Creatine hair loss explained as study exposes truth about popular supplement
While most of us would probably admit we want to live a healthier lifestyle, it can feel like a minefield when trying to improve your health.
Whether you're changing your diet, shaking up your exercise routine or looking into supplements to enhance your lifestyle, the internet is awash with conflicting advice that can make you want to give up altogether.
One supplement which is routinely recommended by health and fitness professionals is creatine, which can be taken to help support muscle growth and aid recovery, as well as a growing number of benefits on brain health and even a reduction in cancer risks.
It is one of the most researched and science-backed supplements in the world, and scientists are still unlocking more health benefits, but despite it being a natural energy source found in red meat, fish and poultry and even produced by our own bodies, there are a lot of myths surrounding the supplement.
What is creatine?
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"Creatine is non-protein amino acid found mostly in red meat and seafood. 95 percent of creatine is found in skeletal muscle where it is needed for muscular contraction," Dr Deborah Lee, from Dr Fox Online Pharmacy, told LADbible.
"Creatine is important for glycogen storage in muscles. Glucose is stored in muscle as glycogen. Glycogen is a quick-release source of energy as it can be rapidly converted back into glucose for muscular activity.
"Creatine is broken down daily in the body, and stores need to be replenished. Some of this comes from the diet, and the rest is synthesised in the liver, kidneys and pancreas.
"Athletes may need a higher intake of creatine to support their training and muscle repair/recover."
The belief that creatine causes hair loss
You might've heard one of the lads down at the gym attributing his receding hairline to his supplement routine or stumbled across a video on TikTok of someone claiming their hair loss had sped up since taking creatine.
It's a notion that has been peddled a lot in recent years, but where does it come from and crucially, is there any science to back it up?
Well, the idea that creatine can cause hair loss dates back to a small study from 2009, published in the Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine, where researchers followed a team of rugby players who took creatine supplements for three weeks.
The results found that the players had around 50 percent higher levels of a hormone called dihydrotestosterone (DHT).
Higher levels of DHT, which is made from testosterone, are associated with hair loss but that doesn't mean we can conclusively say that creatine leads to hair loss.
There are several issues with the study, for example it involved 20 people so significantly bigger studies would be needed and there's no direct link as correlation doesn't equate to causation.
Since then, a lot of research has been done on the topic and many creatine users will be very happy to know that no evidence was found linking the supplement to hair loss.
New research on creatine and hair loss
The latest, most comprehensive study was published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition in March, and directly assessed hair follicle health while supplementing creatine in the first of its kind study.
Researchers followed 45 men who do resistance training weekly, between the ages of 18 and 40, and gave them either creatine monohydrate or a placebo.
The men were asked to continue their daily routines as normal for 12 weeks and researchers took blood tests to measure total testosterone, free testosterone, and DHT.
They also assessed hair follicle health using the Trichogram test and the FotoFinder system to measure hair density, follicular unit count, and cumulative hair thickness.
The results? Of the 38 men who completed the study, they found no significant differences between the creatine group and the placebo group.
So there you have it, you can confidently supplement your creatine levels while sleeping easy at night knowing your locks are safe - at least for now.
Emma Rosemurgey