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Recent Longevity News for the seven days ending 11/6/13.  You should consult your doctor if you are taking any medications.

The Role of the Gut Microbiome in Health and Disease - Medscape, 11/5/13 - "Disturbances to the microbial equilibrium of the gut may mean that some microbes become overrepresented while others are diminished. "It's like a garden—you're less likely to have weeds growing if you have lush vegetation, but without this vegetation the weeds can potentially take over," Mazmanian says. When the gut moves toward a state of microbial imbalance, normally benign gut microbes may begin to induce inflammation and trigger disease throughout the body, even in the nervous system ... although 70% of the immune cells in the body at any one time can be found in the intestine, they circulate throughout the body, and the microbiota of the gut environment help determine how immune cells will behave elsewhere. He gives an example: "If T-cells, while in the gut, are programmed by the microbiota to have anti-inflammatory properties, then they may suppress inflammation even after they leave the gut."" - See probiotic products at Amazon.com.

Serum Selenium Is Low in Newly Diagnosed Graves' Disease - Medscape, 11/5/13 - "Patients with newly diagnosed GD and AIH had significantly lower s-Se compared with random controls. Our observation supports the postulated link between inadequate selenium supply and overt autoimmune thyroid disease, especially GD" - See se-methylselenocysteine at Amazon.com.

Ibuprofen no good in treating colds or sore throats - Science Daily, 11/4/13 - "compared with paracetamol, ibuprofen or a combination of both ibuprofen and paracetamol provide no advantage for patients overall with respiratory tract infections (otherwise known as colds or sore throats) ... steam inhalation, another common treatment method, has no clear benefit and around 2 per cent of people get mild scalding but not bad enough to see a doctor ... The research also showed that patients were more likely to come back within a month with worsening symptoms or new symptoms if they were prescribed with ibuprofen or ibuprofen with paracetamol"

Magnesium levels vital to brain health as population ages - Science Daily,  11/4/13 - "the human brain begins shrinking after age 25. Structural changes and loss of brain synapses lead to rapid decline in cognitive health ... magnesium deficiency in adults may play a more important role in CI, and more seriously, Alzheimer's Disease (AD), than previously thought ... elevation of brain magnesium through dietary intake of magnesium threonate exerts substantial positive effects on brain synapes in a mouse model of AD, actually restoring aging brains to their youthful conditions ... the 'gold standard' of science, demonstrates that dietary supplementation of Magtein, patented magnesium threonate, can significantly enhance human cognitive functions and decrease symptoms of cognitive impairments ... We know that as we age our bodies naturally lose magnesium. For example, drinking coffee or caffeinated products increases the loss" - See Magtein at Amazon.com.

Scientists unlock secrets of diabetes drug - Science Daily, 11/3/13 - "The key is that metformin doesn't work to lower blood glucose by directly working on the glucose. It works on reducing harmful fat molecules in the liver, which then allows insulin to work better and lower blood sugar levels ... Fat is likely a key trigger for pre-diabetes, causing blood sugar to start going up because insulin can't work as efficiently to stop sugar coming from the liver" - See metformin at The Antiaging Store.

Anti-aging strategies can improve more than looks - Science Daily, 11/1/13 - "The No. 1 way people can prevent photoaging is wearing a 30-plus SPF sunscreen -- one that contains zinc oxide -- every day ... Using an over-the-counter cream with retinol, which is a vitamin A derivative, can decrease the risk of skin cancer and improve skin pigmentation and abnormalities, as well as increase collagen content to help with lines and wrinkles ... Fraxel laser resurfacing is an excellent way to improve wrinkles, pigmentation and abnormalities" - See retinol products at Amazon.

Vitamin D Deficiency Linked to Onset of Psychosis - Medscape, 11/1/13 - "A study of almost 140 participants in the United Kingdom showed that those who were presenting to a psychiatric in-patient facility with an FEP had significantly lower levels of vitamin D than did their age-matched, healthy peers ... What surprised us was the degree of difference between the patients and their matched controls, with patients being nearly 3 times as likely to have full-blown vitamin D deficiency ... The study is published in the November issue of Schizophrenia Research" - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.

Exposure to Cortisol-Like Medications Before Birth May Contribute to Emotional Problems, Brain Changes - Science Daily, 10/31/13 - "cortisol-like drugs called glucocorticoids are administered frequently to women in preterm labor to accelerate their babies' lung maturation prior to birth ... excessive glucocorticoid levels may have effects on brain development, perhaps contributing to emotional problems later in life ... researchers then divided the children into two groups: those who were exposed to glucocorticoids prenatally and those who were not ... children with fetal glucocorticoid exposure showed significant cortical thinning, and a thinner cortex also predicted more emotional problems. In one particularly affected part of the brain, the rostral anterior cingulate cortex, it was 8-9% thinner among children exposed to glucocorticoids"

Low thyroid levels may signal heightened risk of death in hospitalized patients - Science Daily, 10/30/13 - "When older individuals have low levels of thyroid hormones, particularly T3, it reflects that the body is weak and more susceptible to the harmful effects of disease ... As a result, older individuals who have a reduced ability to synthesize T3 hormones have a higher rate of mortality, both in the short- and long-term" - See T3 at International Anti-aging Systems.

Eew, that's the pits! Man had armpit odor for 4 years - NBC News, 10/30/13 - "The doctors diagnosed the man with trichomycosis axillaris, which is an infection of hair shafts caused by the bacteria Corynebacterium tenuis ... The bacteria tend to grow on hair in moist regions of the body — mostly armpit hair"

Is left-handedness higher among those suffering from psychosis? - Science Daily, 10/30/13 - "11% of those diagnosed with mood disorders such as depression and bipolar disorder were left-handed, which is similar to the rate in the general population, however, 40% of those with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder were left-handed"

'Good' cholesterol controls blood glucose - Science Daily, 10/30/13 - "without ApoA-I, burning of calories is reduced in skeletal muscle resulting in increased blood glucose and weaker muscle function. The scientists then determined that HDL cholesterol and its protein ApoA-I both enhance usage of glucose and calories inside muscle cells. Raising HDL and ApoA-I levels in animal models resulted in protection against hyperglycemia and age-related symptoms such as decline of muscle performance or fat mass gain. Improved calorie burning in mitochondria (the "power plants" in each cell) was further indicated by a marked reduction of circulating Fibroblast Growth Factor 21, a novel biomarker for mitochondrial dysfunction ... Our results link for the first time low HDL-cholesterol with impaired use of glucose and burning of calories in type 2 diabetes" - [Abstract] - See my niacin page and niacin at Amazon.com.

High Blood Sugar Makes Alzheimer’s Plaque More Toxic to the Brain - Science Daily, 10/29/13 - "While neuronal involvement is a major factor in Alzheimer's development, recent evidence indicates damaged cerebral blood vessels compromised by high blood sugar play a role. Even though the links among Type 2 diabetes, brain blood vessels and Alzheimer's progression are unclear, hyperglycemia appears to play a role ... Researchers studied cell cultures taken from the lining of cerebral blood vessels, one from normal rats and another from mice with uncontrolled chronic diabetes. They exposed the cells to beta amyloid and different levels of glucose and later measured their viability. Cells exposed to high glucose or beta amyloid alone showed no changes in viability. However, when exposed to hyperglycemic conditions and beta amyloid, viability decreased by 40 percent"

Abstracts from this week's Doctor's Guide Nutrition/Dietetics plus abstracts from my RSS feeds (Click here for the journals, the PubMed ones at the top):

High fat diets are associated with higher abdominal adiposity regardless of physical activity in adolescents; the HELENA study - Clin Nutr. 2013 Oct 18 - "physical activity (PA) ... The percent of energy derived from dietary fat intake is strongly and linearly associated with total, truncal and abdominal adiposity independently of PA in adolescents. These observations implicate the amount of dietary fat intake as a specific risk factor in the excess of abdominal adiposity in adolescence"

Associations of Dietary Fiber Intake With Long-Term Predicted Cardiovascular Disease Risk and C-Reactive Protein Levels (from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey Data [2005-2010]) - Am J Cardiol. 2013 Oct 3 - "A total of 11,113 subjects, aged 20 to 79 years with no history of CVD, from the 2005 to 2010 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were included in the present study to examine associations of dietary fiber intake with predicted lifetime CVD risk and C-reactive protein levels. Dietary fiber intake showed a significant gradient association with the likelihood of having a low or an intermediate predicted lifetime CVD risk among young and middle-age adults. In fully adjusted multinomial logistic models, dietary fiber intake was related to a low lifetime CVD risk with an odds ratio of 2.71 (95% confidence interval 2.05 to 3.59) in the young adults and 2.13 (95% confidence interval 1.42 to 3.20) in the middle-age adults and was related to an intermediate lifetime risk of 2.65 (95% confidence interval 1.79 to 3.92) in the young and 1.98 (95% confidence interval 1.32 to 2.98) in the middle-age adults compared with a high lifetime risk. A significant inverse linear association was seen between dietary fiber intake and log-transformed C-reactive protein levels with a regression coefficient +/- standard error of -0.18 +/- 0.04 in the highest quartile of fiber intake compared with the lowest fiber intake" - See Garden of Life, RAW Fiber at Amazon.com.

Hemoglobin A1C in non-diabetic patients: An independent predictor of coronary artery disease and its severity - Diabetes Res Clin Pract. 2013 Oct 9 - "We enrolled 299 consecutive individuals undergoing coronary angiography for suspected ischemia. Patients were included if they had no history of prior revascularization or diabetes mellitus and had fasting blood glucose<126mg/dl (7.0mmol/l) and HbA1c<6.5% (47mmol/mol). The severity of the CAD was also evaluated using the Gensini score ... With increasing HbA1c levels, there was a significant increase in the prevalence of CAD and number of vessels involved. In multivariate analysis, HbA1c emerged as an independent predictor of significant CAD (OR: 2.8, 95% CI: 1.3-6.2, p=0.009). Adjusted ORs for the occurrence of CAD were highest in subjects with both hsCRP and HbA1c in the upper 2 quartiles (OR: 4.183; 95% CI: 1.883-9.290, p<0.0001). There was a significant association between Gensini score and increasing HbA1c tertiles (p=0.038). The ideal cut-off value of HbA1c for prediction of the occurrence of CAD was 5.6% 38mmol/mol)"

Tea consumption and cardiovascular disease risk - Am J Clin Nutr. 2013 Oct 30 - "performed a search in 3 databases for meta-analyses and compared them with studies they subsumed ... In the case of stroke, a consistent, dose-response association with tea consumption on both incidence and mortality was noted with RRs of 0.80 (95% CI: 0.65, 0.98) for flavonoids and 0.79 (95% CI: 0.73, 0.85) for tea when high and low intakes were compared or the addition of 3 cups/d was estimated" - Note:  Blueberries are one of the highest in flavonoids.  My pick for flavonoids would be Garden of Life, Radical Fruits Antioxidant Complex at Amazon.com.

Association of vitamin D status and blood pressure response after renal denervation - Clin Res Cardiol. 2013 Oct 31 - "Vitamin D deficiency is associated with hypertension; however, it is unclear whether vitamin D influences therapeutic blood pressure reduction. Renal sympathetic denervation (RDN) reduces blood pressure in resistant hypertension ... In patients with resistant hypertension, low vitamin D concentrations were associated with a decreased SBP response and a higher rate of non-response" - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.

  • Renal sympathetic denervation - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - "Renal denervation (RDN) is a minimally invasive, endovascular catheter based procedure using radiofrequency ablation aimed at treating resistant hypertension. By applying radiofrequency pulses to the renal arteries, the nerves in the vascular wall (adventitia layer) can be denervated"

Dietary Magnesium Intake Improves Insulin Resistance among Non-Diabetic Individuals with Metabolic Syndrome Participating in a Dietary Trial - Nutrients. 2013 Sep 27;5(10):3910-9 - "The dietary intervention study examined this question in 234 individuals with MetS. Magnesium intake was assessed using 24-h dietary recalls at baseline, 6, and 12 months ... After multivariate adjustment, magnesium intake was inversely associated with metabolic biomarkers of insulin resistance (P < 0.01). Further, the likelihood of elevated HOMA-IR (>3.6) over time was 71% lower [odds ratio (OR): 0.29; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.12, 0.72] in participants in the highest quartile of magnesium intake than those in the lowest quartile. For individuals meeting the RDA for magnesium, the multivariate-adjusted OR for high HOMA-IR over time was 0.37 (95% CI: 0.18, 0.77). These findings indicate that dietary magnesium intake is inadequate among non-diabetic individuals with MetS and suggest that increasing dietary magnesium to meet the RDA has a protective effect on insulin resistance" - See Jarrow Formulas, MagMind, 90 Veggie Caps.

Resveratrol and desferoxamine protect human oxLDL-treated granulosa cell subtypes from degeneration - J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2013 Oct 29 - "Obese women suffer from anovulation and infertility, which are driven by oxidative stress caused by increased levels of lipid peroxides and circulating oxidised low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL). OxLDL binds to lectin-like oxLDL receptor 1 (LOX-1), CD36, and toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and causes cell death in human granulosa cells (GCs) ... To reveal whether treatment with antioxidants: resveratrol (RES) and/or desferoxamine (DFO) protect GCs from oxLDL-induced damage ... Granulosa cell cultures were treated with oxLDL alone or with resveratrol (RES) or desferoxamine (DFO) under serum-free conditions for up to 36 h ... Different subtypes of human GCs exposed to RES or DFO were protected as evidenced by lack of cell death, enhanced mitosis, reduced expression of LOX-1, TLR4, CD36, and Hsp-60, induction of protective autophagy, and reduction of oxidative stress markers. Importantly, RES could restore steroid-biosynthesis in cytokeratin-positive GCs which exhibited significant induction of steroidogenic acute regulatory protein ... RES and DFO exert a protective effect on human GCs. Thus, RES and DFO may help improving the treatment of obese women or PCOS patients undergoing IVF-therapy" - See resveratrol products at Amazon.com.

  • Deferoxamine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - "Deferoxamine (also known as desferrioxamine B, desferoxamine B, DFO-B, DFOA, DFB or desferal) is a bacterial siderophore produced by the actinobacteria Streptomyces pilosus. It has medical applications as a chelating agent used to remove excess iron from the body"

Insulin resistance indices are inversely associated with vitamin D binding protein concentrations - J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2013 Oct 29 - "vitamin D binding protein (VDBP) ... Subjects were 47, post menarchal, female adolescents, mean age 15.8 +/- 1.4 years ... Our data suggest that, VDBP concentrations are regulated by total 25(OH)D levels to maintain adequate concentrations of bioavailable 25(OH)D. VDBP concentrations are inversely associated with hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance" - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.

Grape seed procyanidins in pre- and mild hypertension: a registry study - Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2013;2013:313142 - "The efficacy of a standardized grape seed procyanidins extract (GSPE, Enovita) to decrease blood pressure when associated with nondrug intervention (diet and lifestyle modifications) was investigated in a controlled registry study involving 119 healthy, pre- and mildly hypertensive subjects. Two dosages of Enovita were evaluated (150 and 300 mg/die) ... After four months of treatment, a statistically significant higher, and dose-dependent, improvement in all endpoints was observed in the treatment groups compared to that of the control, with blood pressure normalizing in 93% of the higher dosage (300 mg) treatment group. Taken together, these observations suggest that GSPEs have beneficial cardiovascular effects that complement current intervention strategies in the hypertension area. The effect on blood pressure adds to the beneficial effects of GSPEs on the cardiovascular disease (CVD) phenotype associated with the oxidation of membrane lipids (endothelial dysfunction, formation of oxidized LDL, and activation of phagocytic cells)" - See Jarrow Formulas, OPCs + 95 at Amazon.com.

Association of total protein intake with bone mineral density and bone loss in men and women from the Framingham Offspring Study - Public Health Nutr. 2013 Oct 29:1-7 - "This suggests that greater protein intake benefits women especially those with lower Ca intakes. However, protein effects are not significant for short-term changes in bone density. Contrastingly, in men, higher protein intakes lead to greater bone loss at the trochanter"

Dietary Intake of Vegetables, Fruits, and Meats/Beans as Potential Risk Factors of Acute Myeloid Leukemia: A Texas Case-Control Study - Nutr Cancer. 2013 Oct 29 - "This study was conducted at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center to evaluate associations between consumption of vegetables, fruits, and meats with AML risk among Texas residents ... Overall, AML risk was significantly decreased among those who consumed the most dark green vegetables, seafood, and nuts/seeds; and it was significantly increased among greatest consumers of red meat. Among men, AML risk was lowest among those whose consumption was in the highest quartile for fruits [odds ratio (OR) = 0.25, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.10-0.69], poultry (OR = 0.28, 95%CI = 0.10-0.78), and seafood (OR = 0.39, 95%CI = 0.16-0.96) compared to those in the lowest. Among women, risk was lowest among those whose consumption was in the highest quartile of dark-green vegetables (OR = 0.28, 95%CI = 0.12-.68), orange vegetables (OR = 0.40, 95%CI = 0.17-.96) and nuts/beans (OR = 0.26, 95%CI = 0.11-0.60)"

Effects of blood triglycerides on cardiovascular and all-cause mortality: a systematic review and meta-analysis of 61 prospective studies - Lipids Health Dis. 2013 Oct 29;12(1):159 - "We identified 61 eligible studies, containing 17,018 CVDs deaths in 726,030 participants and 58,419 all-cause deaths in 330,566 participants. Twelve and fourteen studies, respectively, reported the effects estimates of CVDs and total mortality by TG categories. Compared to the referent (90--149 mg/dL), the pooled RRs (95% CI) of CVDs mortality for the lowest (< 90 mg/dL), borderline-high (150--199 mg/dL), and high TG (>= 200 mg/dL) groups were 0.83 (0.75 to 0.93), 1.15 (1.03 to 1.29), and 1.25 (1.05 to 1.50); for total mortality they were 0.94 (0.85 to 1.03), 1.09 (1.02 to 1.17), and 1.20 (1.04 to 1.38), respectively. The risks of CVDs and all-cause deaths were increased by 13% and 12% (p < 0.001) per 1-mmol/L TG increment in twenty-two and twenty-two studies reported RRs per unit TG, respectively"

The effect of pioglitazone and extended-release niacin on HDL-cholesterol in diabetes patients in a real-world setting - Int J Clin Pract. 2013 Nov;67(11):1151-8 - "Patients with type 2 diabetes and hyperlipidemia were included for review if they received the combination of pioglitazone at doses ≥ 15 mg/day and extended-release niacin (Niaspan) at doses ≥ 1000 mg/day for ≥6 months ... a statistically significant increase in HDL-C (+ 25.13%, p < 0.0001) was observed at the conclusion of combination therapy. The HDL-C levels progressively increased with duration of combination treatment, and were not correlated with concomitant statin use. Significant decreases in total cholesterol and triglycerides were detected, and HbA1c decreased 0.84% during combination therapy for all therapies combined" - See niacin at Amazon.com.

Neat Tech Stuff / "How To's":

Time Warner Cable promises faster internet to woo back fleeing customers - engadget.com, 10/31/13 - Right now I'm paying $30 / month for 16 Mbps. Here's San Diego's Time Warner prices to upgrade: Turbo (20 Mbps) - add $10. Extreme (30 Mbps) - add $20. Ultimate (50 Mbps) - add $30. This article claims that the Ultimate will now be 100 Mbps.

Merkur Model 180 Long Handled Safety Razor - I posted about this last week comparing it to the $3 blades. The only area where the $3 blades have the advantage is in the glide strips. The safety razors seem to drag so I did some more research and the best solution seems to be Jack Black Beard Lube Conditioning Shave which won ‘Best Shave Cream’ in Men's Health Magazine. One of the reviewers said that it worked best if you applied regular shaving cream over it. If you read the active ingredients, it seems to be the various oils in it. At $33 per pint, it’s expensive and it seemed like any vegetable oil would do the same thing so I tried about a tablespoon of light olive oil that the razor was soaking in anyway and applied it to my face with the shaving cream over it. That worked and gave me the best shave yet. Could something that simple not be common knowledge? Maybe. I shave in the shower but it might be messy at the sink.

Health Focus (Hair Loss):

Alternative News:

  • 6 Nutrients for Healthy Hair - ABC News, 10/17/13 - "Iron and zinc ... Vitamin D ... Omega-3 Fatty Acid ... Protein ... Biotin"
  • Topical Agents for Hair Growth Promotion - Medscape, 7/22/13 - "androgenetic alopecia (AGA), i.e., male pattern hair loss and female pattern hair loss ... Melantonin has long been known to modulate hair growth. Animal testing has shown that melatonin stimulates the anagen phase of hair growth.[23] In a double-blind, randomized, placebocontrolled study 40 women with diffuse alopecia (n=28) or AGA (n=12) were treated topically for 6 months with 1 ml daily of 0.1% melatonin-alcohol solution versus vehicle. Trichograms were used to determine efficacy in the frontal and occipital scalp areas. At the end of the study, the AGA group demonstrated a statistically significant increase in anagen hairs in the occiput region compared to placebo (mean 78 to 82 hairs), but no difference was shown with placebo in the frontal area.[24] The group with diffuse alopecia showed a substantial increase in frontal hair. Plasma melatonin levels were elevated under treatment with melatonin, but did not exceed the physiological night peak" - See melatonin at Amazon.com.
  • Effects of Ginseng Rhizome and Ginsenoside Ro on Testosterone 5α-Reductase and Hair Re-growth in Testosterone-treated Mice - Phytother Res. 2011 May 2 - "Extracts of red ginseng rhizome showed greater dose-dependent inhibitory effects against testosterone 5α-reductase (5αR) when compared with extracts of the main root. Ginsenoside Ro, the predominant ginsenoside in the rhizome, and ginsenoside Rg(3) , a unique ginsenoside in red ginseng, showed inhibitory activity against 5αR with IC(50) values of 259.4 and 86.1 µm, respectively. The rhizome of P. japonicus, which contains larger amounts of ginsenoside Ro, also inhibited 5αR. Topical administration of extracts of red ginseng rhizomes (2 mg/mouse) and ginsenoside Ro (0.2 mg/mouse) to shaved skin inhibited hair re-growth suppression after shaving in the testosterone-treated C57BL/6 mice. These results suggest that red ginseng rhizomes containing both oleanane- and dammarane-type ginsenosides are a promising raw material for cosmetic use. This is the first report that ginsenoside Ro enhances in vivo hair re-growth based on their inhibitory activity against 5αR in the androgenetic alopecia model" - See ginseng at Amazon.com.
  • Treating Hair Loss Naturally - WebMD - "Daly says he routinely recommends up to 3 mg of biotin daily for his hair loss patients, while Lessman developed a healthy hair, skin, and nails product containing 2 mg of biotin per daily dosage, which he believes is the minimum for healthy hair"
  • Nizoral Shampoo for Hair Lossicon - DermaDoctor.com - "They found that Nizoral increased hair thickness and decreased hair shedding, whereas the zinc pyrithione shampoo had the opposite effect" - See Nizoral Shampoo at drugstore.comicon
  • Can Lasers Zap Baldness? One Woman Thinks So - CBS Chicago, 2/11/11 - See NEW iGrow Laser Hair Rejuventation System for Home Use - Physician Supported - Click here for the press release.
  • Hair loss in long-term or home parenteral nutrition: are micronutrient deficiencies to blame? - Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2010 Sep 4 - "A serum ferritin level of 70 mug/l should be targeted when hair loss is unexplained" - See Slow Fe Slow Release Iron Tablets 90-Count Box at Amazon.com.
  • Snack Size Science: Vitamin E and the quest for thick hair - Nutra USA, 5/5/09 - "The experiments used Carotech’s Tocomin SupraBio ingredient, which contains vitamin E in its tocotrienol forms. Vitamin E comes in eight forms, including four types of tocopherols, and four types of tocotrienols ... According to the company, the Malaysian researchers observed significant hair re-growth of about 42 per cent in the tocotrienol group, with eight volunteers experiencing greater than 50 per cent hair growth. No one in the placebo group experienced any hair growth benefits" - See Jarrow FamilE (contains all eight members of the vitamin E family, includes Tocomin) at Amazon.com.
  • Vitamin E may reverse male pattern baldness: Study - Nutra USA, 4/28/09 - "Volunteers were randomly assigned to the palm tocotrienol complex (total tocotrienol intake of 100 mg) or the placebo (soft gelatin capsule containing 600 mg soy bean oil) ... Hair counts, measured by the counting the number of hairs in a pre-selected 2x2 cm area, were found to significantly increase by an average of 41.8 per cent in the tocotrienol group, with eight volunteers experiencing greater than 50 per cent hair growth ... There are eight forms of vitamin E: four tocopherols (alpha, beta, gamma, delta) and four tocotrienols (alpha, beta, gamma, delta). Alpha-tocopherol is the main source found in supplements ... While the majority of research on vitamin E has focused on alpha-Toc, studies into tocotrienols account for less than one per cent of all research into vitamin E" - See Jarrow FamilE (contains all eight members of the vitamin E family, includes Tocomin) at Amazon.com.
  • An Herbal Solution to Baldness? - Dr. Weil, 4/24/08
  • Effect of Dietary Supplementation With INVERSION(R) Femme on Slimming, Hair Loss, and Skin and Nail Parameters in Women - Adv Ther. 2007 Sep-Oct;24(5):1154-71 - "Weight reduction and slimming were measured after INVERSION Femme was taken for 28 and 58 d. All women showed significant reductions in weight, body fat, and thigh circumference. During the second month of treatment, subjects showed an average 50% reduction in hair loss"
  • Low Iron Could Help Spur Baldness - HealthDay, 5/31/06 - "Iron deficiency is the world's most common nutritional deficiency ... If iron deficiency is detected and treated in the early stages, patients may be able to grow hair more effectively"
  • Hair Loss? It May Be Iron Deficiency - WebMD, 5/17/06 - "whatever the cause of hair loss -- for both women and men -- having too little iron in the blood makes it worse"
  • Flax lignans: a cure for hair loss? - Nutra USA, 5/9/05 - "Ten male sufferers of androgenetic alopecia aged between 20- and 70- years received a 50mg daily dose of SDG in the form of one 250 mg capsule of Acatris’ LinumLife Extra ... eight of the participants reported a modest improvement in their hair loss condition, one reported a great improvement and one reported no effect at all" - See iHerb or Vitacosticon flax products.
  • Omega-3 fatty acids might curb hair loss - azcentral.com, 4/12/05
  • Reversing Hair Loss? - Dr. Weil, 6/22/04 - "you may be able to prevent further loss and encourage re-growth by including omega-3 fatty acids to your diet"
  • Soy: Prevent Prostate Cancer, Male Baldness? - WebMD, 3/30/04 - "A little-known molecule called equol ... is showing promise as a powerful blocker of a potent male hormone involved in prostate cancer, male baldness, even acne ... Actually, the protective effects occur when two chemicals in soy protein -- genistin and daidzin -- reach the digestive system, Setchell explains. There, they are metabolized to form genistein and daidzein. Daidzein is metabolized once again, to form equol" - See iHerb or Vitacosticon isoflavone products.
  • Laser Comb [Hairmax] May Stimulate Hair Growth - thesandiegochannel.com, 5/8/03 - ""In our clinical trials in Canada, (the comb) does both," said Dr. Martin Unger, plastic surgeon. "We are getting over 97 percent -- sorry, 95 percent -- of the people who are using this are either stopping their hair loss or regrowing hair, and over 75 percent of the patients regrew hair to a significant amount." ... The Hairmax laser comb costs about $700." - See HairMax at drugstore.comicon or Amazon.com.
  • Laser Comb May Stimulate Hair Growth - NBCSandiego.com, 5/8/03
  • Can I Stop My Hair from Thinning? - Dr. Weil, 9/13/02 - "Make sure you’re getting enough omega-3 fatty acids ... supplement your diet with GLA (gamma-linolenic acid) in the form of black currant oil or evening primrose oil"
  • Natural Treatment for Male Pattern Baldness - New Hope Natural Media, 7/3/02 - "Those with male pattern baldness may increase hair growth by taking a preparation containing saw palmetto (Serenoa repens) and beta-sitosterol ... Conventional medicines used to treat male pattern baldness are designed to block the conversion of testosterone to DHT. Topical application of minoxidil (Rogaine®) and taking oral finasteride (Propecia®) have been shown to inhibit this conversion and to increase hair growth, but both medications have been linked with several adverse side effects, including fast heart rate, headaches, impotence, and decreased libido ... 400 mg of a standardized extract of saw palmetto and 100 mg of beta-sitosterol per day ... After about five months, hair growth in 60% of the men taking the herbal combination had improved compared with their initial evaluation. In contrast, only 11% of those receiving the placebo improved"
  • Nutritional factors and hair loss - Clinical & Experimental Dermatology, 7/02 - "serum ferritin concentrations were a factor in female hair loss ... The role of the essential amino acid, l-lysine in hair loss also appears to be important. Double-blind data confirmed the findings of an open study in women with increased hair shedding, where a significant proportion responded to l-lysine and iron therapy" - See iHerb and Vitacosticon l-lysine products.
  • Monthly Updates - Hair Loss Research, 10/01 - "While finasteride (Propecia/Proscar) decreases serum DHT, it also is thought to increase estrogen which suggests that men over 35 may want to consider using it in conjunction with a systemic aromatase inhibitor such as Chrysin/Piperine (Super Miraforte), Arimidex, or stinging nettle extract, to maximize its hair growth effects and minimize potential side effects (that are listed in the PDR) such as Gynocaemastia (breast enlargement in males), sexual side effects, and an increase in fat deposition. These compounds have been reliably shown to increase testosterone and reduce excess estrogen, resulting in a youthful hormone profile that optimizes immune function and to some degree, body composition"
  • Antiaging Products for Skin, Hair and Nails - Nutrition Science News, 10/00 - "A lack of silicon is known to reduce normal growth and repair of the skin, hair and nails.  However, studies show that silicon supplementation has delivered few benefits. The reason for this in most cases is that a nonbioavailable silicon source has been used. Silicon is a nonmetallic element that is very reactive. It occurs naturally almost exclusively in silicates, the geologic rock-forming minerals. Although silicates are the most abundant materials on earth, they don't provide a bioavailable form of dietary silicon. Moreover, silica, often used as a dietary supplement, is a polymeric silicon-hydroxide-oxide-water complex from hard stone, such as quartz, that has anywhere from two to trillions of silicon atoms, and is also very poorly bioavailable. On the other hand, orthosilicic acid, which consists of only one Si bonded to four hydroxides instead of oxygen, is the form of Si that is found in our bloodstream. Therefore, stabilized orthosilic acid is the only form of supplemental silicon that has been shown conclusively to be bioavailable for humans. Silicates, silica gel, colloidal silica, clays, horsetail (Equisetum arvense) and most foods don't contain the orthosilicic acid form of silicon."
  • Hair Graying and Loss - Nutrition Science News, 10/00 - "Japanese researchers found that topical application of procyanidin-B2 from grape seed and apple extracts activate hair follicles in mice, resulting in increased hair growth. Furthermore, Italian researchers found that a topical preparation containing esculin (an oxolinic acid) from horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum) reduced hair loss and increased circulation to the hair follicles in men and women suffering from hair loss.3 Reduced scalp microcirculation is also one of the factors causing hair loss."
  • Essential Oils Can Help Regrow Hair - Nutrition Science News, 9/00
  • Proanthocyanidin Power - Nutrition Science News, 6/00 - "Japanese researchers shaved mice and found that 40 percent of their hair grew back naturally. When a 1 percent solution of any of three proanthocyanidins was applied to the skin, however, between 70 and 80 percent of the hair grew back. Test tube studies confirm that OPCs actually stimulate the hair keratinocytes to produce three times more hair than the controls."
  • Hair Loss- MinSaw-A, Nizoral and Dercos- The bald truth! - By Phil Micans PharmB - "the addition of retinolic acid (the active ingredient in the famous anti-wrinkle skin cream- Retin-A), helps to further stimulate the blood supply on the scalp surface and therefore to the hair follicle"

Other News:

  • Drug used to treat glaucoma actually grows human hair - Science Daily, 10/26/12 - "Given that the drug is already approved for human use and its safety profile is generally understood, this looks like a promising discovery that has been right in front of our eyes the whole time. On to the front of our scalp"
  • Bald-breaker! - The Daily, 3/22/12 - "the protein prostaglandin D2 was found at triple the level in the bald patches of skin in both men and male mice ... when added to a single hair in a lab dish, the protein bound itself to the hair’s cells and stunted its growth ... Over the next two years, there’ll very likely be a product based on prostaglandins to treat hair loss"
  • Male Pattern Baldness: New Root Cause Found? - WebMD, 3/21/12
  • Latisse for your dome? Drug thickens thin hair - MSNBC, 11/14/11 - "The appeal of using Latisse for hair loss is its ease and convenience, as it seems to only require one drop to the affected area once a day ... The major drawback: It's expensive. Each 2-ounce bottle costs $100 to $150 — and some patients will run through two or three bottles a month"
  • Regrowing hair: Researchers may have accidentally discovered a solution - Science Daily, 2/16/11 - "a short-duration treatment with this compound causes an astounding long-term hair regrowth in chronically stressed mutant mice ... the researchers had been using mice that were genetically altered to overproduce a stress hormone called corticotrophin-releasing factor, or CRF. As these mice age, they lose hair and eventually become bald on their backs, making them visually distinct from their unaltered counterparts. The Salk Institute researchers had developed the chemical compound, a peptide called astressin-B, and described its ability to block the action of CRF. Stenzel-Poore had created an animal model of chronic stress by altering the mice to overproduce CRF ... researchers injected the astressin-B into the bald mice to observe how its CRF-blocking ability affected gastrointestinal tract function. The initial single injection had no effect, so the investigators continued the injections over five days to give the peptide a better chance of blocking the CRF receptors. They measured the inhibitory effects of this regimen on the stress-induced response in the colons of the mice and placed the animals back in their cages with their hairy counterparts ... About three months later, the investigators returned to these mice to conduct further gastrointestinal studies and found they couldn't distinguish them from their unaltered brethren. They had regrown hair on their previously bald backs" - Note:  To the best of my knowledge there's nothing non-experimental on the market, either conventional or alternative, that inhibits CRF.  If there were people would be taking it to reduce cortisol.
  • Drugs for hair loss and benign prostatic hyperplasia may result in loss of libido, erectile dysfunction in men - Science Daily, 1/11/11 - "5a-reductase inhibitors (5a-RIs), while improving urinary symptoms in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and possible hair loss prevention, produces significant adverse effects in some individuals including loss of libido, erectile dysfunction (ED), ejaculatory dysfunction and potential depression" - Note:  That goes back and forth.  One study claimed that finasteride improved sex after after six months of taking it.  Regarding gynaecomastia, if you're taking low dose letrozole to increase testosterone and to prevent aromatization it many also help prevent gynaecomastia.
  • Treatment Found To Reverse Hair Loss - Science Daily, 6/11/07 - "one of each pair of twins was given 0.5 mg/day of the medication, the other receiving a placebo ... After both 6 and 12-month intervals, hair loss was found to not only have been halted in twins using dutasteride, but hair growth was actively improved" - Note:  Dutasteride is Avodart®.  See dutasteride at OffshoreRx1.com.
  • New Hair Follicles Created For The First Time, Mouse Study - Science Daily, 5/16/07
  • Grasping at strands for baldness remedies - USA Today, 3/18/07 - "So where does the laser comb fit in? Leavitt points to the six-month study reviewed by the FDA that shows men who used the comb grew an average of 19 more "terminal" (thick, rather than thin) hairs per square centimeter than those who used sham devices. That's a "medically significant" amount, he says, though the average healthy scalp has 160 to 260 hairs per square centimeter" - See the HairMax at drugstore.comicon or Amazon.com.

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