For those using Beta Sitosterol to combat hair loss.
It would be wise to stop.
Prostate Specific: In the human body, supplemental beta-sitosterol acts in several ways. First, it protects the prostate against growth caused by age-related reactivation of increased conversion of testosterone to the dihydrotestosterone (DHT) form.
The higher production of DHT is normal from puberty to the early 20s, a man’s most sexually active period. In an adult, however, reactivated production of DHT is a major contributing factor in undesirable growth of the prostate, or benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). By normalizing this conversion and depriving the prostate of the active metabolite DHT, prostatic tissue growth ceases and existing tissue atrophies. (Kirby RS, Christmas TJ. Benign Prostate Hyperplasia. London, England: Mosby-Year Book Europe Limited; 1993) Beta-sitosterol has been shown to do just this, naturally block this unwanted conversion, reducing and normalizing the supply of DHT to the prostate, and, in effect, maintain a normal male hormone balance for a healthy prostate. (Shrinkage in volume of the prostate from either beta-sitosterol or use of the herbal products appears to be a mixed clinical picture. Some reports indicate significant symptom improvement with no change in volume, while others report shrinkage.
One of the very best studies done was published in the British Journal of Urology, volume 80 (1997), at the University of Dresden. Drs. Klippel, Hilti and Schipp studied 177 men for 6 months who suffered from BPH. Half the men got a placebo and half got the prescription extract Azuprostat containing 130mg of beta-sitosterol. They cited a full 32 references to substantiate their research. They carefully screened all the men and tested them extensively during the study. They concluded, “These results show that beta-sitosterol is an effective option in the treatment of BPH.”