Does creatine cause hair loss? A 12-week randomized controlled trial
Lak M, Forbes SC, Ashtary-Larky D, Dadkhahfar S, Robati RM, Nezakati F, Khajevandi M, Naseri S, Gerafiani A, Haghighat N, Antonio J, Tinsley GM
Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition · 3 citas
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Cómo se estudió
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- Ensayo controlado aleatorizado (indexado por PubMed)
- Estudiado en
- Personas
- Resultado principal
- Marcadores de salud y funcionamiento
Quién lo pagó
- Financiación
- Financiación independiente
- Autores
- Al menos un autor declara un vínculo económico con la industria
Según la declaración de financiación del texto completo.
Publicación
- Publicado
- 2025-04-23 · J Int Soc Sports Nutr · vol. 22 · número sup1 · pág. 2495229
- Editorial
- Springer Science+Business Media
- Citado
- 5 citas · más que el 94% de estudios similares · 4.5× el promedio de su campo
- Impacto
- Entre el 10 % más citado de su campo
- Referencias
- 24 trabajos
- Acceso
- Acceso abierto (revista) · CC-BY
- Áreas de investigación
- Hair Growth and Disorders · Muscle metabolism and nutrition · Hormonal and reproductive studies
- Palabras clave
- creatine monohydrate, hair loss, dihydrotestosterone, androgen levels, testosterone, ergogenic aids, resistance-trained men, hair density
- MeSH
- hair follicle, humans, alopecia, creatine, dihydrotestosterone, testosterone, double-blind method, dietary supplements, adolescent, adult, male, resistance training, young adult
12 autores
- Mohammadyasin Lak🇮🇷Sport Sciences Research Institute
- Scott C. Forbes🇨🇦 · autor de correspondenciaBrandon University
- Damoon Ashtary‐Larky🇮🇷Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences
- Sahar Dadkhahfar🇮🇷Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences
- REZA MAHMOUD ROBATI🇮🇷Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences
- Farshid Nezakati🇮🇷Payame Noor University
- Makan Khajevandi🇮🇷Islamic Azad University, Tehran; Islamic Azad University Central Tehran Branch
- Sara Naseri🇮🇷Islamic Azad University, Karaj
- Arvin Gerafiani🇮🇷Islamic Azad University, Tehran
- Neda Haghighat🇮🇷Shiraz University of Medical Sciences
- José António🇺🇸Nova Southeastern University
- Grant M. Tinsley🇺🇸Texas Tech University
Resumen
El texto original del estudio, en el idioma en que se publicó.
Background
Creatine is a widely used ergogenic aid that enhances muscle strength and lean mass. However, concerns have been raised about the potential role in promoting hair loss by increasing dihydrotestosterone (DHT). Currently, there is no direct evidence examining the relationship between creatine supplementation and hair follicle health. Therefore, the purpose was to determine the effects of 12 weeks of creatine supplementation on androgen levels and hair follicle health in healthy young males.
Methods
Forty-five resistance-trained males (ages 18-40 years) were recruited and randomly assigned to either a creatine monohydrate (5 g/day) or placebo (5 g maltodextrin/day) group. Participants maintained their habitual diets and training routines. Blood samples were collected at baseline and after 12 weeks to measure total testosterone, free testosterone, and DHT. Hair follicle health was assessed using the Trichogram test and the FotoFinder system (hair density, follicular unit count, and cumulative hair thickness). Statistical analyses were performed using repeated measures ANOVA, and potential outliers were examined through sensitivity analysis.
Results
Thirty-eight participants completed the study, with no significant differences in baseline characteristics between groups. There were no group-by-time interactions observed for any hormones or hair-related outcomes (p > 0.05). While total testosterone increased (∆ = post value minus pre value: creatine = ∆124 ± 149 ng/dL; placebo = ∆216 ± 203 ng/dL) and free testosterone decreased (creatine = ∆-9.0 ± 8.7 pg/mL; placebo = ∆-9 ± 6.4 pg/mL) over time, these effects were independent of supplementation. There were no significant differences in DHT levels, DHT-to-testosterone ratio, or hair growth parameters between the creatine and placebo groups.
Conclusion
This study was the first to directly assess hair follicle health following creatine supplementation, providing strong evidence against the claim that creatine contributes to hair loss.
Resumen vía Europe PMC. Los derechos de autor siguen siendo de los autores o la editorial (CC BY).
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