Does Creatine Help Grow Beard?


Does Creatine Help Grow Beard

Creatine is great for those who workout. Consuming creatine can make a huge difference in your workout regime. Given that working out helps beard growth. I did some research to find out whether beard growth can be boosted using creatine. Here is what I found.  

Does creatine help grow facial hair? Creatine does help with beard growth. Taking Creatine Supplements helps with beard growth by boosting the levels of beard growth hormones. The beard growth hormones combined with beard genes are responsible for facial hair growth. Creatine supplementation also helps with bodybuilding.

However, if you do not have clinically low levels of testosterone consuming creatine supplementation will not help you grow a beard. Instead, Rogaine or minoxidil can help you grow a beard.

Related: why can’t I grow a beard?

Creatine supplement for beard growth

Several studies have also proven that creatine boosts muscle growth without any detrimental side effects on the body.

Read on to find out how creatine can help you grow a beard, and also build muscles at the same time.

How creatine supplements help grow facial hair

Increases the levels of testosterone

The growth of a beard is influenced by two factors: genes and two hormones, namely testosterone and a more potent form of testosterone, called dihydrotestosterone.

Testosterone primes the facial hair follicles while dihydrotestosterone promotes linear growth of facial hair.

Any product in the market that promises to help you grow facial hair should, therefore, work to promote the levels of this hormone or increase the sensitivity of the genes to these hormones.

So, how does creatine help or increase beard growth? Creatine was concluded to help boost the level of dihydrotestosterone among rugby players who consumed creatine supplements at 25g/day for seven days and then maintained creatine levels with 5g/day for fourteen days in this studyOpens in a new tab..

Given that dihydrotestosterone promotes the linear growth of facial hair, and creatine has been proven to boost the levels of dihydrotestosterone it clear that creatine will definitely promote the growth of beard if low levels of testosterone are what is holding you back from growing a beard.

Creatine can help increase androgen receptor sensitivity to beard hormones

Including creatine supplements in your training regimen has been proven to boost the levels of endurance and help with resistance training.

One of the methods that you can use to increase the sensitivity of your androgen receptors (genes that are responsible for the growth of beards) to beard hormones is resistance training, among others which we have all covered in this post about exercises that increase beard growth.

Resistance training will on its own increase the levels of testosterone in the body, so when combined with creatine it will not only boost the levels of dihydrotestosterone but also boost the sensitivity of the androgen receptors.

Creatine improves endurance when training which gives you more training time.

Improved performance when training improves blood circulation

Based on this postOpens in a new tab.-exercise actually, boost the levels of blood circulation in your body. Improved blood circulation means that blood is reaching all your body parts and transporting the required nutrients to these body parts.

Blood circulation to your cheeks will help your facial hair follicles receive the nutrients they need to thrive, such as vitamins and beard growth hormones.

The best form of creatine supplements for beard growth?

Based on this study published hereOpens in a new tab., creatine monohydrate is the best form of creatine for those who wish to include creatine in their exercise routine to help beard growth.

Other forms of creatine are available, but more research has been performed on creatine monohydrates making them more acceptable compared.

Therefore, it goes without saying that creatine monohydrate is the best form of creatine. If you wish to boost your levels of testosterone and dihydrotestosterone and have low levels of testosterone, taking creatine supplements can boost your beard growth.

Using or dosing creatine for beard growth

Most people who include creatine in their exercise routine start with a loading phase, which consequently leads to increased creatine stored in their muscles.

The loading phase of creatine involves taking 20 grams of creatine daily. The 20 grams are divided into 4 five grams servings distributed throughout the day for 5-7 days as shown here.

After the loading phase, the uptake of creatine is lowered into 3-5 grams of creatine per day so as to maintain the creatine levels in the muscles.

To improve the absorption of creatine into the body, increase your uptake of carbs and protein as shown in this postOpens in a new tab..

It is also advisable that while using creatine to stay well hydrated.

Are there any side effects when using creatine for beard growth?

Extensive research has been conducted over time into the possible side effects of using creatine.

Fortunately, no adverse side effects have been recorded after using creatine. One of those studies that were conducted to investigate the effect of creatine is published hereOpens in a new tab..

No evidence has been found proving that creatine affects the kidney or liver in people who are healthy who adhere to the right doses.

Creatine has been associated with cramps and dehydration in the past, nonetheless, there is no research that has proven these claims.

On the contrary, studiesOpens in a new tab. show that creatine can reduce dehydration and cramps during endurance training in high heat conditions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does creatine increase DHT? Yes, creatine affects the levels of DHT by increasing its levels in the body.

Does creatine increase beard growth? Yes, if low levels of testosterone and DHT are holding you back from growing a beard, creatine will help increase your beard growth if consumed correctly and the right form of exercises are undertaken.

However, if your levels of testosterone and DHT are within the normal range taking creatine will not increase your beard growth.

Lets learn more about creatine

What is creatine?

Creatine has been a popular sports supplement for some years now. But what exactly is it? It is a nitrogenous naturally occurring compound present in meats and fish.

Also called methyl guanidine-acetic, creatine is produced from three amino acids: glycine, arginine, and methionine. The substance is synthesized by the kidney, pancreas, and liver to become creatine phosphate.

Creatine phosphate goes ahead to make a substance called adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which provides energy for muscle contractions. Other than meats and fish, another source of creatine is the body itself which produces small amounts of the substance.

History of creatine

Creatine was first discovered in 1832 by the French chemist, Michel Eugene Chevreul. The chemist named it after the Greek word for flesh, ‘Kreas’. 

In 1847 the compound was linked to muscle tissue and in the early 1990s, human studies began, to prove the link and its effects. In the 1970s, scientists realized that taking creatine in the form of supplements somehow improved physical performance.

Athletes on learning about this started to catch on to its use and in the 1990’s it became a popular sports supplement. Research reveals that creatine supplements are now particularly popular among gymnasts, football and hockey players, and wrestlers.

It was in 1993 that creatine monohydrate was formally introduced as a supplement.

What exactly does creatine do?

Muscles store creatine as creatine phosphate which makes up part of the ATP-CP energy system, also known as the Phosphagen system. The muscle cells contain 4 t0 6 times as much creatine phosphate as ATP.

It is, in fact, noted that skeletal muscle is a creatine-demanding tissue. ATP is the immediate source for muscle cells at both high and low intensities.

Nevertheless, the bodies’ reserve of ATP can be burnt out in under a second. Creatine phosphate, also known as phosphocreatine comes in at this stage.

The body reserves a small amount of creatine that is quickly converted to ATP. This amount can only power an all-out effort for 3 to 15 seconds.

When exercise intensity reduces and the duration increases, the body resorts to other systems of energy production.

Looking at the re-synthesis of creatine, you become aware of its importance in bodybuilding.

There is a regulating enzyme, creatine kinase, which breaks down creatine, separating the phosphate molecule from the creatine molecule. Phosphate then attaches to the ADP, which lacks one phosphate to become ATP.

What this basically does is help your body manufacture new ATP, which can take up to 4 or 5 minutes.

This means you will have more creatine to be used for energy thus you can train harder and longer which in the end leads to improved results in terms of more muscle, more strength, and improved performance.

Creatine also acts as a ‘volumizer’. This is because it is believed to help pull water into the muscle cells, causing the cells to expand and resulting in increased muscle size and strength.

Benefits of taking creatine

Other than boosting athletes’ performance, creatine also helps with a range of neuromuscular and neurodegenerative disorders like Parkinson’s disease, congestive heart failure, depression, and arthritis.

Creatine was seen to slow the progression of Parkinson’s disease when used alongside Coenzyme Q(10) therapy. People suffering from muscular dystrophy also benefit from creatine by experiencing up to 8.5% increased muscle strength.

There is also evidence that suggests creatine boots memory and intelligence thus enhancing your brainpower.

Caution

At the recommended doses, creatine is safe to consume. However, users may experience some mild effects like nausea, diarrhea, and muscle cramping, and stomach pain.

These effects are expected to fade away with time by themselves or with the aid of simple, over-the-counter medications.

Patients with kidney disease should completely keep off from the compound while those with diabetes or those taking blood sugar supplements need to observe some guidelines when using creatine.

Creatine is thought to improve strength, enhance lean muscle mass, and boost muscle recovery during exercise.

These muscular benefits help athletes achieve bursts of speed and energy, especially during short periods of high-intensity activities like sprinting and weight lifting.

Nevertheless, scientific research on creatine face is not conclusive. While some studies found that it helps improves performance during short bouts of athletic activity, there is no proof that creatine helps with endurance sports.

It was also observed that not everyone responds to the use of creatine.

Types of creatine: which one is the best and why?

Creatine is a powerful, all-natural strength and muscle boosting supplement. It is associated with an increase in strength and lean muscle gains.

This makes it an ideal supplement for any sportsman or fitness enthusiast that looks forward to gaining lean muscle mass. Creatine is also thought to reduce muscle damage and soreness from exercise.

As a result, one can train at maximum intensity for more gains in less time. This sounds exciting to most sportsmen, the challenge is that creatine comes in numerous varieties and the task of finding the suitable type is a daunting task for many people.

Types of creatine

Since the body has only a small reserve of creatine, you want to ensure that you are using a supplement that will effectively cover-up for the shortage. Every variety of creatine bears its own pros and cons and side effects as well.

It is impossible to keep track of all the varieties of creatine that are in existence, as new forms are discovered with time. This article however looks at some of the most common varieties of creatine and explains some of their benefits, cons, and side effects and even how to use them.

Creatine monohydrate

Creatine monohydrate is not only the most cost-effective creatine variety but is also the most effective in terms of muscle mass and strength gains. In addition, this creatine variety helps support protein synthesis that aids in muscle growth.

Regarded as the original creatine, creatine monohydrate requires sugar to be ingested along with it for proper absorption.

Using monohydrate involves a loading phase that consists of 4 to 5 doses (usually 5 grams per dose) per day for 5 days and once every day thereafter.

With extensive studies done on this creatine form, you can be guaranteed that no variety has yet to match its effectiveness. 

Creatine monohydrate can also be available as micronized creatine. This is simply a creatine monohydrate that has been broken down into smaller particles for easy absorption. 

It is also an excellent choice, but will cost slightly more than the monohydrate.

Buffered creatine (kre-alkaline)

This is claimed to improve the effects of creatine through boosting creatine retention and training adaptations with minimal side effects.

Buffered creatine has a PH of 12 which means that it can be easily and quickly be absorbed by the body. This then makes every serving of kre-alkaline to be less than that of creatine monohydrate.

With this product, you use 1 to 2 grams in the morning and once again before training.

Research however revealed that there is no significant difference in muscle creatine content, body composition, or training adaptations between users of buffered creatine and creatine monohydrate.

Ethyl ester

The benefits of this creatine variation are that it requires fewer grams to be effective and requires no sugar or loading.

As with the case with most creatine variations, ethyl ester eliminates the monohydrate effects.

It is available in pill or powder form and recommends that you take a single serving every day of 2-3 grams. 

Ethyl ester is less effective than monohydrate because on entering the body, it is quickly converted to an inactive compound known as creatinine. 

Marketing pitches claim that it converts back to usable creatine which is unfortunately not true.

Creatine HCL

This is a form of creatine that is bound with hydrochloric acid. The acid in the stomach turns it into a basic creatine molecule.

While this is considered the most advanced form of creatine, it does not have any benefits over regular monohydrates.

It is however claimed that you only need to take 1-2 grams of creatine HCL instead of the 5-10grams per day serving of monohydrate.

Liquid creatine

This is simply creatine monohydrate suspended in a liquid. Liquid creatine is believed to be less effective than regular creatine monohydrate.

After being left in a liquid solution for several days, the creatine is broken down to its inactive form referred to as creatinine.

Creatine nitrate

This variation is extremely water-soluble and possibly easy on the stomach when compared to regular creatine monohydrates.

You however have to pay more it while it holds no advantage over the regular monohydrate.

Other types of creatine include creatine citrate, tri-creatine malate, creatine pyruvate, and conjugated creatine.

Conclusion

You are strongly advised to make creatine monohydrate your number one option when it comes to creatine supplements. However, if you choose to use any variation of creatine, make sure to thoroughly research it so as to understand its effects, benefits, disadvantages, and dosage.

Ben

Hi, I'm Ben! When I embarked on my beard-growing journey, I had lots of questions. Now having successfully grown a beard, I launched this blog to share the answers I discovered through extensive research. Alongside beard tips, I also offer insights on maintaining and growing dreadlocks, as well as general advice on looking your best. I'm all about helping others look and feel great!

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