Creatine! The Supplement You Wish You Had Taken Earlier.

I saw a video last week on Instagram that said.

“Creatine causes hair loss.”

It was getting clicks. It was also using old research to scare people.

Here is what the story left out. In 2009, a small crossover study in college rugby players reported a rise in DHT after three weeks of creatine. The trial did not measure hair loss. It was short and small. Yet it keeps getting shared as proof that creatine makes you bald.

Newer data do not back that claim. A 12‑week randomized trial published in 2025 tracked hair and hormones and found no difference between creatine and placebo in hair growth or DHT.

Creatine is also legal in sport, not on WADA’s 2025 Prohibited List.

What creatine does, in plain language

Creatine helps your cells recycle energy fast. Your muscles and brain store it as phosphocreatine. During short, hard efforts, this system helps you push a bit harder and recover faster.

What is solid for muscle and performance

Across randomized trials and meta‑analyses, creatine plus resistance training improves strength and often lean mass compared with training alone, as summarized by Burke et al., 2023 and Wang et al., 2024.

Europe has two narrow authorized claims: daily 3 g creatine increases performance in successive short, high‑intensity efforts, and in adults over 55, daily creatine can enhance the effect of resistance training on muscle strength. That language comes from EFSA’s 2011 opinion and EU Implementing Regulation 2017/672.

Brain claims, with caveats

Hype is ahead of proof. In 2024, EFSA reviewed the file and rejected a broad cognition claim, stating that a cause‑and‑effect link is not established.

That said, there are interesting signals. Under sleep loss, a single high dose improved processing speed and brain energy markers in a small lab trial. A 2024 meta‑analysis reported small benefits for memory and attention time, with mixed results elsewhere. Vegetarians and vegans often respond more, likely due to lower baseline stores, in studies such as Benton et al., 2011 and Rae et al., 2003.

Concussion and depression: early, not settled

Small pediatric TBI pilots reported better recovery with long‑term creatine, with similar findings in a second open‑label study in 2007 (Acta Paediatr), but they need confirmation.

For depression, a double‑blind trial in women found faster and greater SSRI response with 5 g creatine per day versus placebo. A 2025 randomized add‑on study to CBT also suggests benefit, but more work is needed.

Safety: kidneys, cramps, dehydra

tion

In healthy adults using standard doses, controlled trials and reviews do not show kidney harm. Creatine can raise the lab marker creatinine without damaging the kidneys, as reported in a 2019 meta‑analysis. A 2024 Mendelian randomization study also found no association with impaired renal function.

The old claim that creatine causes cramps or dehydration has not held up in team‑sport data. In Division I football, creatine users did not have more cramping, heat illness, or dehydration. Reviews, including the ISSN position stand, reach the same conclusion.

Pregnancy and breastfeeding

Creatine is a normal component of human milk. Human supplementation data in lactation are limited, so major databases advise caution unless prescribed. A 2025 pharmacokinetic study in third‑trimester adults suggests dosing is feasible, but this is not a go‑ahead for routine use.

The form that works

Pick plain creatine monohydrate. Head‑to‑head studies have not shown buffered creatine or creatine HCl to outperform monohydrate on real outcomes, according to the ISSN position stand and an earlier overview by Cooper et al., 2012.

Powder is very stable when dry. In solution it slowly degrades to creatinine, faster in acidic drinks and with heat, based on classic stability work and a broader 2022 review.

A note on gummies

Independent tests in 2024 and 2025 found several popular creatine gummies contained little or no creatine. Heat and acidity during production likely break creatine down.

How to use creatine

Two simple dosing options used in research:

1. Loading then maintenance. Take 20 g per day split into 4 doses for 5 to 7 days. Then 3 to 5 g per day. Fast saturation, more early water weight. Guidance in the ISSN stand.

2. No loading. Take 3 to 5 g per day. You will reach similar muscle levels in a few weeks. Easier on the stomach.

Timing. Consistency matters more than the clock. If you lift, taking it near workouts is fine. A small trial hinted at a post‑workout edge, while others found similar results or mixed effects.

With food. Pairing creatine with carbohydrate, or carbohydrate plus protein, can increase retention during the first days.

Who tends to benefit most

• People who lift or do short, intense efforts.

• Older adults who lift.

• Vegetarians and vegans, who often start with lower muscle creatine and may see a bigger jump, per Chilibeck et al., 2017 and Benton et al., 2011.

Product quality and certifications

Supplements are not pre‑approved by FDA. Contamination and mislabeling happen. If you are an athlete, use products vetted by programs that test for banned substances. USADA points athletes to NSF Certified for Sport and you can also look for Informed Sport. You can search certified creatine products here: NSF listings and Informed Sport search.

Quick answers to common claims

• “Creatine causes hair loss.” Not shown in modern trials. See the 2025 RCT above.

• “Creatine hurts your kidneys.” Not in healthy adults at studied doses. See the kidney meta‑analysis above.

• “Creatine dehydrates you and causes cramps.” Team‑sport data say no. See the football study above.

• “Other forms are better than monohydrate.” No convincing head‑to‑head advantage.

• “It is banned in sports.” False. Check the WADA list.

Bottom line

Fear sells. The 2009 rugby paper is real, but it is not the whole story. In 2025, creatine monohydrate remains one of the best‑studied, most useful, and most boringly safe supplements for healthy adults when used as directed. If you use it, keep it simple. Pick monohydrate. Use 3 to 5 g daily. Lift. Choose third‑party tested products if you compete or want extra assurance.

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