A lot of people were asking about creatine and hair loss on my last reel, so I figured I’d address it! Here are the references if you want to read more for yourself: 1. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19741313/ 2. www.massmember.com/products/mass-subscription/categories/2150809186/posts/2159651368 3. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23471952/ 4. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7871530/ This is a great podcast that addresses this topic in more detail: ua-cam.com/video/gdTjyQ9PSRI/v-deo.html Peace!
1. The increase was a 50% from baseline, and was statistically significant. 2. Exercise increases DHT in a transient fashion. This increase in the study was measured and replicated many weeks after taking creatine. 3. Serum DHT is absolutely linked to hair loss. To experience and increase in DHT at the follicle site, you would have to experience an increase in serum DHT or an increase in follicular sensitivity. The more DHT in your blood, the more that gets delivered to your hair follicles, how much is attached to the follicle is dependant on how sensitive your follicles are to DHT - i.e, how pre-disposed you are to male pattern baldness or MPB for short. That's why when you take Finasteride (the drug that prevents male pattern baldness), it lowers your serum DHT levels by up to 70% - so there is less being delivered to your follicles, and less to be attached. The confusion herein lies when a subject in not pre-disposed to MPB and an increase or decrease in serum DHT has no affect on local DHT, because their follicles just aren't sensitive enough to be affected. 4. No other studies on creatine have actually looked at DHT, so the fact that it hasn't been replicated in these studies is not evidence. If 100 people that DON'T eat apples report that an apple has never made them sick, is that evidence that apples don't make you sick? Obviously not. A better way to look at it would be this. Serum DHT is inextricably linked to hair loss. The ONLY study ever to look at creatine and DHT showed a statistically significant increase in serum DHT. There are also tens of thousands of anecdotal accounts detailing creatine consumption inducing hair loss, with the side effects subsiding after discontinuation. Now, is that enough scientific evidence to forthrightly say creatine causes hair loss, no. But to conclude from these findings that creatine "probably doesn't" have an effect on hair loss is either very poor judgement or just plain dishonesty.
@@drake19000people consume what they want to believe at a higher rate. Because we created a society where opposing ideas should be ignored if they're not cancellable in the first place. But for anyone consuming anything. If the argument style is a coping mechanism. The argument itself probably is too. The oh well if A is bad and B is similar. Then you should also not do B! Even though B has more or any redeeming qualities and is contextually very different. Is a coping argument style. Not fit for real debate.
@@guccioreo5360they weren’t studying hair loss. They were studying other effects and just so happened to not notice hair loss. Doesn’t mean it didn’t happen.
I started going to the gym and lifting last year. 4 months into my fitness journey I started taking creatine. 4 to 6 weeks into taking creatine my hair was falling out so much. Like clumps of hair in the shower. I didn’t get any bald spots but my hair thinned so much in a few months. I stopped taking creatine. The thinning slowed down but my hair hasn’t gone back to normal a year later. It’s not very noticeable because I naturally have super thick curly hair. Even though the science is saying it’s not linked to hair loss, I’ve noticed a quite a few other people who have had the same experience as me. Hopefully someone can do a study on people who do end up losing their hair while taking creatine.
Then you have genetics prone to hair loss. Stop taking creatine. Its that simple. For other people without that genetic you're free to continue using creatine, ignore this commenter.
Based on the thumbnail I didn't know who the hell this was or why they were in my subscriptions. I had to double check I was even on the correct account.
I’ve been off and on creatine for years. Every time I get back on it I start loosing hella hair. My good buddy has the same issues. It definitely happens
@@nattigheid5929bro I’m 17 and had same issue. 3 weeks in and I started to notice massive hair loss while washing my hair. Ever time I showered and just brushed my hair and I noticed. Even after I stopped I still lose hair but at slower rate. My hairline has gone back 1 cm. Fuck man…
I'm not hesitant to take creatine because of that study. Abundance of anecdotal evidence that say it Does make you lose your hair is what is making me hesitant.
Anecdotal on the internet is worthless to me. There are coincidental patterns everywhere and, especially for issues like hair loss, people will look for anything to blame.
@@ferndawg1111 The fact nobody hasn’t studied is it not proof that it doesn’t exist, it’s fairly silly for Jeff to claim it’s not an issue when nobody has ever checked if it is or isn’t an issue. A lack of evidence for or against it is not evidence against it.
My dad started going bald at like 45. His dad was also bald. I thought creatine would make me go bald so didn't take it until last year when I started. Absolutely nothing has happened, to my hair, but has improved my workouts A LOT. Now I regret not starting before
I was having bad hair thinning, but I found out that if you rub your scalp all over a couple times a day your hair thickens and can grow back (Because of blood flow). It's been about a month or longer now and my hair has doubled-tripled in thickening. Also, a couple hair products helped rejuvenate it too. I highly recommend this (New York Biology Apple Cider Vinegar Hair Mask.) I keep forgetting to take my creatine, but I don't think it's had bad side effects.
@@psyche1182 He's sort of correct. The most common genetic trait associated with baldness comes from the X chromosome, which comes solely from your mother. There are other genetic links that can cause male pattern baldness that can come from either parents. In other words, looking at the males on your mother side will probably give you a slightly better indication of your future hair, but if your fathers side has baldness, it certainly does not rule you out from experiencing it as well, as you may get one of those traits.
@@Lucas_Jeffreybought 300g at the peak of the hype for like $60. Ripping myself a new one for getting played. Now that same tub is $25, and I still have a month of servings. Ill just buy crack next time.
@@Lucas_Jeffreydirt cheap? It's getting ridiculous expensive here in The Netherlands. Bought it for 12 euro per 500 gram before, now that's 25 and still going up
@@pandrai7411if you got it back it wasn't because of androgens so you'll be fine either way. if it was caused my DHT you'd still be bald unless you started taking an inhibitor like fonasteride
@@grottphd9090 why is close minded? And i dont think he only gives basic information. Though, many times, basic info is what most new lifters need, they dont need super confusing tips at the start. So i dont agree
Anecdotally, creatine rapidly accelerated hair loss for me personally. I have genetic predisposition though and started balding in HS. Creatine just sped it up
In my personal experience, I noticed more hair thinning and loss when I started hitting the gym with creatine hard, so I have paused both to observed if there are other factors at play. I don't think I am predisposed to balding, the men in my lineage as much as I can tell had a good amount of hair till old age, hence I'm more suspicious on creatine.
This is what I'm worried, I saw my dad's hair thinning (not bald) on his 50's and I could literally fasten the process if I'm taking creatine on my 20's lol, so no I'm just gonna stick with the good ol' whey proteins only thank you.
Then you have genetics prone to hair loss. Stop taking creatine. Its that simple. For other people without that genetic you're free to continue using creatine, ignore this commenter.
I used creatine heavily for about a year 15 YEARS AGO (in my late 20’s) and had fairly rapid hair loss at that time so I stopped using it. The hair loss stopped and has been stable since then, again for 15 damn years. I do think I’m predisposed to hair loss, but I experienced more of it during that 1 year than I have since through all of my 30’s and into my 40’s. So I don’t care what the studies say, I’m convinced it happened to me and I won’t touch the stuff again.
@@nartworks557you forgot option three, that it may be the cause. Lack of evidence isn't evidence of absence -greg nuckols on creatine causing hair loss
Some have disagreed with clear counterarguments. I can only add some anecdotal evidence. When I first took creatine for a couple months, I realised some unpleasant thinning of my hair and I was only 21 at the time. I'm definitely predisposed for hair loss genetically, so maybe creatine fastened the process. My amateur assumption is that people with good hair genetics just don’t experience these side effects. Anyway, I stopped taking it and started using regaine a bit later which ultimately improved my hair situation again.
My hair thinned out and slighly receded in my 20s, i put it down to heavy drinking and stress caused by drinking. Since then no change, now in my 40s. Not willing to risk my hair for say 5lb of extra muscle staying on creatine indefinitely.
Your hair will stay healthy for a long time (hopefully) and as soon as it starts thinning just go bald fr ‼️‼️bald head and muscles you might as well be the rock
Bro, like he said in the video you might as well skip the gym too. If you don’t have someone bald in your family you don’t have anything to worry about. If you do, only you would notice if you started balding. If you did, you could catch it very early and prevent it. Stop living off fear
Normally I care a lot about what science says, but not in the situation. My direct experience contradicts it. I experienced accelerated hair loss about a month in after lifting and taking creatine. It was very overt/obvious. Though to be fair, I also was taking Fadogia Agrestis and Tongkat Ali for the first time as well. One or more of these could have been involved as well. But as far as I know they are not known for this while creatine is.
@@darensamdani5770 You can prevent going bald if your balding isn't that aggressive and you take finasteride but if you are already losing tons of hair at 21 then definitely embrace going bald
@@OverRule1bro if hes not taking creatine due to the side effects then he wont take finasteride. Personally theres enough reddits around finasteridee syndromes which made me throw out a whole case of finasteride. The amount of possible side effects from that could literally end your entire life.
I mean there’s no study to prove it but if you are prone to Male pattern baldness I would strongly recommend you don’t take it. It’s just common scientific deduction to assume it will increase hair loss. Plus I’ve heard more than enough anecdotal evidence.
anecdotally, I'll say that my hair thinned considerably while I was on creatine, and recovered somewhat when I came off it. I take finasteride and use rogaine to counter hair loss now, and have been considering re-adding creatine. Just like there are creatine non-responders, it seems reasonable that there are a small-ish number of people who see hair loss effects, that are difficult to capture in the low power studies that often predominate in the supplement field. As well studied as creatine is for safety, there seem to be very few focused on tracking hair thinning - in fact I can find only one - so while the concern may be primarily driven by anecdote, it seems a little disingenuous to dismiss it as saying no study has shown that it has an effect untracked for, and that shows itself on time ranges well beyond those of most supplement studies.
Then you have genetics prone to hair loss. Stop taking creatine. Its that simple. For other people without that genetic you're free to continue using creatine, ignore this commenter.
Had the same experience too. I stopped creatine 2 years ago and started medical therapy for hair loss (oral finasteride and topical minoxidil). Recovered most hair. Now I’m just starting back on creatine - so will have to see if the medical therapy can/will still offset any hair loss impact that may be caused by creatine ….
It definitely thins out your hair. Personal experience and other friends have experienced the same thing. I notice a difference when I’m on and off creatine.
DECADES later and no-one has done a study looking at actual relationship between creatine usage and hair loss. Running out of time to decide whether to use it or not before I get too old to make gains anyway
My hair loss started when I started using creatine. After I heard it could be the creatine I immediately quit creatine. And the hair loss stopped right after. Unfortunately it's not growing back. So... Do what you must, I'm never touching creatine anymore. ❤
The studies have not been convincing, but that could be due to the fact that there simply aren't any out there that look into the relationship between creatine use and hair loss. On the other hand, there's tons of anecdotal evidence from people who have experienced hair loss while taking creatine. When there's no empirical evidence, anecdotal is the best thing we have.
Anecdotes are worthless. They're not evidence. There is a reason science need rigorous studies. Plenty of guys take creatine and plenty of guys experience hair loss, so there's bound to be a lot of overlap. That doesn't mean there is any causal relationship whatsoever.
@@StrandedKnight84 And it doesnt mean that there ISNT a relationship. Anecdotes arent worthless. They need to be looked at skeptically because of all the confounding factors. However, reports of thousands of people experiencing the same issue is suggestive that it should be directly researched.
@@fox20rps94 Thousands of people reporting heart attacks after drinking water doesn't mean that water causes heart attacks. We need a controlled study to say anything. That's why Jeff's videos are so good. They are based on actual science, not bro science.
It doesn't matter if studies have shown hair loss or not, not every single thing can be tested in a lab environment. I noticed hair thinning when I used creatine, and there are many who had the same experience. It may only affect certain people.
Since he mentioned the study measured serum DHT then it's still possible. This can be tested in a lab but not if they test the wrong thing. DHT might also not be the full story. One reason I'm annoyed by the over reliance on science
Then you have genetics prone to hair loss. Stop taking creatine. Its that simple. For other people without that genetic you're free to continue using creatine, ignore this commenter.
One of my brothers turned me onto Jeff and I gotta say, I'm so impressed by this content. Short and long form, nothing is said without relevant studies behind it and with plenty of caveats to paint a realistic picture of what is true. Most of the time people don't want or care about getting quality nuanced answers and so most content creators cater to what is most popular. But then there are people like me, fighting for personal health and fitness in the midst of a normal life filled with complexity, responsibility and the competition of other good life goals hampering our progress, motivation and consistency. And all I want is the truth, no fluff, no lies, no quick fixes to waste my time - just quality information to help me better myself and teach my children how to do the same. And Jeff delivers. It took me awhile but I am officially a fan. I hope this encourages you, Jeff. We all can use a little bit of that when we're doing something worthwhile. Cheers
Bruh, serum DHT increase will necessarily increase DHT at the follicle 🤦🏾♂️. Regardless the issue is follicle/genetic susceptibility to DHT. If you have hair loss already or are genetically predisposed to it creatine will, at most, accelerate it (but the size of the effect seems small).
Then you have genetics prone to hair loss. Stop taking creatine. Its that simple. For other people without that genetic you're free to continue using creatine, ignore this commenter.
@@nuclearpistachio after reading a lot of the comments on this video too, it’s only reaffirmed by commitment to never use Creatine lol. Sure they’re anecdotal, but that many negative anecdotes makes me weary. I’d rather just avoid it.
@@nuclearpistachio My hair is receeding and I'm 28. But it has nothing to do with creatine. I knew it before I start going to gym 1-) My uncle from mother side has no hair, most my cousins from mother side and father side too. 2-) You could see the line where it's supposed to go like 10 years ago. 3-) I'm fit and my friends call me Jason Statham so I do cut my hair all the time even tho I have like %70 hair compared to bald guys.
@@HisMajesty99 exactly idc about gains i might be losing. as long as i’m toned and not fat thats good enough. i never saw that many posts about people having kidney issues with protein powder so🤷🏽♂️
@@supernotnatural i hear what you’re saying but 99% of bald men do not look like jason statham and i’m sure if you asked them they would rather have hair than not
I used creatine in the past and I realized two things : strength increase and hair loss... so I have stopped taking it ... I prefer a bit less strength and more hair
@@alexrodriguez2464 it was more subtle...it didn't come off when combing my hair or in my hands...it gradually fell off and people noticed and warned me
Creatine 1000% increases hair loss in certain individuals. I remember when I first started taking it back in 2019 after maybe 3-4 days of taking it often, I noticed hair hair was shedding like crazy! Like it was so much it would clog the drain in the shower every time I used it. Stopped taking creatine and gradually my hair stopped falling out and is back to normal again. Ended up taking a preworkout that was high in creatine (did not realize it at the time) and after about a week I noticed the same thing, my hair was just falling out like crazy! Looked at the back of the preworkout and it had a high dose of creatine per serving.
I have been taking creatine for 2 months, and for the past month, I've noticed that I'm losing a lot of hair in the temple area. I'm 21 years old and this is not normal for me. Do you think if I stop taking creatine, the hair can grow back in the areas where it has fallen out or not?
Finally someone who referr to the research data it self, i really appreciate you, stopped taking creatine last year to learn more and I think soon I'm coming back.
Although the evidence doesn't seem super strong. It without a doubt does make my hair fall out. I was not balding, then I started balding at 20 when I started using creatine. Then I stopped and the balding stopped. Then I again started creatine at 22 and again I started balding, and stopped balding when I hopped off creatine.
I strongly agree. I have seen hair thinning personally when taking creatine and then back to normal after I stopped it. I already have low hair density( just a little), hence i noticed this.
Your saying with in a few weeks of taking 5 grams of creatine you had a bald patch at 20???? Then when you stopped with in a few weeks your bald patch was gone???? Oh bullshit!!!!ol
Yup. Same! I was fine until when I was 20 i started using creatine and then the thinning started. Fast forward 12 years and im bald lol. Never hopped off. Always have taken 5mg a day. Gains are good. Hair isnt 😅🥲. Ill also add that bald runs in my family so maybe that didnt help
I'm 33 and I still have my hair after taking creatine for 8 years. It's true I'm taking dutasteride as well, so without it I don't known what would have happened
I like the content usually, but it's not really a valid rebuttal. Men prone to balding do bald progressively with DHT levels within the normal range. Older men bald even quicker, even though their androgenic hormones levels are lower. Balding is complex. The increase in DHT shown in the study is important, even though the end levels remains within range. Not saying it is the case, but the hypothesis that creatine increases DHT, leading to accelerated hair thinning for men who are prone to begin with is reasonable. About scalp DHT vs serum DHT, it's a limitation of the study, but it does not invalidate the hypothesis. Finasteride lowers both scalp and serum DHT. Creatine, if it increases one, may increase the other. The truth, written many times over the internet, is that the topic has not been researched properly. The one study we have was not looking at hair loss at all, and there are no other. The fact that hair loss did not pop in any other creatine study does not mean anything. Studies are not magic. They are usually fairly restricted in what they assess (performance, safety, test levels, etc). Balding mechanisms are very complex and not fully understood. One knows for sure that DHT is involved, therefore treatment focuses on DHT (finasteride for instance). If creatine messes with DHT, it may (or may not) mess with hair follicles. If the gym increases serum DHT, then it may contribute to hair loss too. Again hard to know for sure in the absence of well-designed studies looking at it. It makes muscles grow, why could it not make your hair thin?
I am a twin. My brother and I both worked out fairly consistently for a few years when we were in highschool and college. I was much more into it and took creatine, drank preworkout, was more consistent and so on. My hairline was receding significantly by 17 and by 22 I had decided to completely shave my head. He still has a full head of hair however he does take a prescribed medication currently to help with his hairloss now.
@@opossumbandit4960High intensity workouts do play a role, but any DHT increase may subside quickly after workout, with creatine it stays artificially elevated throughout 24-hour cycle.
While this is an important topic well covered in this short, I think that you're too reliant on studies alone. Countless studies have "proven" that there's no correlation between processed sugars and bad skin, yet my experience shows otherwise without a fault. I eat a bar of chocolate, my face gets pimple visitors. I don't, and it remains impeccable. Perfection. Not to mention that the study you cite here was done on a level of three weeks only, with college aged men. They usually don't have hair problems. So I'm also interested in the real-life experience of people.
@@harambe8372 Any type of processed sweets, whatever it is. Whether it's chocolate or cookies with peanut butter. Anything that has plenty of sugars in it and comes in a wrap. There.
Serum dht is in serum which is 55% component of blood which flows through the whole body, so over a period of time it can increase local DHT from my understanding
I have to agree it does cause hair loss but probably in certain people I am balding on top but I noticed after about 3 weeks of being on Creatine on a regular basis that my hair was thinning even more considerably for me to actually notice it and the fact that so many people talk about it it clearly must be happening to other people even if the science says no.
@@SMFizzy that’s because you don’t have hair loss in your genes but if you do it accelerates it 100% the fact I started losing hair as soon as I took it is not a coincidence
Same bro I’m 19 and took creatine for 6 months and since my hairline and temples have receded slightly and my hair is thinner and has less texture and volume than it did just a few months back
@@lyricalpanic618 hop off it bro not worth it and use rosemary oil everyday on the thinning areas and use a derma roller once a week. Should help it grow back!
ive noticed my hair has been thinner lately as I've been taking creatine regularly now. Honestly, I am eating about a pound of red meat at least every other day, which is basically like taking a scoop of creatine, so I think I am going to stop taking it? What do yall think
I’ve read tons content providing similar conclusions. I then decided to give creatine a go and a had a massive shedding which stopped in a few days after i quit creatine. DON’T USE CREATINE IF YOU’RE PRONE TO BALDNESS
Male pattern baldness doesn’t even present itself as shedding of hair Mpb is not your hair falling out, it’s your hair MINIATURIZING and NOT GROWING So if your hair is FALLING OUT that’s DEFINITELY not MPB.
The DHT associated with hair loss seems to be a symptom of it. The same DHT increases in facial hair is associated with hair thickening and higher hair counts. It's being shown more recently that chronic tension in the cranial muscles reduces blood flow to the hair follicles. Which is a thing that can happen automatically when you are working hard lifting. Carrying tension in your forehead and cranial muscles is very easy to have happen but it can be countered by attending to those muscles with massage etc.
You’re the only person I’ve seen in this comment section who I think is on the right track. Of course, there are a lot of other things involved with MPB such as histamine, estrogen, cortisol, aldosterone, etc.
I personally don't take creatine anymore. I was mainly ingesting it for cognitive reasons, but what I noticed is that I am getting cramps and also nausea and muscle strains/stiffness. My training regime is pretty consistent, same as diet. Only thing changed is I started to add 5g of creatine to my drink everyday, for past 2.5 months. I stopped this about 3 weeks ago and everything seems to be back to normal. As for heir I can't say I noticed any change, as I always had head full of hairs and no cases of balding in my closest family. But effects I placed above are enough for me to not take it. I do train but not strictly body building or power lifting. I wanna have my flexibility and mobility and definitely creatine was affecting my muscle stiffness. Also some researches showing in can reduce your VO2 max and endurance.
I know it's anecdotal but I have tried taking creatine 5 separate times for 3 months each time over the last 6 years, with large gaps (years) in between. Each time without fail my head started itching severely and hair fall increased massively. Every time these effects stopped when I stopped taking creatine, although the lost hair was permanent.
Did you eventually grow it back. Or was it gone forever. I recently started taking creatine in July and now I'm noticing a fair bit of hairloss which was never a case for last 29 years of my life
@@samwoodsywoods i took it for one month so far and have been noticing hair fall. Now that i have stopped would it still continue to impact the hair fall. Sorry I'm just a little paranoid at this point. Thank you for all your help in this honestly.
@@ateamrohan no it will just return back to the slower natural rate of hair loss in my experience. I think creatine only affects people who were going to bald anyway it just massively speeds it up. But yeah it should stop now you've stopped and even thicken up a bit
100% false, I’ve started rapidly losing my hair the second I started taking creatine (10G a day). I then stopped taking creatine for 2 months and noticed my hairloss slowed down noticeably, then started taking it again for 2 months and the hairloss started again. I’m now 1.5 years off of creatine and it’s safe to say that my hairloss has completely stopped, and I even regrew a lot of the hair I lost (with the help of fin + min). Jeff, you can say this because you haven’t lost your hair from Creatine, but there are a lot of us that have completely lost our hair, or are in the process of losing our hairs from Creatine. Of course Genetics plays a big factor, but not everyone is immune to the hairloss side effect of creatine like you are. Love your videos by the way, i’m a huge fan.
I’m on the same page with you man, I mean balding occurs on the side of my mum’s family but when I started taking creatine it gave me noticeably massive hair loss that I didn’t have when I was not taking it.
its not the creatine causing the hair loss, at most the creatine accelerates it, you goons acting like you wouldn't be losing hair at all without creatine is cringe asf
@@Sam-dt1kg since getting off creatine I have regained all my hair and have a full set of thick hair with a straight hairline now. Its funny how you can come out here and try to educate me on whats actually going on for me. Having 0 information and thinking you know it all is whats actually cringe af
Science or not I would disagree strongly I stopped taking Creatine because it was causing my hair to fall out like crazy. I would run my hand though my hair and it would be covered. Within 3 weeks off completely back to normal. Don’t think it was a coincidence. Just putting that out there.
Bro, holy sh*t. I'm so glad I discovered this comment of yours. I'm exactly the same!! I'm so much thinner on top and running my hands through my hair is just so depressing. Started taking creatine at the end of summer. Did your hair really go back to normal?
Honestly don’t think 100% but definitely got close to normal. My situation wasn’t really that long ago either so maybe time will tell. Im pretty sure just the act of starting a regular gym routine also causes DHT levels to rise from the increased test levels but I since I stopped taking Creatine I definitely don’t shed it like I did but I’m sure everyone might be affected differently. Also switched my pre workout because it had Creatine too so I was taking at least 8g a day.
This is anecdotal of course but the period where I took creatine for the first time is also the same period where I first noticed my hair fall out. I remember really good those 2 weeks of summer i'm norwood 3 (and have been since I was 18 and this summer) and in my head I just associate creatine=hair loss because that's what happened to me. Maybe it was the time my hair decided to fall out and I just happened to have been taking creatine without any relation between the two, but i've thrown the creatine I had very quickly lol
It wasn't the creatine. It reminds me of the old myth that shaving your facial hair makes one's beard regrow thicker and fuller. The reality was that most men start shaving as their facial hair follicles start to activate, so a false link was hypothosized between shaving and growing a thicker, fuller beard.
But my personal experience, creatine does cause hair thinning. My hair started thinning only after creatine. My family hairline is good, no one is bald in my family.
@@rnavplays3170 using various products to keep my hair. A Thailand brand. Bergamot shampoo and tonic helps a lot. And currently using rosemary oil. I don't use creatine anymore.
Ditch studies and use personal experience. Many ppl experienced hair loss after taking creatine including me. And tested many times as i believe creatine increased my muscle mass and mood. But it caused hairloss and i had some back pain maybe kidney? So i stopped. Experience > science.
Anecdotally, absolutely. I come from a family of super thick, super luscious wavy hair with practically no balding in old age. Creatine use made my hair fall. Ceasing made it grow back. In fact, I had no idea the two were linked until I was pulling out hairs in showers and googled it.
I've been taking creatine since I was 17... I take it daily and I'm now 33. (Monohydrate and HCL) My hair is just as full and thick as it was back then.
Lucky.....Not for me. When i was 19/20 i started. Notice thinning by 22/23. Bald by 32. Sucks but gains are good 😅😢. I probably should've stopped back then but oh well
@@aidenjaxlol it was probably genetics rather than creatine, you started at 19 but you didn't notice hair loss until 22. Most people notice hair loss during their 1st creatine cycle which means probably in 1-2 months after starting. Im 19 and have been taking creatine for the past 3 months, amazing gains and no hair loss/ thinning whatsoever 😅
Studies are good for general guidelines. But personal experience is at least as important if not more. I can tell you without a doubt,every goddamn time I started taking creatine I was shedding like a dog. And before you tell me it causes hair to fall if you have a genetic predisposition, absolutely no one on either side of my family is bald. So yes,in certain cases creatine does cause hair loss.
A large percentage of men will go bald whether they use creatine or not, so it stands to reason that a significant portion of men who use creatine will also go bald. People who start using creatine will likely start using it before the age that balding typically starts, so it might seem like the creatine caused it, but it's just coincidence
Can I still maximize my genetic muscular potential without using creatine? I eat in a calorie surplus, Push pull legs 2x week, 1 g/lb protein, 8 hrs sleep. Am I leaving gains on the table?
Really wish there'd be another, significant study over this topic. They could explore dosage, frequency, long-term effects, outside factors, nutrition, age, etc. but they keep avoiding this very important topic.
I took creatine for a couple months. There was a significant amount of hair falling in the shower, I stopped taking creatine and the hair stopped falling. Not scientific, but it was significant, observable and obviously linked to creatine. Just my experience.
Crazy reading these comments. I’ve been on it for over a year and have had no issues. Hair is thick as ever, beard is getting thicker too, more chest hair.
Thank you so much. I have been waiting for an explanation from you, a persons information I trust! Started creatine a few months ago even though I didn’t have an answer to the hair loss speculations! While taking creatine I have always been a bit worried and now you have taken this worry out of my head. Thank you so much. ❤
@@chaudharyaviral590 nothings changed. Literally nothing. No extra shed, no change to the texture or thickness, no changes about the looks. I am 17 though. So I don’t think I am at risk of any significant hair loss hopefully yet.
Anecdotally, I start losing hair fast after roughly a month of taking creatine. It stops about a month after I stop. I’ve tried 3 times at different dosages to see if I get the same effect. I do when 1g, 3g and 5g are taken daily. Anecdotes like mine are quite common also so maybe more studies are necessary.
A lot of people were asking about creatine and hair loss on my last reel, so I figured I’d address it! Here are the references if you want to read more for yourself:
1. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19741313/
2. www.massmember.com/products/mass-subscription/categories/2150809186/posts/2159651368
3. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23471952/
4. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7871530/
This is a great podcast that addresses this topic in more detail: ua-cam.com/video/gdTjyQ9PSRI/v-deo.html
Peace!
Ain’t nobody better than you. You’re my go to for lifting information and the likes. Much love ❤
Your first two reels were about creatine 🤯
ty king!
First, they should test these test subjects for steroids
But does it/could it accelerate hair loss? is my biggest question, not necessarily cause.
Bald Jeff needs a separate channel
Perfect sidekick to Bro Jeff
Jeff Luthor
Jeff Buffos
ChubbyJeff or NippardEmu, presenting to the emergency room 😅🤣🤣
@@HeyyHeyyHeyy08genius
1. The increase was a 50% from baseline, and was statistically significant.
2. Exercise increases DHT in a transient fashion. This increase in the study was measured and replicated many weeks after taking creatine.
3. Serum DHT is absolutely linked to hair loss. To experience and increase in DHT at the follicle site, you would have to experience an increase in serum DHT or an increase in follicular sensitivity. The more DHT in your blood, the more that gets delivered to your hair follicles, how much is attached to the follicle is dependant on how sensitive your follicles are to DHT - i.e, how pre-disposed you are to male pattern baldness or MPB for short.
That's why when you take Finasteride (the drug that prevents male pattern baldness), it lowers your serum DHT levels by up to 70% - so there is less being delivered to your follicles, and less to be attached. The confusion herein lies when a subject in not pre-disposed to MPB and an increase or decrease in serum DHT has no affect on local DHT, because their follicles just aren't sensitive enough to be affected.
4. No other studies on creatine have actually looked at DHT, so the fact that it hasn't been replicated in these studies is not evidence. If 100 people that DON'T eat apples report that an apple has never made them sick, is that evidence that apples don't make you sick? Obviously not.
A better way to look at it would be this. Serum DHT is inextricably linked to hair loss. The ONLY study ever to look at creatine and DHT showed a statistically significant increase in serum DHT. There are also tens of thousands of anecdotal accounts detailing creatine consumption inducing hair loss, with the side effects subsiding after discontinuation.
Now, is that enough scientific evidence to forthrightly say creatine causes hair loss, no. But to conclude from these findings that creatine "probably doesn't" have an effect on hair loss is either very poor judgement or just plain dishonesty.
You are one of the few to have a sensible argument on this platform. Unfortunately, it didn't gain traction because people dum dum
@@drake19000people consume what they want to believe at a higher rate. Because we created a society where opposing ideas should be ignored if they're not cancellable in the first place.
But for anyone consuming anything. If the argument style is a coping mechanism. The argument itself probably is too.
The oh well if A is bad and B is similar. Then you should also not do B! Even though B has more or any redeeming qualities and is contextually very different.
Is a coping argument style. Not fit for real debate.
Something can be statistically significant but still a very small change that's within normal range.
I hope Jeff responds to this
@Aaron-th7xx you an OP are right. Both very good points
I am very respondent to creatine and it DEFINITELY causes hair loss for me
indirectly maybe due to higher DHT levels
Might also be genetically prone to hair loss and higher levels of DHT overall.
You're creatine was laced with dianabol.
How is that even indirectly though? The creatine is literally causing an increase in the hormone that causes hair loss… Direct cause annd effect.
Same, I was getting small round spots and general thinning. I stopped taking it while continuing to work out and the hair loss stopped.
I have held off on years because of this exact reason. I’d rather have less gains than less hair. But now that Jeff’s covered it, I will reconsider.
let me know how it goes for you, im in the same boat, i wanna make more gains, but also don't wanna lose my hair
I think more studies should be conducted before making a decision.
@@chanulochanasame
@@angellima7893stop replying
@@guccioreo5360they weren’t studying hair loss. They were studying other effects and just so happened to not notice hair loss. Doesn’t mean it didn’t happen.
I started going to the gym and lifting last year. 4 months into my fitness journey I started taking creatine. 4 to 6 weeks into taking creatine my hair was falling out so much. Like clumps of hair in the shower. I didn’t get any bald spots but my hair thinned so much in a few months. I stopped taking creatine. The thinning slowed down but my hair hasn’t gone back to normal a year later. It’s not very noticeable because I naturally have super thick curly hair. Even though the science is saying it’s not linked to hair loss, I’ve noticed a quite a few other people who have had the same experience as me. Hopefully someone can do a study on people who do end up losing their hair while taking creatine.
It's because of this comments that I can't trust science and the thousands of studies.
Then you have genetics prone to hair loss. Stop taking creatine. Its that simple. For other people without that genetic you're free to continue using creatine, ignore this commenter.
@@thecorruptversion there isn't thousands of studies about it there is only one about hair lost..
I noticed the same thing.
Knowning statistical averages doesn't help much if you're not also given data for individual variance
Based on the thumbnail I didn't know who the hell this was or why they were in my subscriptions. I had to double check I was even on the correct account.
Exact same thing happened to me lmao
Me too 😂😂
Imposter baldo Jeff almost got me too. 😅😂
I’ve been off and on creatine for years. Every time I get back on it I start loosing hella hair. My good buddy has the same issues. It definitely happens
Do you lose hair immediately or after some time? All these anecdotes make me question the use of creatine..
@@nattigheid5929i have the same issue, the hairloss stared at around 3-4 months of taking creatine
@@nattigheid5929bro I’m 17 and had same issue. 3 weeks in and I started to notice massive hair loss while washing my hair. Ever time I showered and just brushed my hair and I noticed. Even after I stopped I still lose hair but at slower rate. My hairline has gone back 1 cm. Fuck man…
Question has the hair loss been reversed once off of it
@@elipiz9930 im still losing hair but at slower rate
As a bald man who just started creatine. I don't know why I watched this entire video
😂😂😂😂
The only comment that made me lol
this made me laugh a lot, thank you so much
You'll grow hair
I'm not hesitant to take creatine because of that study.
Abundance of anecdotal evidence that say it Does make you lose your hair is what is making me hesitant.
There is also abundance of anecdotal evidence that it doesnt.
It seems like it only affects a certian group of people
@@justduro1527 yep. From what I've gathered if you are prone to hair loss it can accelerate it. If you aren't then you would be fine
@@Bramble20322 many reports on the og bodybuilding forums about people losing hair before the study. Nice try tho!
Anecdotal on the internet is worthless to me. There are coincidental patterns everywhere and, especially for issues like hair loss, people will look for anything to blame.
Yeah man everytime I use creatine for longer than 2 weeks my hair starts to fall out in clumps it’s pretty wild. I still use it tho 🤣
It’s also the ONLY study that looked into this.
N=20 is hardly significant, as well.
@@ferndawg1111 The fact nobody hasn’t studied is it not proof that it doesn’t exist, it’s fairly silly for Jeff to claim it’s not an issue when nobody has ever checked if it is or isn’t an issue. A lack of evidence for or against it is not evidence against it.
My dad started going bald at like 45. His dad was also bald. I thought creatine would make me go bald so didn't take it until last year when I started. Absolutely nothing has happened, to my hair, but has improved my workouts A LOT. Now I regret not starting before
I was having bad hair thinning, but I found out that if you rub your scalp all over a couple times a day your hair thickens and can grow back (Because of blood flow). It's been about a month or longer now and my hair has doubled-tripled in thickening. Also, a couple hair products helped rejuvenate it too. I highly recommend this (New York Biology Apple Cider Vinegar Hair Mask.) I keep forgetting to take my creatine, but I don't think it's had bad side effects.
Never seen a more conspiracy tin foil hat comment in my life@@JustBeHumbleForLove
It's your mom's genetic that determines if you re going bald or not..
@@Jory31619wait what fr?? Are u sure?
@@psyche1182 He's sort of correct. The most common genetic trait associated with baldness comes from the X chromosome, which comes solely from your mother. There are other genetic links that can cause male pattern baldness that can come from either parents. In other words, looking at the males on your mother side will probably give you a slightly better indication of your future hair, but if your fathers side has baldness, it certainly does not rule you out from experiencing it as well, as you may get one of those traits.
creatine sales 📈
haha it's dirt cheap, so nobody is getting rich
@@Lucas_Jeffreybought 300g at the peak of the hype for like $60. Ripping myself a new one for getting played. Now that same tub is $25, and I still have a month of servings. Ill just buy crack next time.
@@rylibrace1276that escalated quickly 😂
@@Lucas_Jeffreydirt cheap? It's getting ridiculous expensive here in The Netherlands. Bought it for 12 euro per 500 gram before, now that's 25 and still going up
@@tijmen131 man that 500g should also last you many many months lmao
I lost my hair at 17 so i think I need more research about creatine hair loss before I start using it
I thought my mid 20s was an unlucky case
@@SidMassiveXM I got most of my hair back but it was really depressing because i was the only one losing hair
how'd you get it back @@pandrai7411
@@pandrai7411how did you get it back ? Monoxodil ?
@@pandrai7411if you got it back it wasn't because of androgens so you'll be fine either way. if it was caused my DHT you'd still be bald unless you started taking an inhibitor like fonasteride
I was balding since 18. life was already over before it began so no harm taking it
Jokes on you, my hair is already gone
I'm with you there man, I could take all the creatine I want and it wouldn't make a difference!
Saitama
😂 I needed this laugh, thanks man
@@donaldhutchison4652 Dude my hair is gone since i was 18, sometimes i miss it but most of the time its easier this way
How much old are you my love ?
man, there will never ever be as much reliable source of knowledge in fitness as you
Sean Nalewanyj? For fitness he is super reliable. Though this specific vid probably is more about health rather that fitness.
@@Thomas.Nikolaidis10 Nalewanyj gives incredibly basic information, is close minded, and is also smug. Could never tolerate his content
@@grottphd9090 why is close minded? And i dont think he only gives basic information. Though, many times, basic info is what most new lifters need, they dont need super confusing tips at the start. So i dont agree
Anecdotally, creatine rapidly accelerated hair loss for me personally. I have genetic predisposition though and started balding in HS. Creatine just sped it up
In my personal experience, I noticed more hair thinning and loss when I started hitting the gym with creatine hard, so I have paused both to observed if there are other factors at play. I don't think I am predisposed to balding, the men in my lineage as much as I can tell had a good amount of hair till old age, hence I'm more suspicious on creatine.
This is what I'm worried, I saw my dad's hair thinning (not bald) on his 50's and I could literally fasten the process if I'm taking creatine on my 20's lol, so no I'm just gonna stick with the good ol' whey proteins only thank you.
Then you have genetics prone to hair loss. Stop taking creatine. Its that simple. For other people without that genetic you're free to continue using creatine, ignore this commenter.
for personal experiment id like to rub castor-rosemary oil in while taking creatine@@feliksdzerzhinskij800
@@feliksdzerzhinskij800 Most men will see pattern baldness in their 30`s and 40`s, your dad must have amazing genetics, or a complete lack of stress..
I'm having the same problem, will the hair eventually go back to normal?
I used creatine heavily for about a year 15 YEARS AGO (in my late 20’s) and had fairly rapid hair loss at that time so I stopped using it. The hair loss stopped and has been stable since then, again for 15 damn years. I do think I’m predisposed to hair loss, but I experienced more of it during that 1 year than I have since through all of my 30’s and into my 40’s. So I don’t care what the studies say, I’m convinced it happened to me and I won’t touch the stuff again.
How do you explain all the people who start shedding large amounts of hair when they start taking it? That has happened to a lot of guys🤔
I’d like to know as well especially since that happened to me
it happened to me too
that means they are prodisposed to balding or it’s coincidental
@@nartworks557you forgot option three, that it may be the cause. Lack of evidence isn't evidence of absence -greg nuckols on creatine causing hair loss
Correlation =/= Causation
Just started taking it wish me luck 🍀
What luck lol its not tren its a food suplement
@@prodbypjay7148 luck not to go bald 🤡
Are you bald yet ?
@@shayan357 not yet I’m on day 2
Commenting to get notified if you get bald
Some have disagreed with clear counterarguments. I can only add some anecdotal evidence. When I first took creatine for a couple months, I realised some unpleasant thinning of my hair and I was only 21 at the time.
I'm definitely predisposed for hair loss genetically, so maybe creatine fastened the process. My amateur assumption is that people with good hair genetics just don’t experience these side effects.
Anyway, I stopped taking it and started using regaine a bit later which ultimately improved my hair situation again.
My hair thinned out and slighly receded in my 20s, i put it down to heavy drinking and stress caused by drinking. Since then no change, now in my 40s. Not willing to risk my hair for say 5lb of extra muscle staying on creatine indefinitely.
I didn't take creatine for a long time because I love my hair. It still gives me the fear.
Your hair will stay healthy for a long time (hopefully) and as soon as it starts thinning just go bald fr ‼️‼️bald head and muscles you might as well be the rock
Bro, like he said in the video you might as well skip the gym too. If you don’t have someone bald in your family you don’t have anything to worry about. If you do, only you would notice if you started balding. If you did, you could catch it very early and prevent it. Stop living off fear
Normally I care a lot about what science says, but not in the situation. My direct experience contradicts it. I experienced accelerated hair loss about a month in after lifting and taking creatine.
It was very overt/obvious. Though to be fair, I also was taking Fadogia Agrestis and Tongkat Ali for the first time as well. One or more of these could have been involved as well. But as far as I know they are not known for this while creatine is.
@@darensamdani5770 You can prevent going bald if your balding isn't that aggressive and you take finasteride but if you are already losing tons of hair at 21 then definitely embrace going bald
@@OverRule1bro if hes not taking creatine due to the side effects then he wont take finasteride. Personally theres enough reddits around finasteridee syndromes which made me throw out a whole case of finasteride. The amount of possible side effects from that could literally end your entire life.
OK, from now on I'm no longer lifting, cuz it boosts DHT
Dht is good
Bro said "what are gains" when he realized his hair may be at stake
Hair or muscles? Tough choice 🤔
@@jokerpilled2535 I have long hair and muscles and take creatine everyday for 5 years. It's bs.
if only it were that easy lmao
thank you for the effort, i can see you did put a lot of work just for making 53 seconds. that reflects a lot of dedication and love for what you do.
The fact that the sample size was only 20 is enough to 100% state that the study is inconclusive
I mean there’s no study to prove it but if you are prone to Male pattern baldness I would strongly recommend you don’t take it.
It’s just common scientific deduction to assume it will increase hair loss. Plus I’ve heard more than enough anecdotal evidence.
anecdotally, I'll say that my hair thinned considerably while I was on creatine, and recovered somewhat when I came off it. I take finasteride and use rogaine to counter hair loss now, and have been considering re-adding creatine.
Just like there are creatine non-responders, it seems reasonable that there are a small-ish number of people who see hair loss effects, that are difficult to capture in the low power studies that often predominate in the supplement field.
As well studied as creatine is for safety, there seem to be very few focused on tracking hair thinning - in fact I can find only one - so while the concern may be primarily driven by anecdote, it seems a little disingenuous to dismiss it as saying no study has shown that it has an effect untracked for, and that shows itself on time ranges well beyond those of most supplement studies.
Had the same experience here.
Same here
Same. I counted EACH strand after showering and can confirm this
Then you have genetics prone to hair loss. Stop taking creatine. Its that simple. For other people without that genetic you're free to continue using creatine, ignore this commenter.
Had the same experience too. I stopped creatine 2 years ago and started medical therapy for hair loss (oral finasteride and topical minoxidil). Recovered most hair. Now I’m just starting back on creatine - so will have to see if the medical therapy can/will still offset any hair loss impact that may be caused by creatine ….
All of your content is perfect for the shorts platform, keep it up! Been following you for years
It definitely thins out your hair. Personal experience and other friends have experienced the same thing.
I notice a difference when I’m on and off creatine.
we need more shorts from Jeff. actual good information in short form content instead of the pure bs we normally get on shorts
DECADES later and no-one has done a study looking at actual relationship between creatine usage and hair loss. Running out of time to decide whether to use it or not before I get too old to make gains anyway
If u have many men that are bold in your family I would suggest to not take it.
you don't need creatine for gains..
The benefits are only there the first month lol then it’s nothing. Not worth the risk
My hair loss started when I started using creatine. After I heard it could be the creatine I immediately quit creatine. And the hair loss stopped right after. Unfortunately it's not growing back. So... Do what you must, I'm never touching creatine anymore. ❤
Thanks for this! I previously thought the question was much more open then it actually appears to be
Scroll through these comments
The studies have not been convincing, but that could be due to the fact that there simply aren't any out there that look into the relationship between creatine use and hair loss. On the other hand, there's tons of anecdotal evidence from people who have experienced hair loss while taking creatine. When there's no empirical evidence, anecdotal is the best thing we have.
Yep, it's never been directly studied so there is merely a lack of evidence, not evidence that it doesn't.
Anecdotes are worthless. They're not evidence. There is a reason science need rigorous studies. Plenty of guys take creatine and plenty of guys experience hair loss, so there's bound to be a lot of overlap. That doesn't mean there is any causal relationship whatsoever.
@@StrandedKnight84 And it doesnt mean that there ISNT a relationship. Anecdotes arent worthless. They need to be looked at skeptically because of all the confounding factors. However, reports of thousands of people experiencing the same issue is suggestive that it should be directly researched.
@@fox20rps94 Thousands of people reporting heart attacks after drinking water doesn't mean that water causes heart attacks. We need a controlled study to say anything. That's why Jeff's videos are so good. They are based on actual science, not bro science.
@@Bramble20322 what in the world are you talking about? What kind of insane non-sequitur are you proposing?
It doesn't matter if studies have shown hair loss or not, not every single thing can be tested in a lab environment. I noticed hair thinning when I used creatine, and there are many who had the same experience. It may only affect certain people.
It affected me. After i stopped everything went back to normal.
Since he mentioned the study measured serum DHT then it's still possible. This can be tested in a lab but not if they test the wrong thing. DHT might also not be the full story. One reason I'm annoyed by the over reliance on science
Then you have genetics prone to hair loss. Stop taking creatine. Its that simple. For other people without that genetic you're free to continue using creatine, ignore this commenter.
Updates?
@@rnavplays3170 ?
I cannot thank you enough for your videos! Best fitness content creator out there!
One of my brothers turned me onto Jeff and I gotta say, I'm so impressed by this content. Short and long form, nothing is said without relevant studies behind it and with plenty of caveats to paint a realistic picture of what is true.
Most of the time people don't want or care about getting quality nuanced answers and so most content creators cater to what is most popular. But then there are people like me, fighting for personal health and fitness in the midst of a normal life filled with complexity, responsibility and the competition of other good life goals hampering our progress, motivation and consistency. And all I want is the truth, no fluff, no lies, no quick fixes to waste my time - just quality information to help me better myself and teach my children how to do the same. And Jeff delivers. It took me awhile but I am officially a fan.
I hope this encourages you, Jeff. We all can use a little bit of that when we're doing something worthwhile. Cheers
Bruh, serum DHT increase will necessarily increase DHT at the follicle 🤦🏾♂️. Regardless the issue is follicle/genetic susceptibility to DHT. If you have hair loss already or are genetically predisposed to it creatine will, at most, accelerate it (but the size of the effect seems small).
Then you have genetics prone to hair loss. Stop taking creatine. Its that simple. For other people without that genetic you're free to continue using creatine, ignore this commenter.
I’ve always stayed away from creatine due to this reason lol
yeah same i think i used one scoop
and said fuck it after i read some stuff on reddit about people
going bad shortly after using it
@@nuclearpistachio after reading a lot of the comments on this video too, it’s only reaffirmed by commitment to never use Creatine lol. Sure they’re anecdotal, but that many negative anecdotes makes me weary. I’d rather just avoid it.
@@nuclearpistachio My hair is receeding and I'm 28. But it has nothing to do with creatine. I knew it before I start going to gym
1-) My uncle from mother side has no hair, most my cousins from mother side and father side too.
2-) You could see the line where it's supposed to go like 10 years ago.
3-) I'm fit and my friends call me Jason Statham so I do cut my hair all the time even tho I have like %70 hair compared to bald guys.
@@HisMajesty99 exactly idc about gains i might be losing. as long as i’m toned and not fat thats good enough. i never saw that many posts about people having kidney issues with protein powder so🤷🏽♂️
@@supernotnatural i hear what you’re saying but 99% of bald men do not look like jason statham and i’m sure if you asked them they would rather have hair than not
It does cause hair loss. Remember these influencer are selling creatin.
Love your chanel, it's my number one go to when it comes to workout related stuff here on yt!
I used creatine in the past and I realized two things : strength increase and hair loss... so I have stopped taking it ... I prefer a bit less strength and more hair
As a gym rat who shaves his head, I absolutely do not understand this reasoning.
@@-Zer0Dark-Not everybody is as accepting of their bald head as you are mate.
How many strands of hair do you lose when on creatine? Ie: when running your hands through your hair or showering.
@@alexrodriguez2464 it was more subtle...it didn't come off when combing my hair or in my hands...it gradually fell off and people noticed and warned me
@@alexrodriguez2464 It was less explicit
Creatine 1000% increases hair loss in certain individuals. I remember when I first started taking it back in 2019 after maybe 3-4 days of taking it often, I noticed hair hair was shedding like crazy! Like it was so much it would clog the drain in the shower every time I used it. Stopped taking creatine and gradually my hair stopped falling out and is back to normal again. Ended up taking a preworkout that was high in creatine (did not realize it at the time) and after about a week I noticed the same thing, my hair was just falling out like crazy! Looked at the back of the preworkout and it had a high dose of creatine per serving.
Your hair wouldn't fall out after 3-4 days of taking it. It doesn't work that way. Holy fu** you're full of shi*.
same, istg idk what to do, the only solution is to stop taking it , and be natural:-)
I have been taking creatine for 2 months, and for the past month, I've noticed that I'm losing a lot of hair in the temple area. I'm 21 years old and this is not normal for me. Do you think if I stop taking creatine, the hair can grow back in the areas where it has fallen out or not?
Stop and see if your hair grows back. That's a common experience for guys who found that creatine triggers hair loss.
How long did it take for your hair to stop shedding after you stopped taking creatine?
thank you! Ive been waiting for this forever!
Finally someone who referr to the research data it self, i really appreciate you, stopped taking creatine last year to learn more and I think soon I'm coming back.
Keep up the work Jeff! Your full videos are some of the best in the industry and I'm sure your shorts will be too.
Although the evidence doesn't seem super strong. It without a doubt does make my hair fall out.
I was not balding, then I started balding at 20 when I started using creatine. Then I stopped and the balding stopped.
Then I again started creatine at 22 and again I started balding, and stopped balding when I hopped off creatine.
Interesting
I strongly agree. I have seen hair thinning personally when taking creatine and then back to normal after I stopped it. I already have low hair density( just a little), hence i noticed this.
Your saying with in a few weeks of taking 5 grams of creatine you had a bald patch at 20???? Then when you stopped with in a few weeks your bald patch was gone???? Oh bullshit!!!!ol
Yup. Same! I was fine until when I was 20 i started using creatine and then the thinning started. Fast forward 12 years and im bald lol. Never hopped off. Always have taken 5mg a day. Gains are good. Hair isnt 😅🥲. Ill also add that bald runs in my family so maybe that didnt help
I'm 33 and I still have my hair after taking creatine for 8 years. It's true I'm taking dutasteride as well, so without it I don't known what would have happened
Thank you, Jeff! Love you content. Your workouts have changed the way I look and feel
Beautifully explained I was waiting for someone to show this exact information the way you did I am happy with your work sir!
I like the content usually, but it's not really a valid rebuttal. Men prone to balding do bald progressively with DHT levels within the normal range. Older men bald even quicker, even though their androgenic hormones levels are lower. Balding is complex. The increase in DHT shown in the study is important, even though the end levels remains within range. Not saying it is the case, but the hypothesis that creatine increases DHT, leading to accelerated hair thinning for men who are prone to begin with is reasonable. About scalp DHT vs serum DHT, it's a limitation of the study, but it does not invalidate the hypothesis. Finasteride lowers both scalp and serum DHT. Creatine, if it increases one, may increase the other. The truth, written many times over the internet, is that the topic has not been researched properly. The one study we have was not looking at hair loss at all, and there are no other. The fact that hair loss did not pop in any other creatine study does not mean anything. Studies are not magic. They are usually fairly restricted in what they assess (performance, safety, test levels, etc). Balding mechanisms are very complex and not fully understood. One knows for sure that DHT is involved, therefore treatment focuses on DHT (finasteride for instance). If creatine messes with DHT, it may (or may not) mess with hair follicles. If the gym increases serum DHT, then it may contribute to hair loss too. Again hard to know for sure in the absence of well-designed studies looking at it. It makes muscles grow, why could it not make your hair thin?
I am a twin. My brother and I both worked out fairly consistently for a few years when we were in highschool and college. I was much more into it and took creatine, drank preworkout, was more consistent and so on. My hairline was receding significantly by 17 and by 22 I had decided to completely shave my head. He still has a full head of hair however he does take a prescribed medication currently to help with his hairloss now.
so he also has hairloss at 22? thats insanely early also
@Sam-dt1kg a large part of it is definitely genetic but mine has been sped up significantly compared to his
@@opossumbandit4960High intensity workouts do play a role, but any DHT increase may subside quickly after workout, with creatine it stays artificially elevated throughout 24-hour cycle.
Decades later we find that creatine vendors funded these researches 😅
Yes, it absolutely does. Most people just don't care to track it properly.
Alright explain how and why it causes it.
No it doesn't lmao.
@harambe8372 the burden of proof is on your self.
While this is an important topic well covered in this short, I think that you're too reliant on studies alone.
Countless studies have "proven" that there's no correlation between processed sugars and bad skin, yet my experience shows otherwise without a fault. I eat a bar of chocolate, my face gets pimple visitors. I don't, and it remains impeccable. Perfection.
Not to mention that the study you cite here was done on a level of three weeks only, with college aged men. They usually don't have hair problems.
So I'm also interested in the real-life experience of people.
Alright but while your chocolate contained processed sugar, how would you know if that's what caused them? There are other ingredients in the bar.
@@harambe8372 Any type of processed sweets, whatever it is. Whether it's chocolate or cookies with peanut butter. Anything that has plenty of sugars in it and comes in a wrap. There.
@@MSordernaturesome bot literally copy pasted your comment man and has 10x the likes. Crazy stuff.
The point of studies is to bring evidence to what is probable. Nothing is proven in science, and there are always individual differences.
studies have also revealed that most chocolates (especially dark) contain cadmium and lead
Serum dht is in serum which is 55% component of blood which flows through the whole body, so over a period of time it can increase local DHT from my understanding
I have to agree it does cause hair loss but probably in certain people I am balding on top but I noticed after about 3 weeks of being on Creatine on a regular basis that my hair was thinning even more considerably for me to actually notice it and the fact that so many people talk about it it clearly must be happening to other people even if the science says no.
I noticed my hair started falling out as soon as I took creatine at 19 years old so yes it does increase hair loss
I took it for years and no hairloss so no
@@SMFizzy that’s because you don’t have hair loss in your genes but if you do it accelerates it 100% the fact I started losing hair as soon as I took it is not a coincidence
Same bro I’m 19 and took creatine for 6 months and since my hairline and temples have receded slightly and my hair is thinner and has less texture and volume than it did just a few months back
@@lyricalpanic618 hop off it bro not worth it and use rosemary oil everyday on the thinning areas and use a derma roller once a week. Should help it grow back!
Bald Jeff isn't real he can't hurt you.
Bald Jeff:
Yo extremely professional video/ edit and animations this is like those old tv shows that were actually interesting like myth busters
Dude, you look great without hair
Great videos man, thanks
ive noticed my hair has been thinner lately as I've been taking creatine regularly now. Honestly, I am eating about a pound of red meat at least every other day, which is basically like taking a scoop of creatine, so I think I am going to stop taking it? What do yall think
yes creatine makes hair losses. I stopped it for that.
I’ve read tons content providing similar conclusions. I then decided to give creatine a go and a had a massive shedding which stopped in a few days after i quit creatine.
DON’T USE CREATINE IF YOU’RE PRONE TO BALDNESS
How can someone know if they are prone to baldness ?
Male pattern baldness doesn’t even present itself as shedding of hair
Mpb is not your hair falling out, it’s your hair MINIATURIZING and NOT GROWING
So if your hair is FALLING OUT that’s DEFINITELY not MPB.
The DHT associated with hair loss seems to be a symptom of it. The same DHT increases in facial hair is associated with hair thickening and higher hair counts. It's being shown more recently that chronic tension in the cranial muscles reduces blood flow to the hair follicles. Which is a thing that can happen automatically when you are working hard lifting. Carrying tension in your forehead and cranial muscles is very easy to have happen but it can be countered by attending to those muscles with massage etc.
You’re the only person I’ve seen in this comment section who I think is on the right track. Of course, there are a lot of other things involved with MPB such as histamine, estrogen, cortisol, aldosterone, etc.
I personally don't take creatine anymore. I was mainly ingesting it for cognitive reasons, but what I noticed is that I am getting cramps and also nausea and muscle strains/stiffness. My training regime is pretty consistent, same as diet.
Only thing changed is I started to add 5g of creatine to my drink everyday, for past 2.5 months.
I stopped this about 3 weeks ago and everything seems to be back to normal. As for heir I can't say I noticed any change, as I always had head full of hairs and no cases of balding in my closest family.
But effects I placed above are enough for me to not take it.
I do train but not strictly body building or power lifting.
I wanna have my flexibility and mobility and definitely creatine was affecting my muscle stiffness.
Also some researches showing in can reduce your VO2 max and endurance.
I know it's anecdotal but I have tried taking creatine 5 separate times for 3 months each time over the last 6 years, with large gaps (years) in between. Each time without fail my head started itching severely and hair fall increased massively. Every time these effects stopped when I stopped taking creatine, although the lost hair was permanent.
Did you eventually grow it back. Or was it gone forever. I recently started taking creatine in July and now I'm noticing a fair bit of hairloss which was never a case for last 29 years of my life
@@ateamrohan the thinning thickened back out but the roots that actually fell out never came back
@@samwoodsywoods i took it for one month so far and have been noticing hair fall. Now that i have stopped would it still continue to impact the hair fall.
Sorry I'm just a little paranoid at this point. Thank you for all your help in this honestly.
@@ateamrohan no it will just return back to the slower natural rate of hair loss in my experience. I think creatine only affects people who were going to bald anyway it just massively speeds it up. But yeah it should stop now you've stopped and even thicken up a bit
@@samwoodsywoods thank you for this. I'll probably keep everyone updated
100% false, I’ve started rapidly losing my hair the second I started taking creatine (10G a day). I then stopped taking creatine for 2 months and noticed my hairloss slowed down noticeably, then started taking it again for 2 months and the hairloss started again. I’m now 1.5 years off of creatine and it’s safe to say that my hairloss has completely stopped, and I even regrew a lot of the hair I lost (with the help of fin + min).
Jeff, you can say this because you haven’t lost your hair from Creatine, but there are a lot of us that have completely lost our hair, or are in the process of losing our hairs from Creatine. Of course Genetics plays a big factor, but not everyone is immune to the hairloss side effect of creatine like you are.
Love your videos by the way, i’m a huge fan.
Yeap same here, I noticed hair thinning and I immediately stopped. Not everything can be tested in a lab environment.
I’m on the same page with you man, I mean balding occurs on the side of my mum’s family but when I started taking creatine it gave me noticeably massive hair loss that I didn’t have when I was not taking it.
@@jadeyambot7389updates?
its not the creatine causing the hair loss, at most the creatine accelerates it, you goons acting like you wouldn't be losing hair at all without creatine is cringe asf
@@Sam-dt1kg since getting off creatine I have regained all my hair and have a full set of thick hair with a straight hairline now.
Its funny how you can come out here and try to educate me on whats actually going on for me. Having 0 information and thinking you know it all is whats actually cringe af
Been on creatine for 2 years, I'm 31 years old. Still have luscious curls
N=20 should have been the starting point for criticism of the study.
Thanks for calming my anxiety on it lol
If it increases serum DHT then it can increase hair loss. There's nothing more to be said
thank you i’m using it starting tomorrow
Happy to see you doing shorts, you out of all people i want to see while im scrolling 🎉
Science or not I would disagree strongly I stopped taking Creatine because it was causing my hair to fall out like crazy. I would run my hand though my hair and it would be covered. Within 3 weeks off completely back to normal. Don’t think it was a coincidence. Just putting that out there.
Yes it is scientifically shown to increase serum DHT by over 50% within several days of creatine supplementation in the van der Merwe study.
Bro, holy sh*t. I'm so glad I discovered this comment of yours. I'm exactly the same!! I'm so much thinner on top and running my hands through my hair is just so depressing. Started taking creatine at the end of summer.
Did your hair really go back to normal?
Honestly don’t think 100% but definitely got close to normal. My situation wasn’t really that long ago either so maybe time will tell. Im pretty sure just the act of starting a regular gym routine also causes DHT levels to rise from the increased test levels but I since I stopped taking Creatine I definitely don’t shed it like I did but I’m sure everyone might be affected differently. Also switched my pre workout because it had Creatine too so I was taking at least 8g a day.
This is anecdotal of course but the period where I took creatine for the first time is also the same period where I first noticed my hair fall out. I remember really good those 2 weeks of summer
i'm norwood 3 (and have been since I was 18 and this summer) and in my head I just associate creatine=hair loss because that's what happened to me. Maybe it was the time my hair decided to fall out and I just happened to have been taking creatine without any relation between the two, but i've thrown the creatine I had very quickly lol
It wasn't the creatine.
It reminds me of the old myth that shaving your facial hair makes one's beard regrow thicker and fuller. The reality was that most men start shaving as their facial hair follicles start to activate, so a false link was hypothosized between shaving and growing a thicker, fuller beard.
I love your content Jeff. Feels like I’m in a college class when you go through studies like this, and you make it fun! 🙌 keep it up dude
Loving the short form content Jeff 🎉
But my personal experience, creatine does cause hair thinning. My hair started thinning only after creatine. My family hairline is good, no one is bald in my family.
Update?
@@rnavplays3170 using various products to keep my hair. A Thailand brand. Bergamot shampoo and tonic helps a lot. And currently using rosemary oil. I don't use creatine anymore.
Ditch studies and use personal experience. Many ppl experienced hair loss after taking creatine including me. And tested many times as i believe creatine increased my muscle mass and mood. But it caused hairloss and i had some back pain maybe kidney? So i stopped. Experience > science.
This was some news I didn't know I needed to hear today
Anecdotally, absolutely. I come from a family of super thick, super luscious wavy hair with practically no balding in old age. Creatine use made my hair fall. Ceasing made it grow back. In fact, I had no idea the two were linked until I was pulling out hairs in showers and googled it.
I am definitely loosing hair
Not because of the creatine bro 😎
I've been taking creatine since I was 17... I take it daily and I'm now 33. (Monohydrate and HCL) My hair is just as full and thick as it was back then.
Lucky.....Not for me. When i was 19/20 i started. Notice thinning by 22/23. Bald by 32. Sucks but gains are good 😅😢. I probably should've stopped back then but oh well
@@aidenjaxlol it was probably genetics rather than creatine, you started at 19 but you didn't notice hair loss until 22. Most people notice hair loss during their 1st creatine cycle which means probably in 1-2 months after starting. Im 19 and have been taking creatine for the past 3 months, amazing gains and no hair loss/ thinning whatsoever 😅
You were probably not prone or susceptible to balding then.
Well taking for 2 years now my hair growth is in next level
Studies are good for general guidelines. But personal experience is at least as important if not more. I can tell you without a doubt,every goddamn time I started taking creatine I was shedding like a dog. And before you tell me it causes hair to fall if you have a genetic predisposition, absolutely no one on either side of my family is bald. So yes,in certain cases creatine does cause hair loss.
How much did you take
@@soroushm2498 3 to 5 grams. Not even that much considering I weigh around 98 kg at 193cm height.
A large percentage of men will go bald whether they use creatine or not, so it stands to reason that a significant portion of men who use creatine will also go bald. People who start using creatine will likely start using it before the age that balding typically starts, so it might seem like the creatine caused it, but it's just coincidence
I've heard far more than enough experiences to assume it's just coincidence
Can I still maximize my genetic muscular potential without using creatine? I eat in a calorie surplus, Push pull legs 2x week, 1 g/lb protein, 8 hrs sleep. Am I leaving gains on the table?
I like listening to smart people ✌🏼 keep the info coming
The hairloss myth is the reason i stopped Talking creatinr 😂
Really wish there'd be another, significant study over this topic. They could explore dosage, frequency, long-term effects, outside factors, nutrition, age, etc. but they keep avoiding this very important topic.
I took creatine for a couple months. There was a significant amount of hair falling in the shower, I stopped taking creatine and the hair stopped falling.
Not scientific, but it was significant, observable and obviously linked to creatine.
Just my experience.
Serum DHT will also go to your scalp.
Crazy reading these comments. I’ve been on it for over a year and have had no issues. Hair is thick as ever, beard is getting thicker too, more chest hair.
Bro you’ve saved a lot of people by doing the research on your own and giving us the final results
Loving the shorts Jeff 🙏❤️
That was a good one Jeff.
Thank you so much. I have been waiting for an explanation from you, a persons information I trust! Started creatine a few months ago even though I didn’t have an answer to the hair loss speculations! While taking creatine I have always been a bit worried and now you have taken this worry out of my head. Thank you so much. ❤
Any update on your hair?
@@chaudharyaviral590 nothings changed. Literally nothing. No extra shed, no change to the texture or thickness, no changes about the looks.
I am 17 though. So I don’t think I am at risk of any significant hair loss hopefully yet.
Anecdotally, I start losing hair fast after roughly a month of taking creatine. It stops about a month after I stop. I’ve tried 3 times at different dosages to see if I get the same effect. I do when 1g, 3g and 5g are taken daily. Anecdotes like mine are quite common also so maybe more studies are necessary.
How many strands of hair do you lose when on creatine? Ie: when running your hands through your hair or showering.