Men the hair-loss on your pillow or shirt may be telling you something!

Men the hair-loss on your pillow or shirt may be telling you something!

Every man initially dreads the thought of losing their hair. Many men believe that the only way to change this outcome is to seek out expensive pharmaceutical products with a visit to their doctor. Unfortunately most insurance companies consider these expensive treatments as cosmetic.

I keep hearing that “50” is the new “30”. Not sure if I should laugh or try to accept the fact that I will be blowing out 50 candles next month. Now about that hair!

I was always told that if your mother’s father was bald then you would be too. It turns out that this statement is as vague and true as saying: you need to wait an hour after you eat before going swimming.

The truth, hair loss in men is tied to the hormone testosterone. The opposite could also be said that the more testosterone you have the hairier you are. When does having hair change to losing hair? And the answer is: when testosterone is converted to DHT (dihydrotestosterone). Elevated DHT is associated with a low free testosterone level due to the fact that it has been converted. Once converted this hormone DHT was responsible for the growth of your prostate gland during puberty. Unfortunately this DHT hormone may reappear later in life and studies have shown that beta-sitosterol may work by stopping the enzyme 5 alpha reductase (J Altern Complement Med. 2002 Apr;8(2):143-52.). It is this enzyme that actually converts testosterone to DHT. It is this enzyme 5 alpha reductase and its actions that have been linked to male pattern hair loss.
A smaller study by Nelson Prager, “Effectiveness of Botanically Derived Inhibitors of 5AR in the Treatment of Androgenetic Alopecia”: Alternative and Complimentary Medicine, Volume 8, Number 2, April 2002, studied 26 males between the ages of 23 and 65 with mild to moderate hair loss. Half of the subjects were given 50 mg of beta-sitosterol for four months. The other half received a placebo. After four months, investigative staff assessment found that 60% of the treated test subjects experienced improvement. In contrast, 11% of the placebo group was rated as improved. It should be re-emphasized that this study was both limited in duration and in the number of actual study participants.

Note beta-sitosterol has not been associated with the spectrum of negative side effects, adverse reactions, or the teratogenicity, associated with the pharmaceutically derived alternatives.

One blogger chronologically photographed his hair re-growth using beta-sitosterol from January 2003 through July 2006. See the following link: http://hairregrowth.blogspot.com/

Beta-sitosterol will probably work better on people who have only just started losing hair, rather than those who have been bald for years who’s follicles are more likely to be dead.

The gentlemen at the above noted photographic blog-site wants you to know:

“5 months is nothing, took me 12-18 months to really start seeing overall thickening, takes a LONG time for velous hairs to turn terminal, but the fact that they are there means the follicles are not dead. I think some of the terminal new hairs you saw were hairs on the way to dying but then sprang back to life. They were not so far gone that the first thing to sprout is peach fuzz. Be patient, just stopping the fallout etc is great. Re-growth takes time.”

It should be noted that beta-sitosterol generally refers to a phytosterol complex. Nutritionists recognize two classes of phytosterols: (1) sterols, which have a double bond in the sterol ring; and (2) stanols, which lack a double bond in the sterol ring . A mixed Phytosterol complex contains the following distinct plant sterols:
1) Beta-sitosterol
2) Campesterol
3) Stigmasterol
There are distinct structural differences between the above three plant sterols.
In the case of prostate health, and the conversion of testosterone to DHT (dihydrotestosterone)it is the beta-sitosterol that has been studied and reported to provide relief with respect to the symptoms associated with an enlarged prostate. A 200 mg capsule of saw palmetto contains approximately 20 mg of actual beta-sitosterol. Therefore to get close to the dosage of 300 mg a day or more you would have to consume 20 plus capsules per day. Now if you are a strict vegetarian you are getting 400 to 600 mg of beta-sitosterol daily. To approximate the desired dose of beta-sitosterol with diet alone would mean a life on the porcelain throne so to speak. It should be noted that the FDA allows manufacturers to claim that foods containing plant sterol esters such as beta-sitosterol are for reducing the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). This rule is based on the FDA's conclusion that plant sterol esters may reduce the risk of CHD by lowering blood cholesterol levels. The FDA has requirements for a minimum daily dose is at least 1.3 grams (1200 mg) of beta-sitosterol daily. In addition the beta-sitosterol should be taken .5 to 1 hours before the meal in divided dosages. All beta-sitosterol prostate supplements have this phytosterol complex. The percent beta-sitosterol would depend on which supplement you purchase. Most common is a 50% beta-sitosterol complex. Some like Best Prostate actually use a branded beta-sitosterol “Vegapure” by Cognis Health & Nutrition. Note the following side effects of beta-sitosterol have been reported at dosages of 3 to 4 grams per day. These side effects may include: Nausea, Indigestion or heartburn, Diarrhea or constipation. There may be additional side effects that have been reported at higher dosages so this list is not all inclusive. To learn more about Best Prostate visit http://www.bestprostate.com/

Note: The statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Any products mentioned are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Any medical concerns should be directed to a qualified health care professional.