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*I Took this Quacks Advice!!! I ran Right Out to the Health Food Store &* *I Bought Creatine!!! I used it, & then went to Gym!!! I was so Wasted that* *I was weak & had No Energy!!!!* *I will use this Creatine as a SLEEP Aide for Going to Bed!!!!*
Those recent studies mention testosterone and not DHT. DHT can rise without testosterone. Why they have not done any studies looking specifically at DHT is crazy given that the main reason people don't take it is hair loss.
Agreed. It is not an increase in actual testosterone levels but an increase in your current testosterone getting converted into higher than normal levels of DHT which can cause hair loss to those who are pre-dispositioned to male pattern baldness. There are plenty of men around with high DHT levels and a full head of hair who do not suffer from male pattern baldness. However, I'm not one of those men. My father had male pattern baldness and I inherited it. I took creatine monohydrate and gained considerable more strength in my workouts, more reps, heavier weights etc, but after 2 months of use there began alot of hair shedding to the point I have had to stop taking creatine ( 5g per day too) and now seriously considering purchasing Regain for men to try and get some of my hair back. I also started taking pumpkin seed oil and saw palmetto to further curb the production of DHT.
You can you rhodiola rosea instead - this helps with exercise, fights fatigue, lowers stress, excellent for endurance sports + encourages hair growth. Creatine is not needed for those who do not do much weight lifting and are younger. 1lb chicken, beef or salmon etc provides 1 to 2 grams of creatine so that is more than sufficient from diet alone. It tends to cause water retention (in various parts of the body incl. muscle) and weight gain especially in those who never do as much strength training (lifting weights) as certain bodybuilding men do.
Have taken it a lot. Fairly consistently for a couple decades, cycling on and off while lifting. I love it. Have never noticed any negatives. Unless you consider smoothing out muscle definition a negative, it does that a bit. Personally I like it because of how it fills out the muscle, and gives noticable strength gains quickly. It's like carb loading w out the carbs. Makes me feel fuller(muscle fullness) and stronger.
@kev yes. Like I'll be in a very lean state with veins and striations and when I jump on creatine, after a few days the muscles become fuller but with a slight but noticable decrease in detail. Guessing but it's as if a bit of water gets between the muscle and the skin, dulling the detail a bit. It's nothing major but if I'm lean I've noticed it every time, even when all I've added was pure creatine without carbs.
I developed a serious auto-immune disorder (Dercum's Disease) in my 30s, while using creatine three times a week, at a time when I was working out very hard in the gym. It was serious enough to put me on permanent disability. I was unable to PROVE that the creatine caused the Dercum's Disease (which is incurable). But within a couple of years of ceasing to use creatine, the condition began to go into remission, and (20 years later) it remains largely inactive. I caution people that certain body chemistries may react adversely to using this to rev-up your metabolism.
💎 Creatine O'Clock: Does Timing of Ingestion Really Influence Muscle Mass and Performance? It is becoming quite clear that creatine supplementation (~5-9 g·day−1 for up to 32 weeks) during a resistance training program is a well-tolerated (no adverse events reported), effective strategy to augment measures of muscle mass and strength. To date, it appears that pre-exercise (several hours before or immediately prior to training sessions) and post-exercise (immediately following or several hours after training sessions) creatine ingestion produce similar muscle benefits in young and older adults (Candow et al., 2022) 🤓🤓🤓
We all know the truth about bodybuilders consuming creatine and has lifespan 30 year shorter than normal people. Stay away from all kinds of chemical supplements and your will live longer. If you still want to become slave for those companies well go ahead. I am only telling you the truth. Chemical are not natural source and will damage your body. It will lead you to sickness in stomach colic kidney damage and lately you will be on medicin your last 20 years of life. You can choose for you self what your future will be. If you choose to consume 20-40gram of different supplements each day like stuped promoted brad you you will harm you body so much and the future will be hospital and death!!!
*I Took this Quacks Advice!!! I ran Right Out to the Health Food Store &* *I Bought Creatine!!! I used it, & then went to Gym!!! I was so Wasted that* *I was weak & had No Energy!!!!* *I will use this Creatine as a SLEEP Aide for Going to Bed!!!!*
Been taking creatinefor awhile now. I was having so much trouble maintaining and increasing muscle due to my age. It really does seem to help. I saw a few studies on people who are over 70 that if you take it with whey protein (was how they studied it) it reduces the muscle wasting that occurs in old age. Only problem is i'm having trouble finding it right now due to supply chain issues.
You can make your own whey protein from whole milk. Just heat it up add some lemon juice and strain out the liquid whey from the solids after the whole mixture has curdled.
Can you do a deep dive on the whole DHT/hair loss concerns with creatine? I understand that the research points towards it not causing hair loss, but then I read all of the anecdotal experiences floating around the internet and it still worries me.
dudes start taking creatine in their 20s when androgens are peaking. Hair loss coincides; then they blame the creatine when they were losing their hair anyway.
@@gooddaymate1171 still a pretty normal time to experience hair loss. Fact is nobody has managed to gather samples of people and show a connection between creatine use and hair loss in an actual study. The only thing you have is people “losing their hair” (which could mean thinning or noticing hair in their comb or anything really) and then blaming it on this one thing they’ve heard other people blame. It could just as easily be an association between resistance training and hair loss or just purely coincidental because male pattern baldness affects more than half of men.
The fact that anecdotal guesstimations cause people to doubt peer-reviewed research worries me. Compared with anecdotal "experiences," this clip already was the deep dive.
@@gooddaymate1171 I know for a fact that the 103 bus caused my hair loss; the ten years I was on that bus twice a day were the years of most severe hair loss for me. That damn 103. 😣
I'm convinced that creatine made me lose hair. I have pretty much a full head of hair in my mid thirties, and in the 3 months I took creatine, I was shedding like crazy and lost ton of hair. I wish they would do studies which look directly at creatine and hair loss, not creatine and testosterone or DHT. Creatine could still possibly contribute to hair loss by some other mechanism unbenounced to us.
I’ve been taking creatine consistently since about 2010. I’ve never personally had any negative side effects. The best way of describing its effect on my workouts is that I don’t feel any different like I would with a stimulant, but it helps me get a couple extra reps in my sets, and a little bit of better recovery from set to set.
I noticed a significant increase in muscle mass, endurance, and cognitive benefits after taking creatine regularly, and I did not see any side effects at all.
In the past, trying creative for a month I noticed joint paint sensations. It went away after stopping and so the all the benefits when on it. Supplementation is only beneficial when dosing and we need to look at the harms when people stop supplementing and shock the body. There are more powerful natural protocols for increasing longevity that regulate ageing processes without exogenous supplements. IE: breath work for O2, sunlight for D3, red light for repair, walking bear-foot for magnetism, cold/warm exposure for heat/cold shock proteins to repair, fasting etc
Hello Dr. Stanfield, Is there any data concerning the effects of creatine supplementation with the respect to mTOR1 activation and longevity? Its seems that many papers postulate that mTOR1 can be stimulated by AA intake thus having negative effect on longevity? What are your insights? Thanks for your information.
I just know too many people personally who have claimed to experience hair loss from it. Anecdotal, but I like my hair, and it's not like creatine makes a big difference. I've got jacked without using it. So not worth the risk for me imo.
Resistance training increases testosterone. It's possible that when people start lifting weights, they accelerate the hair loss process. See here: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5500728/ Unlikely anything to do with creatine supplementation
I use it for it's nootropic effects before exams, board exams etc. but, dislike the water retention that comes with it. Interestingly, eating beef on a regular basis (1-4 grams creatine per serving) does not cause water retention like 1-4 grams of supplemental creatine a day does.
To everyone who took creatine and is claiming they had hair loss did you hear about that before you took it? I feel like this is a placebo effect, and how do you know this isn't your natural hair loss?
Recently started taking Creatine that comes with Taurine and Betaine. Loving it so far. I first gained weight and now losing it. Muscles are growing and fat deposits are slowly shrinking. Of course its the entire lifestyle and not just Creatine but it was definitely a game changer.
@@lv1985aa Metagenics - Creatine UP Powder (Creatine Monohydrate, Taurine, and Betaine). I was introduced to it by a local organic store I visit for groceries.
*I Took this Quacks Advice!!! I ran Right Out to the Health Food Store &* *I Bought Creatine!!! I used it, & then went to Gym!!! I was so Wasted that* *I was weak & had No Energy!!!!* *I will use this Creatine as a SLEEP Aide for Going to Bed!!!!*
Between creatine and lifting in a fasted state, and being able to draw efficiently on glycogen reserves, I was achieving insane levels of output in weight, reps, and sets last summer. On my 11th set on the bench press, doing the end piece of a drop set, I was throwing 135lbs around like it was nothing, and I was 55. The plates on either end were bouncing hard for the first seven reps of the drop part.
what do you mean by efficiently drawing on glycogen reserves. does this mean you were eating carbs at a particular time that was beneficial for gym performance? and do you lift better in a fasted state?
@@asdf1991asdf To draw efficiently on your glycogen reserves, you need a healthy, low insulin resistance for your body to store glucose as glycogen in the muscles and liver, and also to make use of it when exercising. If you're accustomed to eating poorly, or a diet that's high in the bad carbs including lots of added sugars, then that's when you get shaky, light headed etc., when attempting to workout when you haven't eaten in a while. If you eat a low carb (bad carbs), low-sugar diet your insulin resistance will go down, allowing you to make much better use of your glycogen reserves for fuel. When I go for a run having not eaten in sixteen hours, for example, I may start out a little hunger but my body then makes quick use of whatever glucose is floating around and the glycogen built up in my muscles. It relieves the hunger and gives me strength. I'm not craving for food. i don't need to eat. I have better workouts fasted because my body makes better use of what's available for energy.
Creatine is great if you're lifting weights and looking to add muscle. But we warned: It can bloat you. In my early 50's, I took 3mg per day for over a year while lifting heavy with free weights. Became absolutely enormous -- to the point where I couldn't fit into my old clothes anymore. But I didn't look cut. Just bulky. So I dropped the creatine. Still lifting pretty heavy. But I've dropped 15 lbs. and my old clothes fit again.
When are we going to see a shirt-off presentation to show us your muscles? 😂 Thanks for the hair loss clafication. I will start using this supplement now.
Thanks for making this video, I've been trying to get my 80 year old dad to take creatine, he's also a doctor and enjoys your videos, so I'm sending him this one.
good info. The brand i use is a fermented mixture of BCAA, branch chain amino acids and creatine. Both are fermented. It’s good, it’works, i normally drink the mix before and during my workout just mixed with water. Was thinking of adding some greens plus to the mix and probably will do so soon for those trace nutrients and anti-oxidents. I get it from my local natural food shop.
*I Took this Quacks Advice!!! I ran Right Out to the Health Food Store &* *I Bought Creatine!!! I used it, & then went to Gym!!! I was so Wasted that* *I was weak & had No Energy!!!!* *I will use this Creatine as a SLEEP Aide for Going to Bed!!!!*
i used creatine (kre alkalin and creatine hcl forms) and had an accelaration of hair loss too, i think maybe more by the deshydratation effect on skin / scalp theory than DHT level. Creatine is made of 3 amino acids, Glycine , arginine and methionine so maybe a natural way to boost own endogenous creatine is to take collagen powder who contain lot of glycine and arginine who are precusors of creatine, maybe a more natural way to boost endogenous creatine without side effect of oral creatine.
@@blackmartini7684 each time i added creatine i saw a thinning of hair and when i stopped hair grow back thicker, very fast effect and opposite effect, i done several DHt blood test and each time DHT was low so couldn't be the cause of hair thinning, it's why the theory of "deshydratation" of skin scalp from continuous use of creatine seems for me the track to study. you have many testimonials from young athletes who start using creatine and find themselves losing hair that comes back as soon as they stop taking creatine, simply search comments under youtube videos about "creatine hairloss", each time it's a sudden hairloss very fast after beginning taking creatine who sometime recover with stop of creatine so maybe not androgenic /hormonal but rather the consequence of desydratation at the level of the hair follicle
@@Nelis1324 I started taking hair regrowth products at that time. Hair loss is a know side effect of creatine supplementation. I believe it has to do with creatine increasing your DHT levels. DHT is the driver of male pattern baldness, so basically, if you are genetically prone to hair loss, creatine can accelerate the process. Also, I’m not a doctor, so 🤷♂️
@@tylerhbrown I am just a bit surprised about this as Brad is a massive proponent of creatine and I actually have never of this until I saw all the comments here mentioning it.
@@Nelis1324 Second guess everything he says and read the studies. He showed a study that showed Creatine didn't increase DHT based on 6 - 7 days. Who draws a conclusion after only 6 - 7 days? You aren't even close to have fully loaded your muscles with Creatine. Bottom line is Creatine will 100 % accelerate hair loss in the long term.
Home boy jumped between creatine effect on DHT to testosterone. Not the same thing. Additionally, it's not certain thats the mechanism of action. I'm on dutasteride which reduces the my DHT by 90% and creatine still causes hair loss. Not saying it will happen to everyone, but it certainly does myself and other people I know.
I took creatine after few months back but it gave me crazy hair loss so had to stop as I value my hair above all. I take hair loss meds (Finasteride) so can really tell when my hair starts falling out faster than normal.
I seen major bloating and daily diarrhea even after taking it for several months I switch to micronized creatine and that did help quite a bit also went from 5 mlg to 2.5 a day. But just went back up we'll c how it works out. It's basically worth it for the advantages. I suggest micronized creatine for those who get stool issues.
Interesting to see other people who had similar reactions to mine. I had skin flushing, intense nausea and diarrhea after taking a creatine powder. The store owner who sold me the product claimed that no one else reported any reactions.
@@fuzzwarmy I'd suggest trying different brands. I do micronized creatine take no more than 5 mlg a day. And try stretching it out twice a day, you should take it after your workout to replenish the creatine used after a workout, but it's beneficial for those who dont workout either, its got brain benefits muscle and bone health benefits as well especially those getting up there in age, So I can't say enough good things about it but it does seam to exaggerate bloating issues which I already have but definitely compounded them a bit.
Creatine should be taken with magnesium to improve its effectiveness and avoid magnesium deficiency. Taking creatine can make a magnesium deficiency worse and magnesium deficiency is one of the more common vitamin/mineral deficiencies. I think DHT can be increased by creatine indirectly related to changes in exercise patterns as exercise increases testosterone and testosterone is converted into DHT. If, for example, you go from sedentary to performing hard physical exercise two hours per day and supplement creatine to make that level of exercise sustainable you will see an increase in DHT (and cortisol) and will lose hair on your head and grow hair everywhere else. Changes in testosterone from exercise tend to be transient, it goes up and then back down again in a matter of hours, which is why you can maximize it by working out multiple times spread out during the day, every day, however, it will end up as DHT (if you are a man). If creatine allows you to exercise harder and more often (and that is exactly what it does) and you choose to do so then your hairline will recede, the cortisol isn't doing you any favors there either, it isn't just DHT involved. That's just how our bodies work. A DHT blocker anti-hair loss drug can help if this is a concern. Creatine doesn't by itself increase testosterone, but it can facilitate increasing testosterone through exercise. If you remain sedentary your hormones may not change and you may keep your hair but then you probably don't actually need the creatine since benefits unrelated to recovery from exercise are not well established. Maybe the creatine phosphate system affects cognition and mental endurance and recovery from metabolic stress in the brain, and if used for that purpose your hairline may be safe but you still need the magnesium.
if anything this just highlights how something can have an effect in a clinical setting via questionaires and not do jack in real life. Gym goer of many years, creatine user many times, zero anything ever. Nothing. What about all the hundreds of thousands of gym bros? they are hardly some fountain of youth population with special powers or less depression. Trust me if you cant get it from food you are throwing money down the sink.
I am not tossing shade, cause I completely agree. Most people never actually read the studies. Average gym bros get no benefit from creatine. Creatine is proven to work for people who are sprinting, rowing, bike and/or doing compound lifts at near maximum one rep maxes. These videos mask that fact. All the studies that show it working are people doing sprints and or high weight powerlifts. Creatine does nothing for curls, nothing for machines, nothing for cables. So if you were not training for all out sprints on the primary cardio listed above or compound heavy lifts, it was doing nothing. And the average gym bro fits the category of not lifting like that. Yes most college and professional athletes and powerlifters benefit. They train the way the studies are set up. Average gym goers do not. Your average person really does not need creatine. They just don't train like the athletes in these studies.
@@arch0049 oh butnim also talking about the supposed mental benefits. Lately theyve been talking about how it can help with depression. Cognitive performance. Lower anxiety. It goes on. Its classed as a nootropic now and yet I know so so so so so many people who have tried it for months and years including myself. No different on it or off it. Total waste of cash. It all is. I used to have a supplement stack bigger than most people weekly income. Nothing did anything. If youre a drinker, you could drink less and get more benefit than 5000 dollars worth of supps. That includes turmeric, green tea, resveratrol, creatine, anything, you name it. Garbage. Drink less, sleep better, eat whole foods, lift weights, light cardio, and boom thats the best you will ever feel. None of these supps do jack. Save your cash.
@@Edgycoo In general I agree man. These people on youtube just make videos claiming all kinds of crazy stuff and cherry pick lines or parts of a study and then say EVERYONE should take XYZ.
I am older and have sarcopenia. I recently felt increasing muscle weakness and felt it signaled the 'final decline'. I started creatinine and just feel normally strong again. I'm taking 2-3 Gm twice a day with meals. None of my other highly reviewed supplements helped me in a way that make me feel stronger, perhaps the one subjective thing that really matters to me. Thank Dr. Stanford for the benefit you provide.
BROOK+ YOU DON'T WEIGHT TRAIN, EVERY MUSCLE GROUP OF YOUR BODY SHOULD BE TRAINED ONCE PER WEEK, THAT'S WHY YOU LOSE MUSCLE AND FEEL WEAKER, MUSCLES MOVE BONES
I wish you'd also talk about water retention. Back when I was on creatine I used to want to drink so damn often it became annoying, I felt slightly worse.
Funnily, everybody talks about drinking so much water. Perhaps it more believing you need to drink that much more. I am really not drinking that much extra. A few extra glasses a day maybe.
@Nelisje that's actually a lot more then if you think about it. I actually like quenching the thirst. It's so satisfying. More than usual when taking creatine
Keep at lower dose . Check out a product called Immunocal Advanced by Immunotec it has creatine and improves the immune system, it's the world most researched supplement
Everybody knows that chemicals like creatine or other supplements will harm your kidney bad and can lead to death. It organic food and you are good. Our bodies has 38 trillions of microbiome. You cant feed them with chemicals. You need to take care of your microbiome with organic super food, fermented food do some research stop listen to this moron he is probably promoted by company profit.
I take Creatine Monohydrate daily but I am concerned that high Creatine blood levels jump significantly before death. I may be shooting myself in the foot to save my toe. It would be great if you could create a video explaining this contradiction or at least address it in a future video.
Copied from a previous response: Resistance training increases testosterone. It's possible that when people start lifting weights, they accelerate the hair loss process. See here: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5500728/ Unlikely anything to do with creatine supplementation
@@DrBradStanfield I'm using finasteride and minoxidil so I'm familiar with shedding. When I stopped the creatine the shedding stopped, even though I continued to lift weights. I've started with a smaller dose. It's something I want to take, but I really want to keep my hair 😂
Copied from a previous response: Resistance training increases testosterone. It's possible that when people start lifting weights, they accelerate the hair loss process. See here: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5500728/ Unlikely anything to do with creatine supplementation
@@DrBradStanfield Creatine causes hair loss (if not by increasing DHT) by pulling moisture away from the scalp/skin (and other organs) into the muscles, which causes miniaturization of hair follicles. You will notice your hair becoming finer before the follicle stops growing hair altogether.
I do not really agree that these may not be beneficial with Endurance sports (cycling was pictured in the video). Especially in road cycling, there are always times where you have to use short bursts of rapid muscle engaging pedaling (going through steep hills or just when pushing yourself into zone 5) which uses fast twitch and therefore would use phosphocreatine.
I started taking 500mg creatine per day and then started getting (mainly) leg cramps! I'm not sure what to do now. I can't really tolerate that, it's very painful :(
I personally took it for several years without issue, except for water retention. I eventually went to the doctor as I was having pretty bad heart issues for a month straight and my blood pressure was extremely elevated. I was also under a massive amount of stress at that time and having panic attacks, which likely contributed to it, but I was told by two doctors and a cardiologist to stop taking it, as the two doctors said they personally saw cases where it damaged people. I asked if he was perhaps confusing it with steroids and he assured me he wasn't and it was creatine. cardiologist said it was bad for the heart long term. This is just my personal anecdote and the BP issues were probably from water retention, but I have seen many others online talking about it spiking their BP, so YMMV.
I have heard similar sentiments from doctors, HOWEVER it's impossible to know how valid such a anecdote is. Doctors of the long past considered hand washing a waste of time, in hind sight they are obviously wrong. But at the time they said anecdotally that it didn't work. Without proper studies supporting the idea that long term creatine supplementation has negative effects we should take any anecdote with a fistful of salt. At this time the studies done deem it pretty safe in the long term, so for the moment we have to go with the most current evidence.
A lot of it has to do with your current physical health and if you have any underlying medical issues because creatine and many other supplements can cause you to retain more water, but for most healthy people that's not a problem since the water is naturally retained in the muscles anyways. Increase your potassium intake while decreasing your sodium and that will help. Of course it depends on other health issues you might have as well. Also, your body naturally makes about 1g of creatine per day. Any excess that your body doesn't use is excreted hence the reason why you must drink a lot of water and stay well hydrated.
@@Total_Body_Fitness_USA Thanks for the advice man. Since I learned I have high bp I have done what you said as well as stretching 2-3 times a day, lowering stress, daily cardio, hot showers, and having raw garlic cloves and have seen major improvements.
I enjoy your videos and have learned a lot. Are you not concerned about a possible link between creatine and cancer? It seems like recent research has found links that are concerning. For example "The two sides of creatine in cancer" published in 2021 in Trends in Cell Biology or "Creatine promotes cancer metastasis through activation of Smad2/3" published in 2021 in Cell Metabolism. If you aren't concerned about this, can you give some intuition about why not?
I've been an exercise physiologist for nearly 3 decades and you really can't go off one study. There are countless studies over the decades on the efficacy and safety of creatine. Besides, your body naturally makes creatine. If anyone is concerned about cancer or other diseases, then the key is to decrease inflammation and making sure your glutathione status is sufficient. Taking NAC and using an infrared sauna daily for 20 minutes or so will take a load off the liver by helping with detoxing countless number of chemicals we are exposed to on a daily basis and it will naturally boost your antioxidant status. A lot more to this for sure....
I don’t think u should use any supplement, unless u have a deficiency. First everyone said intermittent fasting solves all, now we know it’s the calorie reduction and not the fasting. Then they say Vit D solves all, now we know it doesn’t. Just be natural, and have high quality red meat every now and then and you’ll be good
Isn't CREATINE going to be a problem for someone with Chronic Kidney Disease who's got high creatinine levels? Won't the intake of creatine only make matters worse?
@Dr Brad Stanfield. Am I ok taking creatine supplements if my serum creatinine is 103 umol/l? It seems that I am on a high but till normal level of kidney function
I don't know what you are doing wrong.But creatine clearly worked for me.I got much stronger using it.That was when I was in my early 30's.Back in the early90's.I am now in my early 60's and don't care about lifting weights anymore.But I just started taking it again,because of Dr. Brad Stanfield recommendation.
Very insightful! It seems like there's lots of buzz on this specific supplement and I'm curious about 2 other [inter-related] side effects you didn't mention: 1. Weight gained post consumption - reportedly about 2KG on avg. 2. Muscles absorb\store more water, so it might seem like you gain muscles, it might be water; moreover, another related claim is once you stop consuming creatine, you lose that "muscles" gained so it isn't as effective for muscle building? Another topic mentioned often is Creapure - I saw you had the "Nutricost, Performance, Creatine Monohydrate" but not the certified creature version - what's the logic behind it? Thank you!
When you say creatine doesn't break a fast, doesn't it depend on what you trying to achieve by fasting? Creatine stimulates mTOR, which stops autophagy, so if you are fasting for autophagy, it might break that kind of fast.
I am a fan of creatine, but I'm wondering why I don't see any videos about the higher chance of getting a muscle strain. Creatine pulls water into the muscles. Therefore you will have a higher intramuscular pressure which makes the muscle more prone to pull. It's probably just a problem for people doing lots of sprinting etc. but unfortunately I suffered a muscle strain more than once after creatine intake for a couple of days. It mainly happened while playing soccer (even though I didn't take it to improve my soccer performance). But it's definetly an important information, I guess.
How old are you, are you already balding and how thick is your beard? If your answers are >40, NO and NOT VERY THICK, then you have no reason to worry about DHT.
Yes, he said total testosterone but didn't mention DHT specifically in the studies (unless I missed something). I would like a study on the DHT levels.
Why? Why? Why? Would anybody take a creatine pill or powder? There is plenty of creatine in meat. Also Taurine and carnosine. Glutathione and CLA. There are five grams of creatine in every pound of meat. No worries about which form to take. No worries about bioavailability.
Thank you for this information, Dr. Brad. I was taking creatine based upon your recommendation, but then I had some blood work done and noticed that my creatinine level was abnormally high. The nephrologist recommended that I stop the creatine and repeat the repeat the test and sure enough the creatinine level normalized.the same thing happened to my nephew who also was taking creatine supplements. Has this happened to you?
Creatine definitely affects my sleep. Could you discuss this side effect? It is not a placebo effect...I had to research out why I wasn't sleeping...it was the creatine... no doubt
What if one has proteinuria (persistent protein in the urine), should they be taking creatine as you blanket-recommend? Wouldn't creatine drive them further into kidney failure? And isn't your recommendation therefore killing those people? And what about long-term effects? Might persons with seemingly healthy kidneys show-up years later with kidney disease due to creatine? Yes you mention kidney patients, but what about borderline folks who aren't yet kidney patients? What about diabetics and pre-diabetics who don't even know their kidney's are at-risk?
Thank you for introducing me to creatine and for the clear and straight to the point explanation. I have been taking the Optimum Nutrition capsules but am unsure when is the best time to take them. Before/ after a workout? morning / evening on non workout days? Thanks for your help 🙂
Dr. You’re talking about men but what about women can women take the supplement? What about if you have or had cancer? I’m hoping you read this text or send me a reply. I love your channel. Thank you.
Gout runs in my family. I have supplemented with creatine twice in my life; there won't be a third. Both times, after about one month of feeling amazing, I experienced an agonizing gout flare which subsided gradually after stopping creatine. The rest of my life I have had zero gout symptoms. Its anecdotal and I'm not aware of the existence of any research on the topic, but I won't be supplementing with creatine. Perhaps its great for many people, but I personally have not had good experiences.
I'm surprised no-one has mentioned Creatine induced insomnia. I have taken Creatine just three times and it has completely messed up my sleep every time. Obviously good sleep is more important than any other health benefits so I have stopped taking it.
I used Creapure monohydrate for about 20 years, but it always caused stomach upset. Taking it just before a workout could be counter-productive, as the discomfort would cause me to feel lethargic. I've recently switched to Kre-Alkalyn buffered creatine, and it seems to work just as well with much less discomfort.
Regardless of the benefit of taking creatine my question is on are how it is produced, namely is it a positive or negative for the planet, and will creatine production accelerate starvation in Africa. At this point in history one should, in my opinion, disregard personal bench press performance and focus on chemicals in our environment and human starvation. It's great if a Westerner gets to live an extra year or two but what if these resources could feed a few hungry people?
The scientific review that states "the current body of evidence does not indicate that creatine supplementation increases total testosterone, free testosterone, DHT or causes hair loss/baldness" is absolutely slathered with conflict of interest - just read the declarations at the bottom of the paper. With all due respect, I don't think that paper can be used as a conclusive determination that it doesn't cause hair loss, and reading the anecdotes of hundreds of people who do experience some form of hair loss or accelerated balding, I think that is still a major concern.
Can you tell us about cregaatine? It's not creatine but its related to creatine. Supposed to be creatine on steroids, sort to speak. It's something new but I want to know of it's just a sales pitch to make money or is it the real thing? Please let me know.
I miss your descriptions of the methodology in the studies you cite. In previous videos, you have not to judge papers by their conclusions. The papers need to have solid methology
Since you mentioned "hair loss", is there anything you have seen that can stop normal male patterned baldness as we age? Red light therapy? Supplements?
I've heard it can benefit those who have type 2 diabetes they are already in risk of kindey disease and by taking creatine. The creatinine will increase and lead to damage how it will be possible?
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Great video....I thought Creapure is the original and best standard for Creatine monohydrate?
Always look for Creapure!?
Everything works except the vitamins that help with the flu like quersetin vitamin D NAC 🤔
*I Took this Quacks Advice!!! I ran Right Out to the Health Food Store &*
*I Bought Creatine!!! I used it, & then went to Gym!!! I was so Wasted that*
*I was weak & had No Energy!!!!*
*I will use this Creatine as a SLEEP Aide for Going to Bed!!!!*
@@Justin.Martyr your a weirdo and s clown
Fundraiser??
Those recent studies mention testosterone and not DHT. DHT can rise without testosterone. Why they have not done any studies looking specifically at DHT is crazy given that the main reason people don't take it is hair loss.
Agreed, need more studies on this
Agreed. It is not an increase in actual testosterone levels but an increase in your current testosterone getting converted into higher than normal levels of DHT which can cause hair loss to those who are pre-dispositioned to male pattern baldness.
There are plenty of men around with high DHT levels and a full head of hair who do not suffer from male pattern baldness. However, I'm not one of those men.
My father had male pattern baldness and I inherited it. I took creatine monohydrate and gained considerable more strength in my workouts, more reps, heavier weights etc, but after 2 months of use there began alot of hair shedding to the point I have had to stop taking creatine ( 5g per day too) and now seriously considering purchasing Regain for men to try and get some of my hair back. I also started taking pumpkin seed oil and saw palmetto to further curb the production of DHT.
Look at all the bodybuilders with severe hairloss hmmmmm
@@Jake-ve3ro Yes but you could argue that's caused by resistance training itself as that also raises DHT
@@alansutton8329 how is it going? Did punpkin seed oil and saw palmetto regulate things?
Anytime I start creatine, after a shower when I comb my hair, I start to lose hair. As soon as I stop, the hairloss stops
You can you rhodiola rosea instead - this helps with exercise, fights fatigue, lowers stress, excellent for endurance sports + encourages hair growth. Creatine is not needed for those who do not do much weight lifting and are younger. 1lb chicken, beef or salmon etc provides 1 to 2 grams of creatine so that is more than sufficient from diet alone. It tends to cause water retention (in various parts of the body incl. muscle) and weight gain especially in those who never do as much strength training (lifting weights) as certain bodybuilding men do.
My hair falls out when I start taking creatine. No doubt about it.
Have taken it a lot. Fairly consistently for a couple decades, cycling on and off while lifting. I love it. Have never noticed any negatives. Unless you consider smoothing out muscle definition a negative, it does that a bit. Personally I like it because of how it fills out the muscle, and gives noticable strength gains quickly. It's like carb loading w out the carbs. Makes me feel fuller(muscle fullness) and stronger.
@kev yes. Like I'll be in a very lean state with veins and striations and when I jump on creatine, after a few days the muscles become fuller but with a slight but noticable decrease in detail. Guessing but it's as if a bit of water gets between the muscle and the skin, dulling the detail a bit. It's nothing major but if I'm lean I've noticed it every time, even when all I've added was pure creatine without carbs.
I developed a serious auto-immune disorder (Dercum's Disease) in my 30s, while using creatine three times a week, at a time when I was working out very hard in the gym. It was serious enough to put me on permanent disability.
I was unable to PROVE that the creatine caused the Dercum's Disease (which is incurable). But within a couple of years of ceasing to use creatine, the condition began to go into remission, and (20 years later) it remains largely inactive. I caution people that certain body chemistries may react adversely to using this to rev-up your metabolism.
You know what Auto-Immune means right?
I'm 73 and take creatine everyday. I'm able yo to deadlift 300 pounds and do a standing shoulder press of 115 pounds at the body weight of 170 pounds.
@N T So many people believe exercise is hard on your joints. Many don't exercise for that reason.
@N T you dont know what you are talking about. Stop spreading ignorance.
@N T Like I said, you believe it's hard on joints which I disagree with your beliefs.
@@SawmillerSmith Check your kidney functions of on creatine .
💎 Creatine O'Clock: Does Timing of Ingestion Really Influence Muscle Mass and Performance?
It is becoming quite clear that creatine supplementation (~5-9 g·day−1 for up to 32 weeks) during a resistance training program is a well-tolerated (no adverse events reported), effective strategy to augment measures of muscle mass and strength. To date, it appears that pre-exercise (several hours before or immediately prior to training sessions) and post-exercise (immediately following or several hours after training sessions) creatine ingestion produce similar muscle benefits in young and older adults (Candow et al., 2022) 🤓🤓🤓
We all know the truth about bodybuilders consuming creatine and has lifespan 30 year shorter than normal people. Stay away from all kinds of chemical supplements and your will live longer. If you still want to become slave for those companies well go ahead. I am only telling you the truth. Chemical are not natural source and will damage your body. It will lead you to sickness in stomach colic kidney damage and lately you will be on medicin your last 20 years of life. You can choose for you self what your future will be. If you choose to consume 20-40gram of different supplements each day like stuped promoted brad you you will harm you body so much and the future will be hospital and death!!!
*I Took this Quacks Advice!!! I ran Right Out to the Health Food Store &*
*I Bought Creatine!!! I used it, & then went to Gym!!! I was so Wasted that*
*I was weak & had No Energy!!!!*
*I will use this Creatine as a SLEEP Aide for Going to Bed!!!!*
Been taking creatinefor awhile now. I was having so much trouble maintaining and increasing muscle due to my age. It really does seem to help. I saw a few studies on people who are over 70 that if you take it with whey protein (was how they studied it) it reduces the muscle wasting that occurs in old age. Only problem is i'm having trouble finding it right now due to supply chain issues.
you need more proteins, msm, fishoil and collagen as well, it will support your muscle recover after training
*whey protein powder is an excellent source of protein supplementation
You can make your own whey protein from whole milk. Just heat it up add some lemon juice and strain out the liquid whey from the solids after the whole mixture has curdled.
Can you do a deep dive on the whole DHT/hair loss concerns with creatine? I understand that the research points towards it not causing hair loss, but then I read all of the anecdotal experiences floating around the internet and it still worries me.
dudes start taking creatine in their 20s when androgens are peaking. Hair loss coincides; then they blame the creatine when they were losing their hair anyway.
@@prandz420 but older men in their 30's and 40's are experiencing hair loss during lengthy creatine use
@@gooddaymate1171 still a pretty normal time to experience hair loss.
Fact is nobody has managed to gather samples of people and show a connection between creatine use and hair loss in an actual study. The only thing you have is people “losing their hair” (which could mean thinning or noticing hair in their comb or anything really) and then blaming it on this one thing they’ve heard other people blame.
It could just as easily be an association between resistance training and hair loss or just purely coincidental because male pattern baldness affects more than half of men.
The fact that anecdotal guesstimations cause people to doubt peer-reviewed research worries me. Compared with anecdotal "experiences," this clip already was the deep dive.
@@gooddaymate1171 I know for a fact that the 103 bus caused my hair loss; the ten years I was on that bus twice a day were the years of most severe hair loss for me. That damn 103. 😣
I'm convinced that creatine made me lose hair. I have pretty much a full head of hair in my mid thirties, and in the 3 months I took creatine, I was shedding like crazy and lost ton of hair.
I wish they would do studies which look directly at creatine and hair loss, not creatine and testosterone or DHT. Creatine could still possibly contribute to hair loss by some other mechanism unbenounced to us.
I’ve been taking creatine consistently since about 2010. I’ve never personally had any negative side effects. The best way of describing its effect on my workouts is that I don’t feel any different like I would with a stimulant, but it helps me get a couple extra reps in my sets, and a little bit of better recovery from set to set.
I noticed a significant increase in muscle mass, endurance, and cognitive benefits after taking creatine regularly, and I did not see any side effects at all.
Same here
What brand were you taking?
I gained 3kg
If u havent gained any weight that its questionable
Hmm, maybe hair loss? 😅
Short, clear, emphatic, and to-the-point video! Good job by Dr. Stan!
In the past, trying creative for a month I noticed joint paint sensations. It went away after stopping and so the all the benefits when on it. Supplementation is only beneficial when dosing and we need to look at the harms when people stop supplementing and shock the body. There are more powerful natural protocols for increasing longevity that regulate ageing processes without exogenous supplements. IE: breath work for O2, sunlight for D3, red light for repair, walking bear-foot for magnetism, cold/warm exposure for heat/cold shock proteins to repair, fasting etc
Hello Dr. Stanfield, Is there any data concerning the effects of creatine supplementation with the respect to mTOR1 activation and longevity? Its seems that many papers postulate that mTOR1 can be stimulated by AA intake thus having negative effect on longevity? What are your insights? Thanks for your information.
I just know too many people personally who have claimed to experience hair loss from it. Anecdotal, but I like my hair, and it's not like creatine makes a big difference. I've got jacked without using it. So not worth the risk for me imo.
It's not just exercise performance
Resistance training increases testosterone. It's possible that when people start lifting weights, they accelerate the hair loss process.
See here: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5500728/
Unlikely anything to do with creatine supplementation
It's good for 'older' people. 2-3 grams daily is enough. I take it only on my workout days (every other day).
@@DrBradStanfield creatine increases dht and therefore it is likely if you are genetically predisposed you will accelerate hair loss
@@BBB-pe3ip Same, brad is in serious denial on this one
Thanks for this Doc. Should we cycle off Creatine from time to time?
I use it for it's nootropic effects before exams, board exams etc. but, dislike the water retention that comes with it. Interestingly, eating beef on a regular basis (1-4 grams creatine per serving) does not cause water retention like 1-4 grams of supplemental creatine a day does.
To everyone who took creatine and is claiming they had hair loss did you hear about that before you took it? I feel like this is a placebo effect, and how do you know this isn't your natural hair loss?
Recently started taking Creatine that comes with Taurine and Betaine. Loving it so far. I first gained weight and now losing it. Muscles are growing and fat deposits are slowly shrinking. Of course its the entire lifestyle and not just Creatine but it was definitely a game changer.
What brand has all three of those in it?
@@lv1985aa Metagenics - Creatine UP Powder (Creatine Monohydrate, Taurine, and Betaine). I was introduced to it by a local organic store I visit for groceries.
Sounds like the way to go! Thanks for sharing the brand name.
*I Took this Quacks Advice!!! I ran Right Out to the Health Food Store &*
*I Bought Creatine!!! I used it, & then went to Gym!!! I was so Wasted that*
*I was weak & had No Energy!!!!*
*I will use this Creatine as a SLEEP Aide for Going to Bed!!!!*
@@Justin.Martyr "Quacks"? You discovered a benefit for this compound and you label him as a 'quack'?
I didn't notice any effect, good or bad from taking creatine but I take it daily anyway because I know the research backs it.
Between creatine and lifting in a fasted state, and being able to draw efficiently on glycogen reserves, I was achieving insane levels of output in weight, reps, and sets last summer. On my 11th set on the bench press, doing the end piece of a drop set, I was throwing 135lbs around like it was nothing, and I was 55. The plates on either end were bouncing hard for the first seven reps of the drop part.
what do you mean by efficiently drawing on glycogen reserves. does this mean you were eating carbs at a particular time that was beneficial for gym performance? and do you lift better in a fasted state?
@@asdf1991asdf To draw efficiently on your glycogen reserves, you need a healthy, low insulin resistance for your body to store glucose as glycogen in the muscles and liver, and also to make use of it when exercising. If you're accustomed to eating poorly, or a diet that's high in the bad carbs including lots of added sugars, then that's when you get shaky, light headed etc., when attempting to workout when you haven't eaten in a while. If you eat a low carb (bad carbs), low-sugar diet your insulin resistance will go down, allowing you to make much better use of your glycogen reserves for fuel. When I go for a run having not eaten in sixteen hours, for example, I may start out a little hunger but my body then makes quick use of whatever glucose is floating around and the glycogen built up in my muscles. It relieves the hunger and gives me strength. I'm not craving for food. i don't need to eat. I have better workouts fasted because my body makes better use of what's available for energy.
Creatine is great if you're lifting weights and looking to add muscle. But we warned: It can bloat you.
In my early 50's, I took 3mg per day for over a year while lifting heavy with free weights. Became absolutely enormous -- to the point where I couldn't fit into my old clothes anymore.
But I didn't look cut. Just bulky.
So I dropped the creatine. Still lifting pretty heavy. But I've dropped 15 lbs. and my old clothes fit again.
If you don't want to get big.Then use lighter weight,and do more reps,like 10-12.This will get you more defined,and not as much muscle mass.
Shed tons of hair using it, noticed hair was getting increasingly thinner as well. Not worth it for some people, wouldn't blindly follow his advice.
It’s not my advice, it’s what the clinical research shows. I just read out the studies to you, nothing more ✌️
@@DrBradStanfield Fair enough. It is an amazing supplement that gives you a edge but for people with DHT issue should just stay away. My 2 cents.
The clinical research doesn’t indicate a link between creatine supplements and DHT though
I love creatine , it did help me a lot specially mentally but unfortunately I did stop taking it cause it’s make my hair fall 🥺
That's probably genetics...are the other men in your family balding too?
@@jc4evur661 yes
Thanks for the video Dr Stanfield, anecdotally I lose more hair after taking Creatine, however because of the other numerous benefits I still take it.
Could be that you'd be losing hair regardless of taking creatine? Did you stop and did the hair grow back??
@@mrmegabuckssongs I noticed more hair shedding when I took and less after stopping.
What about creatine and coffein intake on a regular basis? Could you do a review on that?
When are we going to see a shirt-off presentation to show us your muscles? 😂 Thanks for the hair loss clafication. I will start using this supplement now.
Thanks for making this video, I've been trying to get my 80 year old dad to take creatine, he's also a doctor and enjoys your videos, so I'm sending him this one.
good info. The brand i use is a fermented mixture of BCAA, branch chain amino acids and creatine. Both are fermented. It’s good, it’works, i normally drink the mix before and during my workout just mixed with water. Was thinking of adding some greens plus to the mix and probably will do so soon for those trace nutrients and anti-oxidents. I get it from my local natural food shop.
Thanks Brad!
at time 2:46
Finasterid 1mg prevebts hairloss and resolves the dht issue.
agreed
Spelled as :: Finasteride (Proscar) is Propecia for Male Pattern Baldness and BPH... ouch.
I dont know why but I never realised that you were from NZ until I heard you say FISH! It was unmistakably NZ! Great content thanks! All so valuble
Watching this video, I think I lost some hair…actually they were brain cells.
It appears to raises homocysteine levels (not good) in both me and my husband. We are in our 70's.
*I Took this Quacks Advice!!! I ran Right Out to the Health Food Store &*
*I Bought Creatine!!! I used it, & then went to Gym!!! I was so Wasted that*
*I was weak & had No Energy!!!!*
*I will use this Creatine as a SLEEP Aide for Going to Bed!!!!*
I have me/CFS and just tried 5g of creatine today and feel wired. I don’t feel good. I haven’t heard of anyone else feeling like this when taking it.
i used creatine (kre alkalin and creatine hcl forms) and had an accelaration of hair loss too, i think maybe more by the deshydratation effect on skin / scalp theory than DHT level.
Creatine is made of 3 amino acids, Glycine , arginine and methionine so maybe a natural way to boost own endogenous creatine is to take collagen powder who contain lot of glycine and arginine who are precusors of creatine, maybe a more natural way to boost endogenous creatine without side effect of oral creatine.
How do you know it's not your natural hair loss?
@@blackmartini7684 each time i added creatine i saw a thinning of hair and when i stopped hair grow back thicker, very fast effect and opposite effect, i done several DHt blood test and each time DHT was low so couldn't be the cause of hair thinning, it's why the theory of "deshydratation" of skin scalp from continuous use of creatine seems for me the track to study.
you have many testimonials from young athletes who start using creatine and find themselves losing hair that comes back as soon as they stop taking creatine, simply search comments under youtube videos about "creatine hairloss", each time it's a sudden hairloss very fast after beginning taking creatine who sometime recover with stop of creatine so maybe not androgenic /hormonal but rather the consequence of desydratation at the level of the hair follicle
Be careful, creatine made my hair fall out.
What? :O And it came back when you stopped?
@@Nelis1324 I started taking hair regrowth products at that time. Hair loss is a know side effect of creatine supplementation. I believe it has to do with creatine increasing your DHT levels. DHT is the driver of male pattern baldness, so basically, if you are genetically prone to hair loss, creatine can accelerate the process. Also, I’m not a doctor, so 🤷♂️
@@tylerhbrown I am just a bit surprised about this as Brad is a massive proponent of creatine and I actually have never of this until I saw all the comments here mentioning it.
@@Nelis1324 Second guess everything he says and read the studies. He showed a study that showed Creatine didn't increase DHT based on 6 - 7 days. Who draws a conclusion after only 6 - 7 days? You aren't even close to have fully loaded your muscles with Creatine. Bottom line is Creatine will 100 % accelerate hair loss in the long term.
Home boy jumped between creatine effect on DHT to testosterone. Not the same thing. Additionally, it's not certain thats the mechanism of action.
I'm on dutasteride which reduces the my DHT by 90% and creatine still causes hair loss. Not saying it will happen to everyone, but it certainly does myself and other people I know.
I took creatine after few months back but it gave me crazy hair loss so had to stop as I value my hair above all. I take hair loss meds (Finasteride) so can really tell when my hair starts falling out faster than normal.
Do creatine and caffeine interfere with one another? Or can they have additive effects?
So many people have experienced hair loss. Surely this can’t be coincidental
I seen major bloating and daily diarrhea even after taking it for several months I switch to micronized creatine and that did help quite a bit also went from 5 mlg to 2.5 a day. But just went back up we'll c how it works out. It's basically worth it for the advantages. I suggest micronized creatine for those who get stool issues.
Interesting to see other people who had similar reactions to mine. I had skin flushing, intense nausea and diarrhea after taking a creatine powder. The store owner who sold me the product claimed that no one else reported any reactions.
how are you for now? I love to see updates from you
@@fuzzwarmy I'd suggest trying different brands. I do micronized creatine take no more than 5 mlg a day. And try stretching it out twice a day, you should take it after your workout to replenish the creatine used after a workout, but it's beneficial for those who dont workout either, its got brain benefits muscle and bone health benefits as well especially those getting up there in age, So I can't say enough good things about it but it does seam to exaggerate bloating issues which I already have but definitely compounded them a bit.
@@lehlong1976 fine thanks. It was a temporary effect.
Does it make sense to take creatine if I'm not exercising (I should be exercising, I know..)? Or are the benefits only for people who exercise?
You can still get benefits from it without exercising, but would be more beneficial if you were
If you are having some honest cognition/focus/memory problems it MIGHT help. Otherwise, no it does nothing if you are not exercising.
Creatine should be taken with magnesium to improve its effectiveness and avoid magnesium deficiency. Taking creatine can make a magnesium deficiency worse and magnesium deficiency is one of the more common vitamin/mineral deficiencies. I think DHT can be increased by creatine indirectly related to changes in exercise patterns as exercise increases testosterone and testosterone is converted into DHT. If, for example, you go from sedentary to performing hard physical exercise two hours per day and supplement creatine to make that level of exercise sustainable you will see an increase in DHT (and cortisol) and will lose hair on your head and grow hair everywhere else. Changes in testosterone from exercise tend to be transient, it goes up and then back down again in a matter of hours, which is why you can maximize it by working out multiple times spread out during the day, every day, however, it will end up as DHT (if you are a man). If creatine allows you to exercise harder and more often (and that is exactly what it does) and you choose to do so then your hairline will recede, the cortisol isn't doing you any favors there either, it isn't just DHT involved. That's just how our bodies work. A DHT blocker anti-hair loss drug can help if this is a concern. Creatine doesn't by itself increase testosterone, but it can facilitate increasing testosterone through exercise. If you remain sedentary your hormones may not change and you may keep your hair but then you probably don't actually need the creatine since benefits unrelated to recovery from exercise are not well established. Maybe the creatine phosphate system affects cognition and mental endurance and recovery from metabolic stress in the brain, and if used for that purpose your hairline may be safe but you still need the magnesium.
if anything this just highlights how something can have an effect in a clinical setting via questionaires and not do jack in real life. Gym goer of many years, creatine user many times, zero anything ever. Nothing. What about all the hundreds of thousands of gym bros? they are hardly some fountain of youth population with special powers or less depression. Trust me if you cant get it from food you are throwing money down the sink.
I am not tossing shade, cause I completely agree. Most people never actually read the studies. Average gym bros get no benefit from creatine. Creatine is proven to work for people who are sprinting, rowing, bike and/or doing compound lifts at near maximum one rep maxes. These videos mask that fact. All the studies that show it working are people doing sprints and or high weight powerlifts. Creatine does nothing for curls, nothing for machines, nothing for cables. So if you were not training for all out sprints on the primary cardio listed above or compound heavy lifts, it was doing nothing. And the average gym bro fits the category of not lifting like that.
Yes most college and professional athletes and powerlifters benefit. They train the way the studies are set up. Average gym goers do not. Your average person really does not need creatine. They just don't train like the athletes in these studies.
@@arch0049 oh butnim also talking about the supposed mental benefits. Lately theyve been talking about how it can help with depression. Cognitive performance. Lower anxiety. It goes on. Its classed as a nootropic now and yet I know so so so so so many people who have tried it for months and years including myself. No different on it or off it. Total waste of cash. It all is. I used to have a supplement stack bigger than most people weekly income. Nothing did anything. If youre a drinker, you could drink less and get more benefit than 5000 dollars worth of supps. That includes turmeric, green tea, resveratrol, creatine, anything, you name it. Garbage. Drink less, sleep better, eat whole foods, lift weights, light cardio, and boom thats the best you will ever feel. None of these supps do jack. Save your cash.
@@Edgycoo In general I agree man. These people on youtube just make videos claiming all kinds of crazy stuff and cherry pick lines or parts of a study and then say EVERYONE should take XYZ.
So there is no evidence that creatine increases DHT?
I am older and have sarcopenia. I recently felt increasing muscle weakness and felt it signaled the 'final decline'.
I started creatinine and just feel normally strong again. I'm taking 2-3 Gm twice a day with meals. None of my other highly reviewed supplements helped me in a way that make me feel stronger, perhaps the one subjective thing that really matters to me. Thank Dr. Stanford for the benefit you provide.
Do bodybuilding, strength training, W great nutrition, everything else is just a light
It could be long covid which may have caused the muscle weakness
@@theancientsancients1769 Thank you. You may be right.
BROOK+ YOU DON'T WEIGHT TRAIN, EVERY MUSCLE GROUP OF YOUR BODY SHOULD BE TRAINED ONCE PER WEEK, THAT'S WHY YOU LOSE MUSCLE AND FEEL WEAKER, MUSCLES MOVE BONES
@@leelunk8235 Thank you Lee. I'll get back to my resistance bands. Happy thankgiving.
I wish you'd also talk about water retention. Back when I was on creatine I used to want to drink so damn often it became annoying, I felt slightly worse.
yes made me bloated and pee a lot!
I tried it for a few months then switched to just water and didn’t see or feel any difference
Funnily, everybody talks about drinking so much water. Perhaps it more believing you need to drink that much more. I am really not drinking that much extra. A few extra glasses a day maybe.
The thirst is real. And yes the pee urge is big time. Keeping sodium lower and avoiding inflammation helps.
@Nelisje that's actually a lot more then if you think about it. I actually like quenching the thirst. It's so satisfying. More than usual when taking creatine
it caused increased hair loss for me.
so I decreased from 4g to 1g again
went back to normal hair fall
4g is highly anyways , more than 2g Is high dose.
What about its effect on kidneys for elderly people who need it the most?
Keep at lower dose . Check out a product called Immunocal Advanced by Immunotec it has creatine and improves the immune system, it's the world most researched supplement
appears safe, so long as you don't have severe kidney disease
Everybody knows that chemicals like creatine or other supplements will harm your kidney bad and can lead to death. It organic food and you are good. Our bodies has 38 trillions of microbiome. You cant feed them with chemicals. You need to take care of your microbiome with organic super food, fermented food do some research stop listen to this moron he is probably promoted by company profit.
Please do a video about leucine and the branch chained AA's. How important are those in maintaining and increasing muscle mass?
Leucine is very important for muscle growth
I take Creatine Monohydrate daily but I am concerned that high Creatine blood levels jump significantly before death. I may be shooting myself in the foot to save my toe. It would be great if you could create a video explaining this contradiction or at least address it in a future video.
Creatine increases hair shedding for me. I still take a smaller dose before working out.
Copied from a previous response: Resistance training increases testosterone. It's possible that when people start lifting weights, they accelerate the hair loss process. See here: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5500728/
Unlikely anything to do with creatine supplementation
I’ve always read post work out is best. That’s I’ve been doing for quite a while.
@@DrBradStanfield I'm using finasteride and minoxidil so I'm familiar with shedding. When I stopped the creatine the shedding stopped, even though I continued to lift weights. I've started with a smaller dose. It's something I want to take, but I really want to keep my hair 😂
@@DrBradStanfield Would prostate protecting supplements and foods be helpful?
Perhaps we need more research looking into other possible mechanisms of hair loss caused by creatine, other than DHT..
No matter how many studies say creating doesn’t cause hair loss, in my experience and so a lot of other men tells it causes!
Copied from a previous response: Resistance training increases testosterone. It's possible that when people start lifting weights, they accelerate the hair loss process. See here: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5500728/
Unlikely anything to do with creatine supplementation
@@DrBradStanfield Holding resistance training constant, adding creatine has accelerated hair loss for tons of people though
@@DrBradStanfield Creatine causes hair loss (if not by increasing DHT) by pulling moisture away from the scalp/skin (and other organs) into the muscles, which causes miniaturization of hair follicles. You will notice your hair becoming finer before the follicle stops growing hair altogether.
@@brendant3979 happen to have a source for this?
@@brendant3979 for such a confident assertion, are you able to provide the reference to the research. Ta
I do not really agree that these may not be beneficial with Endurance sports (cycling was pictured in the video). Especially in road cycling, there are always times where you have to use short bursts of rapid muscle engaging pedaling (going through steep hills or just when pushing yourself into zone 5) which uses fast twitch and therefore would use phosphocreatine.
I started taking 500mg creatine per day and then started getting (mainly) leg cramps! I'm not sure what to do now. I can't really tolerate that, it's very painful :(
Just a reminder that beef has 5g of creatine per kg you have - so you don't need to supplement as much if you do that
I personally took it for several years without issue, except for water retention. I eventually went to the doctor as I was having pretty bad heart issues for a month straight and my blood pressure was extremely elevated. I was also under a massive amount of stress at that time and having panic attacks, which likely contributed to it, but I was told by two doctors and a cardiologist to stop taking it, as the two doctors said they personally saw cases where it damaged people. I asked if he was perhaps confusing it with steroids and he assured me he wasn't and it was creatine. cardiologist said it was bad for the heart long term. This is just my personal anecdote and the BP issues were probably from water retention, but I have seen many others online talking about it spiking their BP, so YMMV.
I have heard similar sentiments from doctors, HOWEVER it's impossible to know how valid such a anecdote is.
Doctors of the long past considered hand washing a waste of time, in hind sight they are obviously wrong. But at the time they said anecdotally that it didn't work.
Without proper studies supporting the idea that long term creatine supplementation has negative effects we should take any anecdote with a fistful of salt.
At this time the studies done deem it pretty safe in the long term, so for the moment we have to go with the most current evidence.
A lot of it has to do with your current physical health and if you have any underlying medical issues because creatine and many other supplements can cause you to retain more water, but for most healthy people that's not a problem since the water is naturally retained in the muscles anyways. Increase your potassium intake while decreasing your sodium and that will help. Of course it depends on other health issues you might have as well. Also, your body naturally makes about 1g of creatine per day. Any excess that your body doesn't use is excreted hence the reason why you must drink a lot of water and stay well hydrated.
@@Total_Body_Fitness_USA Thanks for the advice man. Since I learned I have high bp I have done what you said as well as stretching 2-3 times a day, lowering stress, daily cardio, hot showers, and having raw garlic cloves and have seen major improvements.
I enjoy your videos and have learned a lot. Are you not concerned about a possible link between creatine and cancer? It seems like recent research has found links that are concerning. For example "The two sides of creatine in cancer" published in 2021 in Trends in Cell Biology or "Creatine promotes cancer metastasis through activation of Smad2/3" published in 2021 in Cell Metabolism. If you aren't concerned about this, can you give some intuition about why not?
I've been an exercise physiologist for nearly 3 decades and you really can't go off one study. There are countless studies over the decades on the efficacy and safety of creatine. Besides, your body naturally makes creatine. If anyone is concerned about cancer or other diseases, then the key is to decrease inflammation and making sure your glutathione status is sufficient. Taking NAC and using an infrared sauna daily for 20 minutes or so will take a load off the liver by helping with detoxing countless number of chemicals we are exposed to on a daily basis and it will naturally boost your antioxidant status. A lot more to this for sure....
I don’t think u should use any supplement, unless u have a deficiency. First everyone said intermittent fasting solves all, now we know it’s the calorie reduction and not the fasting. Then they say Vit D solves all, now we know it doesn’t. Just be natural, and have high quality red meat every now and then and you’ll be good
Isn't CREATINE going to be a problem for someone with Chronic Kidney Disease who's got high creatinine levels? Won't the intake of creatine only make matters worse?
Speaking personally, creatine increases my restless leg syndrome. This puts a ceiling on how much I can take daily (very small amount)
Then quite taking it.
COMMON SENSE 101.
@Dr Brad Stanfield. Am I ok taking creatine supplements if my serum creatinine is 103 umol/l? It seems that I am on a high but till normal level of kidney function
Why not just consume more (lean) protein?
Used it regularly but felt little difference in output at the gym. Water retention is a negative side effect. Stopped using it after a while.
I don't know what you are doing wrong.But creatine clearly worked for me.I got much stronger using it.That was when I was in my early 30's.Back in the early90's.I am now in my early 60's and don't care about lifting weights anymore.But I just started taking it again,because of Dr. Brad Stanfield recommendation.
Very insightful!
It seems like there's lots of buzz on this specific supplement and I'm curious about 2 other [inter-related] side effects you didn't mention:
1. Weight gained post consumption - reportedly about 2KG on avg.
2. Muscles absorb\store more water, so it might seem like you gain muscles, it might be water; moreover, another related claim is once you stop consuming creatine, you lose that "muscles" gained so it isn't as effective for muscle building?
Another topic mentioned often is Creapure - I saw you had the "Nutricost, Performance, Creatine Monohydrate" but not the certified creature version - what's the logic behind it?
Thank you!
When you say creatine doesn't break a fast, doesn't it depend on what you trying to achieve by fasting? Creatine stimulates mTOR, which stops autophagy, so if you are fasting for autophagy, it might break that kind of fast.
Creatine use has no negative consequences for our kidneys???? How about while also consuming significant protein or combined with Keto??
I am a fan of creatine, but I'm wondering why I don't see any videos about the higher chance of getting a muscle strain. Creatine pulls water into the muscles. Therefore you will have a higher intramuscular pressure which makes the muscle more prone to pull. It's probably just a problem for people doing lots of sprinting etc. but unfortunately I suffered a muscle strain more than once after creatine intake for a couple of days. It mainly happened while playing soccer (even though I didn't take it to improve my soccer performance). But it's definetly an important information, I guess.
Nobody should EVER take creatine.
NOBODY!!!!!!!
I'd like to add a very low dose to my diet - but I was put off by the DHT conversion which could lead to hair loss.
How old are you, are you already balding and how thick is your beard? If your answers are >40, NO and NOT VERY THICK, then you have no reason to worry about DHT.
I hadn't watched the video, I was just mentioning why I hadn't done it in the past. The review Article has given me confidence to take it.
Yes, he said total testosterone but didn't mention DHT specifically in the studies (unless I missed something). I would like a study on the DHT levels.
What about IGF-1 increase? Isn't that a major concern for cancer?
Why? Why? Why? Would anybody take a creatine pill or powder? There is plenty of creatine in meat. Also Taurine and carnosine. Glutathione and CLA. There are five grams of creatine in every pound of meat. No worries about which form to take. No worries about bioavailability.
Thank you for this information, Dr. Brad. I was taking creatine based upon your recommendation, but then I had some blood work done and noticed that my creatinine level was abnormally high. The nephrologist recommended that I stop the creatine and repeat the repeat the test and sure enough the creatinine level normalized.the same thing happened to my nephew who also was taking creatine supplements. Has this happened to you?
I don't take creatine. but I eat a lot of beef...does that count?
If you eat 2-3 lbs a day then yeah it’s sufficient
To get that much creatine out of beef, you'll get atherosclerotic heart disease
@@larryc1616 there’s no proof red meat causes it. Only correlation
It has to be raw beef to get the most creatine. ;)
You have to eat like a tiger to get sufficient amount
Creatine definitely affects my sleep. Could you discuss this side effect? It is not a placebo effect...I had to research out why I wasn't sleeping...it was the creatine... no doubt
What if one has proteinuria (persistent protein in the urine), should they be taking creatine as you blanket-recommend? Wouldn't creatine drive them further into kidney failure? And isn't your recommendation therefore killing those people? And what about long-term effects? Might persons with seemingly healthy kidneys show-up years later with kidney disease due to creatine? Yes you mention kidney patients, but what about borderline folks who aren't yet kidney patients? What about diabetics and pre-diabetics who don't even know their kidney's are at-risk?
Thank you for introducing me to creatine and for the clear and straight to the point explanation. I have been taking the Optimum Nutrition capsules but am unsure when is the best time to take them. Before/ after a workout? morning / evening on non workout days? Thanks for your help 🙂
Dr. You’re talking about men but what about women can women take the supplement? What about if you have or had cancer? I’m hoping you read this text or send me a reply. I love your channel. Thank you.
Hi, i just browsed your channel, is it ok to take it for a type 2 diabetic? And is it ok to take to help kidney or not? I do hope for your response
Gout runs in my family. I have supplemented with creatine twice in my life; there won't be a third. Both times, after about one month of feeling amazing, I experienced an agonizing gout flare which subsided gradually after stopping creatine. The rest of my life I have had zero gout symptoms. Its anecdotal and I'm not aware of the existence of any research on the topic, but I won't be supplementing with creatine. Perhaps its great for many people, but I personally have not had good experiences.
Was it mixed with anything or just pure creatine?
Would creatine even be bioavailable whilst fasting?
I stack my creatine with an electrolyte blend, taurine & alpha lipoic acid
I'm surprised no-one has mentioned Creatine induced insomnia. I have taken Creatine just three times and it has completely messed up my sleep every time. Obviously good sleep is more important than any other health benefits so I have stopped taking it.
What happend if we only take the creatine with no exercise or workout?
Does it still have the benefits?
I used Creapure monohydrate for about 20 years, but it always caused stomach upset. Taking it just before a workout could be counter-productive, as the discomfort would cause me to feel lethargic. I've recently switched to Kre-Alkalyn buffered creatine, and it seems to work just as well with much less discomfort.
Regardless of the benefit of taking creatine my question is on are how it is produced, namely is it a positive or negative for the planet, and will creatine production accelerate starvation in Africa. At this point in history one should, in my opinion, disregard personal bench press performance and focus on chemicals in our environment and human starvation. It's great if a Westerner gets to live an extra year or two but what if these resources could feed a few hungry people?
lol what. There are far more destructive things going on than manufacturing creatine.
What's the opinion on BULK SUPPLEMENTS brand that's on Amazon?
Can you make a video on taurine? I think you had one before but i cant find
The scientific review that states "the current body of evidence does not indicate that creatine supplementation increases total testosterone, free testosterone, DHT or causes hair loss/baldness" is absolutely slathered with conflict of interest - just read the declarations at the bottom of the paper. With all due respect, I don't think that paper can be used as a conclusive determination that it doesn't cause hair loss, and reading the anecdotes of hundreds of people who do experience some form of hair loss or accelerated balding, I think that is still a major concern.
If you were 60 to 70 years old with an enlarged prostrate…. You would not take creatine unless you carried a urinal around with you 24-7.
Can you tell us about cregaatine? It's not creatine but its related to creatine. Supposed to be creatine on steroids, sort to speak. It's something new but I want to know of it's just a sales pitch to make money or is it the real thing? Please let me know.
Thanks for sharing about Labdoor, Dr. Stanfield. I have never heard of them before but it seems to be an excellent resource.
I miss your descriptions of the methodology in the studies you cite. In previous videos, you have not to judge papers by their conclusions. The papers need to have solid methology
But you dont need do supplement with it.eat animal based diet.grass fed grass finished beef,organs,fruit,honey and raw dairy.
But you dont need do supplement with it.eat animal based diet.grass fed grass finished beef,organs,fruit,honey and raw dairy.
Why do you take 5 grams everyday. As far as I know German sport scientists only suggest 3 grams.
Question, does it make sense to take creatine even without exercising?
Yes. Check the videos by the yt channel: high intensity health
Just wondering if you can take creatine and apply Minoxodil 5% to avoid the fear of hair loss?
Minoxidil is a growth stimulant and will not address androgens (such as DHT), but may be able to balance out some of the loss in the short term
Since you mentioned "hair loss", is there anything you have seen that can stop normal male patterned baldness as we age? Red light therapy? Supplements?
I've heard it can benefit those who have type 2 diabetes they are already in risk of kindey disease and by taking creatine. The creatinine will increase and lead to damage how it will be possible?