So, I came across this video that advertises a hair-loss prevention and reversing technique. The video is very much over the top, saying that the technique reverses hair loss in every patient, increases testosterone levels (leading to all sorts of benefits), while also preventing prostate cancer.
The term "too good to be true" has never felt more applicable, and the way it's presented doesn't make it any better - They Seem To Enjoy Capitalizing Every Word When Trying To Make Big Claims.
However, it got me wondering whether there is any grain of truth buried within the unrealistic claims made. The video is a bit tedious, so here is my summary.
This guy (if there even is a guy) claims he tried a bunch of hair growth methods, but they were expensive and had lots of side effects. Then his doctor told him he had enlarged prostate, and that this was often caused by having too much DHT (dihydrotestosterone, which he says comes from metabolizing normal testosterone) in your body.
He then goes on to say that this DHT is also linked to hair loss and that this is confirmed by a bunch of studies from Harvard and other places (no source given). He says production of DHT is controlled by an enzyme he calls 5AR (5-alpha-reductane, I believe), the production of which can be inhibited by consuming certain things (vaguely hinted as "veggies, minerals, etc... combined in specific ways"). This lets you regrow hair, lose weight, and prevents prostate cancer.
Following the instructions sold by this website is then claimed to make significant difference within four weeks. Nobody wanted to publish his results since both the hair-loss treatment and prostate cancer treatment industries are too large (this is the only part that sounds somewhat likely).
Anyway, while I (as a balding 25-year-old) wish it would be true, it all sounds like a big pile of bull feces. However, even the most exaggerated claims can contain some truth to them. So I wonder:
Is there a solid connection between hair loss and DHT (if that's even a thing)? Is there any reason to believe one could affect hair loss (and regrowth) by dietary means?
Is there something else that is blatantly wrong in the claims made in the video?
Biology and nutrition aren't my fields at all, so I don't feel like I can really answer these questions myself (or judge the credibility of sources), but here are some articles I found relating to the subject:
American Hair Loss Association