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Can caffeine cure baldness?

Posted: Jan 24th 2007 10:00AM by Bethany Sanders
Filed under: Men's Health

We've talked about coffee many times at That's Fit, and it's no wonder; coffee is the number one source of caffeine in this country, ahead of both soft drinks and tea.

But did you know that recent research suggests that caffeine may be the new up and coming treatment for baldness? Researchers believe that caffeine protects hair follicles by blocking a chemical called DHT, which is produced by the male hormone testosterone. In fact -- and this was news to me -- experts believe that men with more testosterone in their bodies are at a higher risk of balding, especially when there's a family history of hair loss. DHT damages hair follicles, but caffeine appears to block that process and stimulate growth. In recent lab test, hair follicles exposed to caffeine grew an extra 33 to 40 percent.

Before running out to your nearest coffee shop, you need to read this: Researchers don't believe that drinking more coffee will affect your scalp -- or your hair loss -- in any significant way. In fact, you'd have to drink a heart-racing 60 cups of coffee to gain any benefit. It makes me jittery just thinking about it! Instead, a German cosmetics firm has developed a caffeine-infused lotion that can be rubbed directly onto the scalp. If it works, it seems like a simple and natural solution.

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