Soya stops hair loss

Japanese men have much lower rates of hair loss than their British counterparts - and eat 10 times more soy. One latest discovery claims that isoflavones, naturally found in soya beans, can cure hair loss. Male pattern baldness is caused by an enzyme that converts testosterone into dihydrotestosterone (DHT). DHT damages the hair follicles, causing them to stop growing and leaving men with a receding hairline. When the bacteria in the gut breaks down isoflavones, a form of oestrogen called equol is produced. Equol appears to stop DHT from attaching to receptors on the hair follicles.