Can Creatine Cause Hair loss?

in #health6 years ago (edited)



Hair loss does not affect our normal body functions in any way, yet it is the one thing that scares us enough to spend thousands of dollars on treatments. One does care about how he or she is looking, and losing a crucial part of our “look” can demoralize us and affect our daily life negatively. Hence, that makes us want to know whether using any product causes any damage to our non-essential keratin growth on our head.The relationship between creatine and baldness hasn’t been directly investigated in the scientific literature. The performance benefits of creatine are well documented and most consistent out of all performance supplements. But there is one thing that people are more concerned about, does creatine causes hair loss?Although creatine is often touted as an effective and safe performance supplement, there has been a rising concern as to whether it might lead to hair loss. Creatine increases DHT (Dihydrotestosterone) and DHT is implicated in the pathology and a receding hairline.A rugby player when given 25g of creatine monohydrate per day for 7 days as a loading phase had 56% increase in the level of DHT and further maintenance of 5g of creatine per day for 14 days, DHT level still remain elevated by 40%. Interestingly it also increased DHT: T(?) ratio, even though testosterone level did not change.This suggests an accelerated effect of DHT production since DHT is metabolised from testosterone and the enzyme 5-alpha-reductase.[DHT= testosterone + 5-alpha reductase].Even if creatine does affect the DHT levels, one cannot be sure that it has a direct effect on hair loss, considering that DHT levels do rise naturally. Exercise itself can increase DHT level by as much as 30%.

Genetic Factor

Creatine may expand the rate of thinning up of hair in men with Male Pattern Baldness, in spite of the fact that the information should be recreated a bit to be more convincing. This may only practically apply to persons with a family history or already present receding hairlines since there is a significant genetic component for hair loss in male youth.So if you have a family history of hair loss, then you might have to think about taking creatine. Moreover, there are high chances you may suffer from male pattern baldness at an early age, and creatine may further increase its chances by introducing high DHT levels early in your life.Through the enzyme 5-alpha reductase, testosterone changes over into the stronger and more potent androgen, DHT and this present enzyme's outcomes are noted in the scalp also. Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) seems to be the main player in male pattern baldness, and higher circulating DHT levels are correlated with a higher rate of hair loss in those susceptible to the effects of DHT. Those who are concerned about their hair loss due to DHT they may consider using DHT blocker like finasteride which inhibits the enzymes called as 5- alpha reductase.And most importantly always do check with your doctor before taking anything.

Does Finasteride kill your sex drive?

In the event that we are to expect that creatine builds male pattern baldness rates, at that point intervention with a 5-alpha-reductase inhibitor can lessen the rate of male pattern baldness. This has not been investigated either, but there is a significant amount of evidence backing the efficacy of the most common 5-alpha-reductase inhibitor known as Finasteride (Propecia) for reducing the effects of androgens.Finasteride leading to sexual side effects may not always be true. While it is true that some people experienced side effects in the form of impotence, decreased libido, and ejaculatory dysfunction during 73 different clinical trials, it only affected 2 to 3 percent of people taking finasteride.Furthermore, for most patients, the onset of these side effects started early in the tests and tended to go away a couple of months later as the patients continued the treatment for the vast majority of men who noticed it. With that said, it is true that a small percentage of men will experience erectile dysfunction and a low sex drive while taking finasteride and potentially after. If you notice that it’s affecting your sex life, contact your doctor before continuing treatment.For those of you concerned about Finasteride, I appreciate the criticism. Of course, you should always do your homework first and evaluate the risk/reward equation for your specific case using the counsel of a qualified doctor when considering using a new supplement or medication.

My Final Thought

Hair loss depends on a lot of our physiology factor too. If our stress level is very high in relation to thinking about hair loss and getting worried a lot, then it may amplify its effect. Too much being worried and thinking about hair may increase our stress hormone known as cortisol, which may further impact our hair negatively.If you have a family history of hair loss, you should probably just learn to live with the fact that you'll bald eventually.Stuff like finasteride pretty much may (and I mean “may”) rob you of your manhood by lowering libido levels quite a bit. And for what, a bit of hair regrowth?  May not be worth it. DHT will help keep your estrogen levels down. Messing around with hormones should be a last resort to small issues like losing hair.In the end, I think benefits far away from the cost when it comes to creatine supplementation. Considering the supplement industry which overpromises and under deliveries, creatine is what which lives up the hype with you or your gains. 

Note: this article is from own website theholisticwellbeing

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