Posted 02 June 2007 - 08:24 AM
Well, male pattern baldness (MPB)/androgenetic alopecia is dependent upon multiple genes with variable penetrance (i.e., there ain't no knowing if you'll be bald and yer brother 'll be hairy!).
If yer susceptible to androgenetic allopecia (MPB).
Finesteride helps. Dutasteride is likely better, but certainly more costly.
Topical agents (RU######, spironolactone, ketoconazole, etc.) may help also.
Finesteride, at least, is a "selective" inhibitor of the enzyme systems that convert testosterone to DHT, so like will have less impact on other areas (libido, muscle development, etc.).
Flax Lignans: Cure for hair loss?
Source: Journal of American Dietetic Association 105(5):743-60 (2005)
Source: www.acatris.com
A pilot study carried out by Dutch company Acatris, suggests that taking flax lignans could put an end to baldness.
Jocelyn Mathern, Technical Specialist at Acatris, said that androgenetic alopecia (AGA), the most common from of hair loss, is a hormonal as well as a genetic issue effecting around 50 per cent of men aged 50 years old or older.
“A potent form of the male hormone testosterone, dihydrotestosterone (DHT), can get inside hair follicles and cause them to shrink and produce thinner hair and eventually none at all,” said Mathern.
The main flax lignan, secoisolariciresinol diglucoside (SDG), can help prevent this by inhibiting production of the enzyme that converts testosterone into DHT, called 5-alpha reductase.
The study took place at a health company in Taiwan over a six-month period. Ten male sufferers of androgenetic alopecia aged between 20 and 70 years received a 50mg daily dose of SDG.
The condition of their hair was documented at the beginning of the study by photographs and the men measured their hair loss throughout the period by counting the number of hairs on their pillows each morning.
Initial effects of the flax lignans were noticed on average one to two months into the study. At the end of the period, eight of the participants reported a modest improvement in their hair loss condition, one reported a great improvement and one reported no effect at all. The more severe the participant's hair loss was at the start of the trial, the more noticeable the improvement. Half the subjects also noted decreased oil secretion in their scalp. No adverse effects were reported.
“This pilot study confirms earlier research on flax lignans with respect to their promise in the care of AGA and without the sometimes harmful effects of a prescription medication,” said Mathern.
Result's from the pilot study indicate that Acatris will be sponsoring a clinical trial at a research centre in Maastricht, The Netherlands, later this year.