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 Dr. Lee is the founder and owner of Regrowth LLC, a company based in Los Angeles and dedicated to the treatment of hair loss. He has been developing innovative products and treating hair loss sufferers for the past 16 years. Dr. Lee is the creator of the Xandrox line of hair loss treatments.
Important Note: Due a busy schedule, Dr. Lee cannot answer any new questions at this time; however, he will be providing high quality answers to questions he receives from his own practice exclusively to Morphollica.com regularly
anonymous
2005-05-15
Soy and hair loss
Do eating soy products help in preventing or treating MPB?
Equol is a substance produced in the intestines as a metabolite of
soybeans and soy foods. Equol is a non-steroidal estrogen that acts as an
anti-androgen by preventing the hormone dihydrotestosterone (DHT) from
attaching to androgen receptors. Some people are able to produce equol in
their intestines, while others cannot. The results of a study published March 2004 in Biology of Reproduction
indicated that equol effectively blocks DHT, which is linked with male pattern
baldness (MPB) and benign prostate enlargement. Equol is a form of estrogen
that is made when bacteria in the gut breaks down estrogen--mimicking
chemicals, known as "isoflavones", chemicals found naturally in soya beans and
some other plants. Equol, when injected into mice, did not stop DHT being
synthesized, but by chemically forming a complex with DHT, prevented DHT from
attaching to the male hormone receptors in the prostate and hair follicles. "Directly binding and inactivating DHT without influencing testosterone gives
equol the ability to reduce many harmful effects of androgens without
affecting the beneficial ones," says Professor Robert Handa, an
endocrinologist at Colorado State College of Veterinary Medicine, the senior
author of the study published in March 2004. So, can eating increased soy products help treat or prevent MPB? Maybe, but
there’s no evidence to support the hypothesis. As for 'any herb or natural
product for MPB', we have a Catch-22 situation. In fact, there may be some
very beneficial herbs and natural products. However, these 'herbs and natural
products' aren’t usually prescribed in Western academic medicine, because they
have never been tested or approved by the FDA. It costs in the hundreds of
millions of dollars to obtain an FDA approval for a new drug. The FDA will
not grant an exclusive patent for 'herbs and natural products'. The
pharmaceutical company cannot recapture the cost of its research and
development. As a result, it’s unlikely that we will ever have a
well-designed study to prove the value of dietary soy or equol supplementation
for the treatment of MPB. Richard Lee, M.D. Regrowth, LLC
www.Minoxidil.com
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