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Is this for real? Scary stuff if it is. No more green tea I guess.

Here are some quotes from the study.

"Green tea did not reduce final tumor weight, although it tended to elevate (P = 0.14) the serum dihydrotestosterone (DHT) concentration. "

"Green tea tended to increase serum testosterone and DHT levels by 73.8% (P = 0.14) and 194% (P = 0.076), respectively"

http://jn.nutrition.org/cgi/content/full/133/2/516#SEC2

I'm totally freaked out after reading this because I have been drinking lots of green tea. Now I find out this whole time its only hurting my hair.....

"The combination of SPC and green tea synergistically inhibited final tumor weight and metastasis and significantly reduced serum concentrations of both testosterone and DHT in vivo."



That's why you eat your soy products kids.

I thought soy was really bad for your hair...? Also, this whole time many people including myself were under the impression that green tea might help your hair ever so slightly (obviously proven meds are better), but now it looks like it can really hurt your hair, at least by itself?

That's a good point. That study is really vague and really doesn't help us out scientifically. I didn't read it very close, but it doesn't really mention if the increase in testosterone and DHT was free hormone, protein bound hormone, or both. If it's either of the second two, then there are no worries. Only free hormone has any opportunity for biological activity.

Also, Green Tea is believe to help hair loss a couple of different mechanisms. I've heard that it increases SHBG, which would mean that DHT and testosterone production would increase as the levels of those hormones fell due to SHBG production and removal of hormone from the general circulation. I've also read that Green Tea is believed to have effects that are removed from androgens and androgen receptors.

I'll have to look into this some more. Either way, Green Tea is good for your health and it seems as though Black Tea is even better.

As for the soy being bad for your hair, I've never heard that. In fact, I've heard the exact opposite.

I found this article, its dated 2004 though, so nothing new here I guess.

Nonetheless, the headline says

Soy 'stops cancer and baldness'

"Researchers believe the molecule could help treat baldness
Scientists have claimed that eating soy could help prevent men from developing prostate cancer and from going bald. "


http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3607815.stm

Of course, many people brush this off by saying only 30% of the US population has makes equol in their bodies naturally...

But still, it seems interesting. However I have read a few people on here that after a few years of having soy milk, their hairloss started. Would this be due to an increase in estrogen? I have read here that too much estrogen is responsible for MPB as well...I think I read that anyway.

Also, do you think I should stop green tea completely? Or perhaps combine it with a little soy milk (everything in moderation right?)? Just asking your personal advice, don't worry, I won't blame you if things get even worse for me (my choices, my consequences ).

ok..when someone can speak in lehmans terms and just say" such and such is good, such snd such is bad"...let us know...we will all appreciate it immensly!
if soy is good...where can we get it from? what foods??
thanks!

Yeah seriously.

And this article is kinda of interesting, since I noticed my hairloss months after I started taking green tea pills regularly, and still do. ugh...

SBHG is a molecule that binds with high affinity to testosterone.
Testosterone bound to SBHG is not bioactive and cannot bind to androgen receptors or be converted into dihydrotestosterone.
So it does not explain the increase of serum DHT level.

I don't think you know how these assays work and we can't really jump to any conclusion regarding their results. Many assays will see bound and free hormone, especially if they use specific kits. Not all kits only see "bioactive" hormone. They don't specify, so we can't assume anything from their results. If someone wants to look up the kit that they used, then we can make better conclusions from the results.

Sure it does. Well, theoretically, at least. A decline in bioactive androgens (by way of binding to SHBG) should lead to a reflexive increase in androgen production thanks to the ever-watchful eye of the HPTA.

Bryan