Why Is Creatine Linked to DHT?
The connection comes mainly from the 2009 rugby study.
Twenty young men received creatine or placebo in a randomized crossover design. The creatine protocol included approximately 25 g per day during a seven day loading period, followed by 5 g per day for another 14 days.
Testosterone did not significantly change.
DHT did.
The researchers reported an increase in DHT after the loading phase, along with an increase in the ratio of DHT to testosterone.
This was a legitimate scientific observation, but it was not evidence that creatine causes hair loss. Hair density, shedding, follicle size, and baldness were not measured.
The study raised a question about creatine and androgen metabolism. It did not answer the much larger question that later developed online.
What Is DHT and Why Does It Matter?
Dihydrotestosterone, better known as DHT, is an androgen produced when the enzyme 5 alpha reductase converts testosterone into DHT.
DHT plays important roles in male physiology, but it is also involved in androgenetic alopecia, commonly known as male pattern hair loss.
That does not mean higher blood DHT automatically leads to baldness.
Hair loss is strongly influenced by genetics and the sensitivity of individual hair follicles to androgen signaling. Local hormone activity within scalp tissue also matters.
This is why a change in circulating DHT alone cannot tell us whether someone will lose hair.
Does Creatine Actually Increase DHT?
At present, there is no convincing evidence that standard creatine supplementation consistently increases DHT.
The original 2009 result remains relevant, but it has not developed into a clear pattern across the wider creatine literature.
The 2025 randomized controlled trial provides particularly useful evidence because it was designed to investigate the concern directly.
Resistance trained men received either 5 g of creatine monohydrate per day or placebo for 12 weeks. Researchers measured DHT and the DHT to testosterone ratio.
They found no significant difference between the groups.
The study also measured hair density, follicular unit count, and cumulative hair thickness. Again, there were no significant differences between creatine and placebo.
This does not prove that every person will respond identically to creatine. It does, however, make the claim that creatine routinely raises DHT much harder to support.
Does Creatine Increase Testosterone?
Creatine should not be considered a testosterone boosting supplement.
Studies examining hormonal responses to creatine have generally failed to show a meaningful increase in circulating testosterone attributable to supplementation.
This also fits with what we know about how creatine works.
Creatine increases the availability of creatine and phosphocreatine within muscle. This helps regenerate ATP during short periods of intense muscular activity.
In other words, creatine can improve exercise performance without needing to increase testosterone.
Its established benefits are primarily related to cellular energy availability rather than a large hormonal effect.
What About Hair Loss?
The DHT discussion is often used as indirect evidence that creatine causes hair loss, but these are two different questions.
Until recently, one of the major weaknesses in this debate was the lack of studies that actually measured hair.
The 2025 trial helps fill that gap. After 12 weeks, researchers found no significant deterioration in hair density, follicular unit count, or cumulative hair thickness in the creatine group compared with placebo.
That is reassuring, although it is not the final word.
The study was relatively small and lasted 12 weeks. It cannot tell us with certainty what happens after several years of supplementation or whether a small subgroup of people with strong genetic susceptibility could respond differently.
For now, however, there is no convincing clinical evidence that creatine causes hair loss.