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Andrew Huberman, Ph.D.@hubermanlabTikTok

Creatine & NAD: Hair growth, subcutaneous water, cognition and strength #hubermanlab …more

original sound — @hubermanlab

what it claims

Adjusting your daily creatine dose (from 1 to 10 g) and taking a one-week break every four months optimizes its physical and cognitive benefits while avoiding subcutaneous water retention, whereas taking NAD+ boosters (NMN, NR) accelerates hair and nail growth.

mixed

Science broadly validates the benefits of creatine for muscle strength and brain energy.

noli's read

Science broadly validates the benefits of creatine for muscle strength and brain energy. However, the official position of the International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN - expert opinion) specifies that the resulting water retention is strictly intracellular (within the muscle) and not subcutaneous. Likewise, the practice of a regular one-week 'washout' has no real scientific basis; a clinical trial published in the *Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research* (2004) further indicates that it takes several weeks without supplementation for muscle stores to return to their baseline levels. Regarding hair, the absence of a link between creatine and hair loss is robustly confirmed by a 2025 randomized controlled trial (RCT) published in the *JISSN*. Finally, the hypothesis that NAD+ boosters (such as NMN) stimulate hair growth is beginning to find scientific support. A preliminary clinical trial (Fukumoto et al., 2025) published in the journal *Cosmetics* indeed observed an improvement in hair diameter in middle-aged women, although this study is still small in scale and lacks a placebo control group.

the sources

Claimed by Andrew Huberman, Ph.D. Noli grades the claim, never the person.

Decoded by Noli · July 13, 2026 · the original post

What the graded evidence says

Evidence: A

Effect: strength/power with resistance training — consistent small-moderate benefit
Measured on: healthy training adults

Andrew Huberman, Ph.D. in the Register144 claims graded · solidity 82/100See their record →

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Noli has read similar claims

Other advice in the Register that leans on the same research.

Creatine isn't just for muscle — at doses higher than the standard 3-5g, some reaches the brain and may support cognitive energy, especially under stress or sleep loss.

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5g of creatine isn't enough, the claim goes: bumping to 10g raises brain creatine further, and a 25g dose counters the cognitive decline from sleep loss and the mid-afternoon energy crash.

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After a year of daily creatine monohydrate: no hair loss, no kidney damage, the loading phase isn't necessary, and "special" creatine forms change nothing versus plain monohydrate.

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