Capsaicin and Soy Isoflavones hair growth study

gutted - This is for alopecia areata. If IGF-1 is low, it will be useful. However, for standard MPB, it may not.

Too much cayenne (taken internally) can actually have negative effects. In the study above, a very small amount of cayenne was used.

gutted - Yes, quite right. In a certain percentage with MPB, androgen block isn't effective, and it's this sub-group who are low in IGF-1.

While not a effective for everyone, certainly worth a try. I use something else (Ecklonia Cava) to insure that my IGF-1 levels are sufficient, since in taking all the soy is a little work.

Genistein (primary isoflavone found in soy) has been shown to decrease androgen receptors and inhibit the gene coding for 5 alpha reductase. I think soy isoflavones are more effective than finasteride at reducing androgenic stimulation. However despite their effectiveness at reducing androgenic activity, I'm unsure if they are beneficial to scalp hair growth. Soy isoflavones certainly are capable of stopping AGA but they may still cause hair loss via mechanisms unrelated to androgens.

Some things I'm concerned about-

Thyroid Suppression: Does this occur as a result of the isoflavones or something else that's in the soybean? Either way sufficient iodine intake should negate this effect.

VEGF and Angiogenesis Inhibition: It has been shown in various cancer studies that genistein inhibits VEGF and angiogenisis which makes it useful in fighting cancer. However both of these are necessary for hair growth. Does genistein inhibit VEGF and angiogenesis in hair follicles or just cancer cells?

Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor: Genistein is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor and some cancer drugs which are tyrosine kinase inhibitor have reported alopecia/hair loss as a side effect.

It's been reported that rural japanese consume 20-80 mg of Genistein a day and they have very little baldness. This leads me to believe that in moderate doses, soy's androgen supressing effect provides a net benefit over the negatives listed above. Anyway these are just my thoughts and I was wondering if anyone had any knowledge in regards to soy and hair growth aside from the fact that it suppresses androgen activity.