In Japanese clinical trials, a safe, natural polyphenol
compound from apples was proven to promote new hair growth in men with male pattern baldness.
In the first double-blind clinical study, 29 balding men were treated with the apple procyanidin solution. After 6 months, researchers reported that both vellus and terminal hair growth were “significantly greater” than placebo control group subjects.
(Vellus hairs are short hairs, only a centimeter or two long. The follicles that produce them never produce any other kind of hairs. Terminal hairs are the long hairs that grow on the head.)
Increased Number of Terminal Hairs
The next study involved 21 men in various stages of hereditary hair loss. After 12 months of topical treatment, researchers reported that “71% of subjects showed an increased number of hairs.” They also noted “a clear trend towards increased number of non-vellus hairs.”
A “Potential Cure” for Male Pattern Baldness
After 12 months of study, the scientists concluded that “procyanidin therapy shows promise as a potential cure for male pattern baldness.”
In a third study of 29 balding men, this time for 4 months, 78.9% showed an increased mean value of hair diameter. Increased ratio of thicker hairs was “significantly higher” than placebo controls and the increase in the number of total hairs was “significantly greater.”
200% Better Than Minoxidil
Seven different published studies now confirm the profound hair-growth promoting effects of apple procyanidins. In tests on human hair cells, apple chemicals proved twice as effective as minoxidil to promote hair growth. The apple extracts were also clearly superior to less potent grape and grape seed extracts.
Procyanidins Activate Hair Follicle Growth
The richest known source of procyanidin B-2 is the skins of immature (baby) green apples. Polyphenols from apples have an astonishing range of health effects, and may be nature’s perfect antioxidant.
In every study, apple procyanidins have proven completely safe for humans and animals. There is no toxicity, no irritation, and no side effects. This natural hair loss remedy may be nature’s best option for millions of people who suffer from thinning hair, falling hair, and male pattern baldness.
January 3rd, 2007
Inflammation causes many of the problems associated
with bad hair and bad skin . Most of this inflammation is subclinical - the kind that can be seen only with a microscope. In this article I’m going to make many suggestions about what foods and supplements reduce the possibility of cellular, tissue, and even systemic inflammation. I’m also going to suggest what foods and eating patterns increase the possibility for this inflammation to occur.
What mainly determines if our diet is either pro-inflammatory or anti-inflammatory are wild swings in blood sugar. These rapid rises in blood sugar trigger an insulin response in the body. This insulin response is to a large extent what causes an inflammatory response.
Most of the foods we eat are converted into sugar (glucose), but different foods are converted into sugar at different rates. Foods that are converted into sugar fast can be considered as pro-inflammatory. These foods, which I’ll discuss in detail, often cause all kinds of trouble if they make up a large part of one’s regular diet.
The kinds of trouble they cause are hypertension (high blood pressure), diabetes type 2, insulin resistance, cholesterol problems, and central obesity (visceral fat). This group of physical disorders is often referred to as the metabolic syndrome or syndrome X. Another indication of the metabolic syndrome is a high C-reactive protein level. Here’s what Dr. Andrew Weil says about this marker for systemic inflammation:
Cardiovascular disease remains one of the biggest health threats to Americans. For years, LDL (”bad”) cholesterol levels were the measuring stick for cardiovascular risk, but recent studies have indicated that elevated C-reactive protein (CRP) levels - which measure inflammation - may be a better indicator of one’s risk for heart attack and stroke.
What can you do to lower your CRP? It sounds familiar: If you reduce your intake of saturated fats, exercise regularly, eat an anti-inflammatory diet including plenty of fruits and vegetables, stop smoking, and lose excess weight, your CRP levels will decrease naturally, along with your risk of heart disease and numerous other illnesses.
My opinion is that Dr. Weil’s recommendations will have a positive effect on hair and skin health along with keeping your heart and blood vessels healthy.
The foods that are converted into sugar fast are all high on the glycemic index. This index is an arbitrary scale that rates foods from 0 to 100. Water is rated 0; table sugar is rated 100. As a rule, foods rated quite a bit above 50 should be avoided because they are pro-inflammatory. These foods include white potatoes, white bread, white rice, processed cereals, pasta, dried fruit, fruit juices, honey, and of course soda drinks, cakes, cookies, and pies. All these foods cause a rapid rise in blood sugar. This in turn triggers a release of insulin. The result is inflammation taking place in all the cells of the body.
But in addition to being concerned about the glycemic index, you have to think about the glycemic load too. The glycemic load is determined by how much food is eaten at a given time. If too much food, even food low on the glycemic index, is eaten at one time, there will be a rapid rise in blood sugar. Many nutritionists recommend small meals even if you have to eat more than three times a day. Small meals stabilize blood sugar and therefore keep inflammation in check; super-large meals have the opposite effect.
Even though most fatty foods rate low on the glycemic index, certain “bad” fats are known to create an anti-inflammatory state. This is because different types of fats produce different types of prostaglandins. Prostaglandins are extremely active biological substances produced in the body by using unsaturated fatty acids. The bad fats play a role in the synthesis of the pro-inflammatory prostaglandins. These fats include polyunsaturated oils, partially hydrogenated fats, and trans-fatty acids (fats in deep-fried foods). It’s hard to avoid these fats if you eat a lot of processed foods. I avoid corn oil, safflower oil, soybean oil, margarine, lard, and the like. I use mostly extra-virgin olive oil that is rich in omega-9. This fatty acid works in concert with omega-3, producing benefits to the body.
The omega-3 fatty acids, which are found in cold-water fish like sardines, salmon, and tuna, are important in the production of the anti-inflammatory prostaglandins. Fish oils and cod liver oil are also high in this nutrient if you are concerned about the possibility of methyl mercury in fish, or just don’t like the taste of fish. Other good sources of omega-3 are walnuts, flax seed powder, sunflower seeds, and almonds.
Before I get into the intriguing material about some great anti-inflammatory foods, I’d like to encourage everyone to drink a lot of pure water. Six to ten glasses each day exert a strong anti-inflammatory effect because the water gets rid of toxins that might otherwise build up in the body. I drink spring water that I get at a grocery store near me. The water out of the tap is not a choice I would make because there are too many unhealthful chemicals in it. If you drink sufficient pure water each day, you’ll notice that your skin will start to look a lot better - even acne might start to disappear. This is an indication of the anti-inflammatory process at work.
A list of anti-inflammatory foods
If you have been looking at my Discussion Forum regularly, you would have seen many positive messages about all the foods that are listed below. There is certainly no one food that magically stabilizes hair loss or grows new hair, but a diet rich in all or most of these foods might create the healthy anti-inflammatory state conducive to productive hair follicles. I’m going to list these foods under the major phytochemical groups of which they are a part.
Omega-3 fatty acids - Most sea foods like the ones I mentioned above along with fish oils are rich in this essential fatty acid. The vegetarian sources include flaxseed powder, walnuts, sesame and canola oil. All raw nuts also contain at least some omega-3 also.
Quercetin - This is an anti-inflammatory phytochemical of the flavonoid family. It is found in red grapes, onions, broccoli, garlic, and apples. Green apples, especially the skins, are known to have a positive effect in promoting the growth of new hair according to a large Japanese study.
Polyphenols - These are other anti-inflammatory phytochemicals found in highly colored berries like blueberries and blackberries. They are also rich in anthocyanins, a type of flavonoid that is protective of hair follicles. Cranberry juice if it’s 100% is also full of these phytochemicals, but stay away from the cranberry “drinks” and other fruit drinks too. These are usually nothing but sugar, water, synthetic flavor, and some coloring - very high on the glycemic index.
Antioxidants - These protect the body from free-radical damage, the chain-reaction that erodes cell membranes (cell walls) throughout the body. Some of the foods I eat for their antioxidant effects are green and red peppers, loaded with vitamin C; canned tomatoes, rich in lycopene (protects against prostate problems too); and all kinds of dark leafy greens like spinach. If you make salads from these greens, stay away from most of the salad dressings you’ll find at the stores. Almost 95% of them are loaded with high fructose corn syrup. (Paul Newman’s salad dressings are the only ones I found without HFCS.) This chemical is a disaster making people fat around the middle.
Oleic acid - This contains the omega-9 fatty acid that helps the omega-3 function more efficiently. I use extra-virgin olive oil, high in omega-9, for everything, even putting a few drops on whole wheat toast. This is the best pro-inflammatory oil. Use it instead of the polyunsaturated oils like safflower, corn, and soybean.
Curcumin - Turmeric powder contains curcumin, an extremely powerful anti-inflammatory spice. I get it at Whole Foods and use it in soups and casseroles. I’m not enthusiastic about the taste of this spice though.
Alpha-lipoic acid - This antioxidant is found in most meats and vegetables and is easily absorbed, but some researchers like Dr. Lester Packer of UC Berkeley suggest taking an alpha-lipoic acid supplement. Juvenon, which also contains acetyl-L carnitine, is an excellent although expensive alpha-lipoic acid supplement, according to Dr. Andrew Weil.
Summary
All the foods mentioned in the anti-inflammatory list are low on the glycemic index. They will not cause a pro-inflammatory spike in your blood sugar. And all these foods are loaded with vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and phytonutrients that work synergistically to produce optimum health.
When you walk down the aisle of a health food store, you’ll see all kinds of products (pills, softgels, tablets, and so forth) that provide all the nutrients that I described in this article. My preference, though, is to get these nutrients from real foods if you can for three reasons: (1) nutrients from real foods are usually assimilated faster than they are from supplements, (2) in real foods there are always many nutrients and phytochemicals working together, and (3) in real foods there are probably unidentified nutritional factors that haven’t been discovered or synthesized yet.
Many people have asked me in messages on my discussion forum and in emails what foods and supplements I think are the most important for hair health - both for promoting hair growth and preventing premature gray hair. Here’s the list of what I use with the most important ones at the top:
Brewer’s yeast (I get the powder from Puritan’s Pride - 16oz)
Flax seed powder (I get the powder also from Puritan’s - 15 oz)
Cod liver oil (only a teaspoon daily - I get this from Swanson - mint flavor)
Extra-Virgin Olive oil (get a good brand)
Walnuts (get them from Aldi if you can)
Broccoli (steamed)
Black currant oil (535 mg softgels from Puritan’s)
Blueberries
Garlic
Turmeric
Spinach
Liver (perhaps once a month for the iron and trace minerals)
Yogurt (Plain yogurt is best; most flavored yogurts are sweetened with HFCS.)
Green apples (I make applesauce and include the skins.)
A Breakfast Suggestion
I think breakfast is the most important meal of the day. A good breakfast will get you off to a good start. Without trying to come off here as a guru with the final word on nutrition, I’d like to tell you what I often have for breakfast:
Oatmeal with some flax seed powder mixed in. I put some walnuts and blueberries on top of this along with milk. It tastes delicious. I always like good-tasting foods. Even if I know that something is good for me, I won’t eat it if it tastes bad. The only exceptions I make here are cod liver oil and turmeric. These don’t taste too horrible though.
If readers of this article have any suggestions about hair-healthy foods, post them on my discussion forum. If a suggestion seems rational I’ll post it on this page; if it’s not rational we’ll just forget it.
Here’s another article on this website about how Nutrition may contribute to healthy hair.
January 3rd, 2007