Flax Lignans for Hair Loss (pilot study)

[HairLossFight.com]

Interesting press release on a pilot study on flax lignans for hair loss... Not sure at this point how valid this is but will look into it further:

Press Release: Pilot Study Suggests Flax Lignans Help With Hair Loss

Minneapolis Lignans from flax, like those found in the ingredient LinumLife EXTRA, are suggested to have beneficial effects on hair loss, according to a pilot study released today. Researchers studied how LinumLife EXTRA could positively impact men suffering from the most common form of hair loss, Androgenetic Alopecia (AGA).

Manufactured by Acatris, LinumLife EXTRA is the first flax extract with a standardized 20 percent lignan concentration (as secoisolariciresinol diglucoside, or SDG). The main flaxseed lignan is SDG and, based on research, consumers need a minimum of 50mg a day of SDG to reap the health benefits attributed to the ingredient.

"Our study findings showed that one capsule containing 250 mg of LinumLife EXTRA per day taken over six months can facilitate modest improvements in men and women's hair loss," said Laurent Leduc, president of the North American Health Division of Acatris. "At the conclusion of this study, 90 percent of subjects expressed the intention to keep using the LinumLife EXTRA supplement, suggesting that high lignan flax does play a role in improving hair loss."

Over a six-month period, 10 men, between the ages of 20 and 70 and in varying stages of AGA, consumed one 250 mg capsule of LinumLife EXTRA. Photographs were used to document hair loss conditions at the beginning of the study. At the end of the test period, eight men reported modest improvement of their hair loss condition, one reported much improvement and one subject reported no effect. Initial effects were noticed, on average, within one to two months of starting supplementation with flax lignans and no side effects were reported. Throughout the study, the daily number of hairs lost decreased and 50 percent of subjects noticed a decrease in oil secretion in their scalp. More noticeable improvements were noted in subjects with more severe conditions of AGA.

"Hair loss and thinning hair are frustrating conditions for men and women and most are fairly sensitive to the subject," said Jocelyn Mathern, R.D., Flax Lignan Information Bureau Advisory Board member. "This pilot study confirms earlier research on flax lignans with respect to their promise in the care of AGA and without the sometimes harmful effects of a prescription medication. In addition to benefits for hormone related conditions, such as hair loss, lignans have long been reported to help improve prostate health, reduce menopausal symptoms, promote heart health and have benefits for breast health."

...

Sam

[Jacob]

Someone in another forum started taking that stuff when he came across this http://www.foodnavigator.com/news/news- ... tracts-men I had posted about that and cernilton flower pollen and pumpkin seed extract etc used for bph. Maybe he's still around...will try to get an update.

[James]

I just hate how there were only 10 test subjects in the experiment, that seems to significantly degrade the validity. But hopefully they are on to something and this stuff can help in the fight. I know that I will take it if there is better evidence of efficacy in the future.

[HairLossFight.com]

With regards to Flax, I think it just makes sense even from just a general health perspective to use it moderately in ones diet. I use it in the form of cold-pressed flax seed oil. It's actually not too bad on salads. And on the off chance that it will keep even a remote amount of inflammation in my body at bay, it's worth it in my opinion.

I agree with you blueshard that the smaller scale studies don't give a conclusive picture by any means, but hopefully these will be followed up with larger scale studies.

Sam

[Jacob]

Well it was called a "pilot study".

It seems to work like SP and pumpkin seed oil and even..do I dare say..propecia:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/quer ... t=Abstract


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/quer ... t=Abstract

[timallen]

Still waiting on news about flax seeds. I did read that it must be the actual seeds or ground flax that work. Regular flax oil does not have enough "SDG" which the small study says is responsible for slowing hairloss. Patiently awaiting more info from anyone. -Tim
Timallen45@hotmail.com

[HairLossFight.com]

Hi timallen,

Can you point the way to where you read this?

As far as using Flax, I use the oil occasionally for salad dressing. Due to the fatty acid content there are health benefits regardless of whether it helps with hair loss or not.

Regards,
Sam

[timallen]

Hi Sam! As far as where I received the Flax info, I just did a yahoo search on Flax Lignans and hair loss. There are several sites that say basically the same thing. They all say that the flax has to have at least 50 SDG to get benefits for things such as hair. I again went on the web to find out what SDG amount was found in Flax oil and it is very low. It said the lignans (SDG) is found in large quanities in the shell of flax. I don't have the sites handy but just do a few searches and you will see. Any more input or feedback from you or anyone else is great and most appreciated. Do you know anyone on "Rivovogen" as I'm trying to stay clear of Propcia/Rogaine? Desperately looking for another way to treat my hair loss. It is advancing quickly! Thanks!!-Tim Timallen45@hotmail.com