Dietary supplements may help treat hair loss

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Hair loss can range from mild hair thinning to total baldness. Hair can fall out for many different reasons.

In a study from Tufts University, scientists found there may be a potential role for nutritional supplements in the treatment of hair loss.

We normally lose approximately 50 to 100 scalp hairs each day. If more than this is falling out, you may find unusually large amounts of hair in brushes, on clothing, and in the drains of sinks and tubs.

You may also notice that your hair is generally thinner, that your part is wider, that your hairline has changed or that one or more bald patches have appeared.

In the study, the team examined and compiled the findings of all dietary and nutritional interventions for the treatment of hair loss in people without nutritional deficiency. Data were included from 30 published studies.

The researchers found a potential benefit of Viviscal, Nourkrin, Nutrafol, Lambdapil, Pantogar, capsaicin and isoflavone, omegas 3 and 6 with antioxidants, apple nutraceutical, total glucosides of paeony and compound glycyrrhizin tablets, zinc, tocotrienol, and pumpkin seed oil in studies of nutritional interventions with the highest-quality evidence.

Low-quality evidence for disease course improvement was seen for kimchi and cheonggukjang, vitamin D3, and Forti5. For all therapies evaluated, adverse effects were rare and mild.

The team says some patients with hair loss may benefit from nutritional supplementation, and shared decision-making with dermatologists should be encouraged to review the risks and benefits of each treatment.

If you care about nutrition, please read studies about how Mediterranean diet could protect your brain health, and the best time to take vitamins to prevent heart disease.

For more information about nutrition, please see recent studies that olive oil may help you live longer, and vitamin D could help lower the risk of autoimmune diseases.

The study was conducted by Lara Drake et al and published in JAMA Dermatology.

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