Does creatine cause hair loss?
No: the whole claim traces to one 2009 study of 20 rugby players that measured DHT, not hair, and it has never been replicated.
If you are genetically predisposed to male pattern baldness you will lose hair whether or not you take creatine. Nothing in the literature suggests creatine moves that timeline.
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- van der Merwe, J. et al. (2009). Three weeks of creatine monohydrate supplementation affects dihydrotestosterone to testosterone ratio in college-aged rugby players. Clin J Sport Med 19(5). The single source of the claim. n=20, measured hormones, not hair loss.
- Antonio, J. et al. (2021). Common questions and misconceptions about creatine supplementation: what does the scientific evidence really show?. J Int Soc Sports Nutr 18(1). Reviews 12 studies measuring androgens; no replication of the DHT finding.
- Kreider, R.B. et al. (2017). International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: safety and efficacy of creatine supplementation in exercise, sport, and medicine. J Int Soc Sports Nutr 14. No hair-loss signal across decades of safety data.