Creatine Hair Loss Myth BUSTED by New Study
45sDirectly challenges a popular fitness myth with new scientific evidence, sparking curiosity and debate.
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This video addresses the common myth that creatine causes hair loss, citing a new 12-week randomized controlled trial that found no significant differences in hair follicular health between creatine and placebo groups. The speaker explains the origins of the myth from an older rugby player study and clarifies that creatine's benefits are primarily related to cellular energy production, not anabolic steroid-like effects.
Chapters
[00:00]
New RCT refutes creatine hair loss myth
A 12-week randomized controlled trial examined hair follicular health using objective quantitative and qualitative assessments. Participants received either 5g creatine monohydrate or placebo daily, and no between-group statistical differences were found in testosterone, DHT, or eight hair follicular health parameters.
[00:41]
Origin of the myth: rugby player study
The myth stems from a mid-2000s study on rugby players who took a 20g/day loading phase for only 3 weeks. That study showed increased testosterone and DHT, but the speaker notes this is likely due to increased anabolic signaling from intense exercise, not creatine itself.
[01:17]
Creatine is not anabolic steroid
Creatine is not anabolic like steroids. It enhances cellular energy production in tissues like muscle, heart, and brain, which can lead to better workouts and improved hormonal signaling as a side benefit.
[01:51]
Mitigation for those predisposed to baldness
For those worried about DHT effects, options include topical ketoconazole shampoo (with 5-alpha reductase inhibitory effects) or oral 5-alpha reductase inhibitors like Propecia, though the latter has black box warnings and is not recommended.
[02:18]
Speaker's personal approach
The speaker personally uses ketoconazole shampoo to prevent genetically predisposed male pattern baldness, highlighting its localized 5-alpha reductase inhibition.
[02:30]
Bottom line: creatine is safe for hair
Creatine increases strength, and the concern that it exacerbates hair loss is unfounded. The new 12-week RCT confirms no statistically significant differences in hair follicle health between creatine and placebo.
The video concludes that creatine does not cause hair loss, backed by a recent 12-week RCT. The myth originated from a flawed interpretation of an older study, and creatine's benefits are primarily related to energy production, not hormonal changes.
Mentioned in this Video
Study Flashcards (6)
What did the new 12-week RCT find regarding creatine and hair loss?
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What did the new 12-week RCT find regarding creatine and hair loss?
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No statistically significant differences in hair follicular health between creatine and placebo groups.
What was the dose of creatine used in the new RCT?
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What was the dose of creatine used in the new RCT?
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5 grams of creatine monohydrate per day.
00:15
What was the duration and dose of creatine in the older rugby player study?
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What was the duration and dose of creatine in the older rugby player study?
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3 weeks with a loading phase of 20 grams per day.
00:41
Why did the rugby player study show increased testosterone and DHT?
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Why did the rugby player study show increased testosterone and DHT?
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Likely due to increased anabolic signaling from intense exercise, not creatine itself.
01:05
What is the primary mechanism of creatine?
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What is the primary mechanism of creatine?
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It helps with cellular energy production in tissues like muscle, heart, and brain.
01:37
What are two ways to mitigate DHT effects on hair follicles?
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What are two ways to mitigate DHT effects on hair follicles?
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Topical ketoconazole shampoo or oral 5-alpha reductase inhibitors like Propecia.
01:51
💡 Key Takeaways
📊
New RCT refutes creatine hair loss myth
Provides direct scientific evidence against a widely believed myth.
💡
Origin of the myth explained
Clarifies why the older study was misinterpreted, showing critical thinking.
00:41
📊
Creatine is not anabolic
Corrects a common misconception about creatine's mechanism.
01:17
⚖️
Bottom line: creatine is safe for hair
Summarizes the video's main takeaway with confidence.
02:30Full Transcript
[00:00] Does creatine cause hair loss? A new 12-week randomized control trial refutes the common myth that creatine accelerates hair loss. The study looked at numerous quantitative and qualitative assessments that are very objective in terms of hair follicular health,
[00:15] and they randomized individuals to either have five grams of creatine monohydrate per day or five grams of placebo. And before and after the start of the study and the end of the study, they looked at testosterone levels, dihydrotestosterone, and the following eight
[00:29] parameters of hair follicular health, which you can see on the screen here. And as you can see, there were no between group statistical differences. And I think that's really important to acknowledge because many people like to cite this study that I think was done
[00:41] in the mid 2000s in rugby players where these individuals, and this was just a three week long study, rugby players were dosed with a loading phase of 20 grams of creatine per day. And at
[00:53] the end of the study, compared to the beginning of the study, there was an increase in testosterone and dihydrotestosterone. So I think a lot of people read that study and said, C, creatine causes hair loss, but they don't consider the fact that creatine is well known to increase
[01:05] strength and exercise performance, particularly in the context of resistant training and anaerobic exercises like weightlifting. When you do those and you go to failure or you're doing this intensely,
[01:17] you're naturally going to increase anabolic signaling in the post-exercise window and beyond. So it would make sense that there would be an increase in total testosterone and dihydrotestosterone And particularly I think it important to acknowledge that a lot of people have this perception that creatine is anabolic like anabolic steroids but it not Creatine helps with cellular energy production
[01:37] in the astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, neuronal tissue, the heart tissue, placenta, and muscle tissue. And so by increasing cellular energy production, you can have better workouts. And again, as a side benefit of that, you can have better hormonal signaling and function.
[01:51] Now, if you're predisposed to male pattern baldness and are worried about dihydrotestosterone affecting the hair follicular health, well, you could mitigate that by other means. If you want to take super physiologic amounts of creatine, you could take a topical ketoconazole shampoo that has known 5-alpha reductase inhibitory effects, or you can take an oral 5-alpha reductase inhibitor like Propecia, although there's a lot of black box warnings on those, so I don't recommend that.
[02:18] I personally take ketoconazole shampoo. This is an antifungal shampoo that has localized five-alpha reductase inhibitory effects. And so that can be a way to sort of prevent any
[02:30] genetically predisposed male pattern baldness and hair follicular changes. The bottom line is creatine increases strength. The concern that it exacerbates male pattern baldness or hair loss is unfounded. And now we have this 12-week randomized controlled trial to really find
[02:47] that there are no statistically significant differences in the health of the hair follicle in people who take five grams of creatine versus a placebo.
