Creatine and Hairloss

[AussieExperiment]

Does anyone know whether creatine can cause hairloss?
There is plenty of anecdotal evidence on the web but I have been unable to find any revevant studies.

If there is a correlation this may not just effect people taking creatine, but also protien supplements. I was not aware of this until recently, but apprently too much protein can cause the body to produce excess levels of creatine.

I found out about the connection between protein and creatine when I had a blood test. I had high creatine levels and several doctors told me this was because of my high protein levels (I used to take a protein drink 3-4 times per day for weight lifting).

Anyway, I am going to do a bit more research into this area. If anyone has any knowledge or is also interested please let me know.

 

[Goingat20]

hey mate
my creatine kinase levels were high in my last blood test. I use both creatine and protein for body building, and i think they have some sort of affect on my hair loss. It could be from stress during training im not sure.. But im pretty sure they had some effect

 

[WorldofWarcraft]

hey mate
my creatine kinase levels were high in my last blood test. I use both creatine and protein for body building, and i think they have some sort of affect on my hair loss. It could be from stress during training im not sure.. But im pretty sure they had some effect

Wow, what a great deal of scientific research you used to come to your conclusions. I'm convinced! :roll:

(these are the kind of posts that start baseless rumors)

 

[AussieExperiment]

I will reiterate

WorldofWarcraft perhaps english is not your first language so I will explain to you the point of this post.

Neither myself or Goingat20 were suggesting the link between creatine\protein supplements was anything but anecdotal.

Having said said this, anything which increases T levels could adversely affect hair growth. Anyone who is into weight lifting would understand that such supplements can affect T levels during a lifting session.

Anyways, I am not going to argue with you. I am trying to get peoples opinions and to track down some research. General discussion is the best place to start. People should be able to discuss their personal experiences without being shot down by you all the time.

Goingat20 has contributed significantly to this board and I appreciate his input.

 

[WorldofWarcraft]

Re: I will reiterate

Goingat20 has contributed significantly to this board and I appreciate his input.

You have a very low intelligence if you believed he contributed sigfnificantly to this discussion considering all he did was say "I think creatine and protien have effected my hair. loss."

Grow some brains dude. He doesn't even bother to suggest why creatine or protien would effect his hairloss. Its the most worthless post ever.

Quit being dumb as sh*t and try to realize that as long as people think sugar pills give them the side effects of dizziness nausea, that just proclaiming creatine and protein caused my hair to fall out is worthless, and leads to idiotic assumptions/wives tales.

I guess I can add this to my list of shockingly idiotic things people think cuased there hair to fall out along with masterbation, being on the computer too much, and sleeping on your back.

p.s. There is a million posts/discussions on this subject all over the web already. Why do you need to create one more?

 

[Goingat20]

hey WorldofWarcraft
My post wasnt detailed at all. Ive been working out for 5 years now using a lot of supplements, ive been taking dutasteride for a long time now along with using minoxidil, and a few other things which havent really worked. Thats what makes me think these supps could have played some role. Of course this is just a statement i made with no scientific backgroud or research, but based on my experience. But your right, i shouldnt really make statements like that so other readers dont get thr wrong idea...

I havent really helped much people on this board, but i have to admid i have received alot of help myself...

What does everyone else thing about creatine and hair loss?

 

[AussieExperiment]

WorldofWarcraft what is your logic?

WorldofWarcraft why do you believe creatine could not have a negative affect on hair growth? I don't want to argue with you, but you must have read something or have some personal experience in supplementing creatine to have such a strong opinion about this. If so I would be interested in hearing it. As you know I am trying to find as much info on this topic as possible.

I have recently discovered the following:

Some research indicates creatine monohydrate can raise growth hormone equal to that of intense exercise. Human Growth hormone (HGH) plays an essential role in the regulation of body fat levels, immunity, muscle mass, wound healing, bone mass and many other bodily functions. It is well established that HGH levels steadily decline as we age and is partially responsible for the steady loss of muscle mass, loss of skin elasticity, immune dysfunction and many other physical changes that take place in the aging human body.HGH is produced at a rate that peaks during adolescence, at time when normal growth is accelerated. The production of human growth hormone decreases with age, 14% each year on average. Humans normally produce about 500 micrograms of growth hormone daily at age 20.It is secreted in pulses by the pituitary gland. These pulses vary between 10 and 30 per day and can be strengthened by exercise. By age 80, the daily production falls to 60 (or less) micrograms. Studies on exercising versus sedentary healthy men showed that only one-fourth of the the decline in lean lean tissue mass is caused by disuse while three-fourths is caused by the aging process.Therefore, the possible effects of creatine on HGH is worth exploring in aging populations.

One study found creatine could mimic the increased HGH levels seen after intense exercise. In this study, researchers gave six healthy male subjects 20 grams of creatine monohydrate in a single dose under resting (non-exercising) conditions. The researcher's found that all subjects showed a "significant" increase of HGH in the blood during the six-hour period after creatine ingestion. For the majority of subjects the maximum HGH concentration occurred between two and six hours after ingesting the creatine.

The conclusion of the study was "In resting conditions and at high dosages creatine enhances GH secretion, mimicking the response of strong exercise which also stimulates GH secretion." These researchers felt that the effects of creatine on GH could be viewed as one of creatine's anabolic properties with the lean mass and strength increases observed after creatine supplementation. Although creatine supplementation has been found to increase lean muscle mass and strength in many studies, the effects of creatine on those tissues via GH enhancement has yet to be explored. This also leads on to the fact that increasing HGH also increases IGF-1, testosterone and insulin...3 other extremely anabolic hormones...So the benefits of creatine supplementation could be far more reaching than first supposed...

As you can see some studies have indicated a relationshp between creatine supplements and hormones. I have not validated this info yet. As I said before the point of this post was to see what other people know on the topic. I am trying to track down some concrete data on this. For people who are into weight lifting this is a valid topic for discussion and research.

 

[s.a.f]

This question has been asked many times before on this forum, do a search for it! IMO using creatine and or other supplements like protein powder will not effect your hair.

 

[docj077]

This question has been asked many times before on this forum, do a search for it! IMO using creatine and or other supplements like protein powder will not effect your hair.

Personally, I'd be more concerned with the amount of cholesterol in those supplements.

Afterall, Cholesterol is the hormone that acts as a precursor to all sex hormones including testosterone. High protein is nice, but high cholesterol merely feeds the fires of male pattern baldness...whether you're on a 5AR inhibitor or not.

 

[mumuka]

Re: I will reiterate

I guess I can add this to my list of shockingly idiotic things people think cuased there hair to fall out along with masterbation, being on the computer too much, and sleeping on your back.

I agree 100%. Some smart ones even say that male pattern baldness is caused by :

-Showering for too long with warm/cold /unfiltered water

-eating too much red meat ,noodles,potatoes


- washing hair too often whith shampoo which contains SLS

and the list goes on........

 

[H/B]

igf-1 may be good for hair

 

[sphlanx2006]

hey mate
my creatine kinase levels were high in my last blood test. I use both creatine and protein for body building, and i think they have some sort of affect on my hair loss. It could be from stress during training im not sure.. But im pretty sure they had some effect

Wow, what a great deal of scientific research you used to come to your conclusions. I'm convinced! :roll:

(these are the kind of posts that start baseless rumors)

Worldofwarcraft, i think you have missed the line between useless rumoric posts and general discussion posts about people's experience with several drugs and substances.

I get the feeling that if everyone on this forum was like you, all we were going to do is talk about the big3 and nothing else.

 

[s.a.f]

Dont forget working out.

 

[psych721027]

Probably the two best suppliments to take for weight training, except for your basic whey protein, are Glutamine and Creatine. The great thing about these two suppliments is that they work through different paths.

I haven't read any study that indicated any growth hormone elevation form creatine(though it may elicit a small increase, I'm not sure), however, I know glutamine is a big time HGH releaser. All the studies I've seen revolve around creatine increasing water retention inside the muscle. Larger muscle, more leverage, more leverage, increased strength.

As far as I know, there is no relationship between these two suppliments and hair loss. I've been cycling these two for years and have noticed no hair loss as a result. Just like someone else said, HGH should be good for hair, if anything. It's a different path than testosterone and DHT.

 

[Goingat20]

good post psych721027, its good when people who actually train and use supplements give feedback based on their experience. And your spot on with glutamine very important supplement....

 

[chr1s]

Well.. I started taking creatine on and off since about 18 or 19... I first noticed my hair to begin thinning a bit at age 23 when I was almost turning 24(i'm 25 now). That year of age 23 I was not taking that much creatine though(if any at all), not as much as before at least. I tried all types of creatine btw but mainly stuck with the chewable pills.

I duno if this helps any.

 

[AussieExperiment]

Thanks psych721027

psych721027 thanks for the info on glutamine. I supplement glutamine aswell so it is good to hear that it is ok to use.

 

[psych721027]

Glad I could help out guys. I tend to do a lot of research on a supplimetn befor eI start taking it. Simply because most bodybuilding suppliments on the market are complete crap. I also, like to look for best bang for the buck. Creatine and Glutamine win hands down in those categories.

Generally, I'll cycle 2 or 3 weeks on Creatine and Glutamine and then 1 or 2 weeks off. Mainly cause you don't want your body to get used to them, especially the glutamine, otherwise it starts lowering your normal production of HGH, and that's not good. You don't want to develop a dependence. Anyway, try taking them both together. Once when you get up, once before training, and once before bed. 5-10g each time. It's awesome. Especially after your 1 or 2 weeks off or when you first start using them together. Big time strength increase.

Just thought I'd share, in case anyone was interested. I know there seems to be quite a few guys that train on here. Some may already know this stuff, others may not. Hopefully someone can benefit from it.

 

[RyanR]

Ok, this is my FIRST post, but I had to chime in. I am a Personal Trainer and Nutritionist for over 5 years. I can explain a few things here.

1. Creatine works by increasing intracellular levels of water causing more volume in the muscle, giving extra leverage for greater lifts. It also exerts an effect on ATP levels leading to greater maximun force that can be generated over longer periods of time(more weight lifted plus more reps). I have seen ZERO data that is controlled and scientific demonstrating ANY correllation to Testosterone, GH, or IGF-1 increases. The info listed in the post above does not take into account that intense anaerobic exercise ALONE leads to temporary increases of the three hormones mentioned. Creatine is the most widely used and studied weight training supplement in history. Over 1000 studies and over 1 million users over the 13 years since it first hit the market. Creatine does NOT cause hairloss and there are no controlled studies that demonstrate that it does.

The PROBLEM is that unscrupulous supplement manufacturers have TAINTED some creatine products with small amounts of anabolic steroids such as DMT, Methandione, MethylTestosterone, and Pro Hormones (precursers to Test). They get users hooked on a product, then remove the anabolic substance once it has a good reputation. This "scandal" has been reported in a study involving the investigation of 93 bobybuilding supplements (including creatine formulas) commonly sold. Of the 93products, 16 tested positive for the above mentioned steroids. In fact, 2 products had doses as high as 23mg of Methandione (commonly called Dianabol) per serving!!! 23mg of "Dbol" is 3-4x the level of hormone that a normal male produces daily. It is a highly anabolic/androgenic steroid that WILL lead to male pattern baldness in genetically predisposed individuals.

High protein levels can not have an impact on hair loss either. High levels in the bodybuilding world is 2 plus grams of protein per lb. of bodyweight. That's 400grams plus for a 200lb. man. Again I have seen ZERO controlled studies showing ANY corelation to protein intake and male pattern baldness.

I hope this helps. Stay on the creatine/moderate protein diet and clean up the diet in general as well as exercising. If we have to go bald, at least we can have a nice body to offset it!!!LOL. Ryan.

 

[RyanR]

By the way Psych, you should look into supplementing the amino acid LEUCINE rather than Glutamine. It is the amino acid directly responsible for signaling increased protein synthesis. Glutamine has very poor absorbtion and although it looks good on paper, it has not be shown to have any impact on muscle size, strength, or endurance. Leucine is the way to go. 8-10 grams post workout added to a good whey protein isolate mixed with high glycemic index carbs to promote an increased insulin spike and uptake.