If you’re an older male, this comes as no surprise: By age 35, ⅔ of American men will have experienced noticeable thinning of their hair or even hair loss and just 15 years later, the number of men affected rises to 85%. While women also suffer from hair loss, most of the research conducted on this affliction has focused on men, with the predominant problem being “Male Pattern Baldness” (also known as androgenetic alopecia). Men tend to lose hair on the top of their scalp while retaining hair on the sides and back. The pattern of hair loss tends to be a result of genetic factors and has to do with hair follicle sensitivity to the hormone DHT. For comprehensive overviews of aging and hair loss, we can recommend 2 podcasts for you: One from The Guardian and the other from Dr. Peter Attia, a physician-researcher dedicated to exploring your healthspan and longevity. Dr. Attia hosts podcasts on a range of topics related to healthy aging and longevity, and you can catch a sneak peek of his recent podcast that reviews hair loss in detail (to hear the entire episode, you will need to subscribe to his podcast).

While treatments exist to address male pattern baldness, none of them are universally effective and they tend to do better preserving hair rather than reversing hair loss. Two main drugs are FDA-approved and available to address hair loss. One is Minoxidil (known by its brand name Rogaine) and the other is Finasteride (known by the brand name Propecia). Neither are covered by insurance and both may have side effects. Minoxidil can be either in topical or pill form and a recent randomized double-blind trial found that both forms work equally as well, though those taking the oral form had excessive hair growth beyond their scalp and those with the topical form experienced itching and eczema.  Neither Minoxidil nor Finasteride works quickly, may not work for everyone and if you stop, whatever hair growth you have attained will be lost and your hair loss pattern will return. There are other drugs available, along with treatments such as surgical interventions (hair transplant, scalp reductions) along with laser treatments, stem cell banking, and Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) injections. But again, none of these are guaranteed to work for everyone, and the treatments can run many thousands of dollars with uncertain results. For a recent review of “The Best Hair Loss Treatments for Men” grab a comb and click here.

It’s also possible that your nutritional status could have an impact on your hair loss, but the evidence supporting supplements with vitamins or minerals is not strong, and for most of us who eat a healthy diet, this is likely not a contributing factor. But if you are curious, you should seek out a blood test to determine if you’re nutritionally deficient, and consult with your doctors about possible supplementation. For an updated list of possible supplements to consider, look here.

Finally, there is some recent research that suggests a new and effective treatment may be on the horizon for hair loss. Published in Frontiers in Pharmacology, this research examined a sugar compound as a natural medication to treat androgenetic alopecia. Scientists discovered the hair-growth-promoting qualities of this substance when they first tried to use it for wound healing in mice. When the compound was rubbed on mice, it led to significant hair growth, comparable to what can be seen with Minoxidil. While testing now has to happen in human trials, it could be in the not-too-distant future, that “just a spoonful of sugar” may do the trick to reverse hair loss and create significant hair growth on otherwise bald scalps. For more on this study, find your sugar bowl and read here.