefs, warns creatine may not work for everyone. Since creatine is a naturally occurring organic compound in most meats and fish, Bonci says creatine supplements may be more beneficial for vegetarians “who aren’t already getting creatine as part of their daily diet.”
Any man who is considering adding creatine to his diet should visit a reputable health food or vitamin and nutrition store, says MH dermatology advisor Adnan Nasir, MD. The supplement is available as a powder, tablet, energy bar, or drink mix. Find out how to buy an effective creatine supplement here. Men with underlying kidney disease should see their doctor before going home with a keg of powder. And stick to the recommended amount: usually 3 to 5 grams per day. Consuming 20 grams at a time won’t turn you into the Hulk overnight. Creatine is water soluble, which means that if you take too much of it, you’ll literally be flushing your money down the toilet. At least you can be pretty sure that creatine won’t make you find your hair around the shower drain.
This content is created and maintained by a third party, and uploaded to this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content on piano.io