EGCG associated with Hair loss

[evatraw]

Does anyone know if higher dose EGCG (2-3 grams daily) can lead to hair loss? My 20 year old brother has been taking this for about 2 years and he is experiencing hair loss -thinninng in the front and around the ears. Any help would be greatly appreciated. He has been on this for prevention of CLL

[AussieNeil Partner Administrator]

The Mayo trial didn't run as long as your brother has been on EGCG, so you'll be reliant on reports from others who have tried it independently for a few years. Did his father and any of his grandfathers experience hair loss at an early age?

Neil

[evatraw in reply to AussieNeil]

Hi Neil, thank you so much for your response. The family hair was always pretty thick and full, and so was my brothers until we started noticing it getting thin and patchy in some areas. do you think this could be because EGCG blocks blood from getting to fast growing cells (cancer) - yet hair is also a fast growing cell?

[AussieNeil Partner Administrator in reply to evatraw]

EGCG is thought to work on CLL cells by triggering several apoptosis pathways. There is actually some evidence that it can IMPROVE cardiovascular health ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

healthline.com/nutrition/eg...

Cancer drugs that can cause hair loss do so, not because they block blood flow to the hair follicles, but because fast growing cells take up more of the drug and thus can have their DNA scrambled during cell division, triggering apoptosis. That's why you see cooling caps used in cancer infusion centres to purposely reduce blood flow to the scalp, reducing the uptake of the chemotherapy drugs by hair follicles.

Has your brother considered stopping taking EGCG for up to a month to see if his hair loss reverses?

Neil

[mama2020 in reply to AussieNeil]

Thank you for the links Neil. I have read that in high doses antioxidants become pro-oxidants and can lead to miniaturization of the hair. Perhaps this is what's happening with taking high doses of EGCG?

[AussieNeil Partner Administrator in reply to mama2020]

I'd suggest such conjecture is best reserved until after your brother determines that there is an association between his hair loss and taking EGCG .

[mama2020 in reply to AussieNeil]

Do you know if high dose (2-4 grams per day) increases DHT in men? The studies I am looking at for prostate cancer are confusing (to me).

[AussieNeil Partner Administrator in reply to mama2020]

Sorry, my research has been limited to CLL.