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Recent Longevity News for the week ending 9/24/14:

Iron Deficiency: Emerging Therapeutic Target in Heart Failure - Medscape, 9/23/14 - "In patients with heart failure, iron deficiency is frequent but overlooked, with a prevalence of 30%–50%. Since it contributes to cardiac and peripheral muscle dysfunction, iron deficiency is associated with poorer clinical outcomes and a greater risk of death, independent of haemoglobin level" - Note the phrase "independent of haemoglobin level".  I had a doctor look at my hemoglobin and say that I didn't need a blood test for iron.  I showed him about ten studies and he ordered the test and it turned out I was right about my iron being way low.  I think it was athletes anemia.  See Iron supplements at Amazon.com.

Mothers of children with autism less likely to have taken iron supplements in pregnancy, study shows -- ScienceDaily - Science Daily, 9/22/14 - "Low iron intake was associated with a five-fold greater risk of autism in the child if the mother was 35 or older at the time of the child's birth or if she suffered from metabolic conditions such as obesity hypertension or diabetes ... The association between lower maternal iron intake and increased ASD risk was strongest during breastfeeding, after adjustment for folic acid intake ... Iron deficiency, and its resultant anemia, is the most common nutrient deficiency, especially during pregnancy, affecting 40 to 50 percent of women and their infants ... Iron is crucial to early brain development, contributing to neurotransmitter production, myelination and immune function. All three of these pathways have been associated with autism" - See iron supplements at Amazon.com and folic acid products at Amazon.com.

Curcumin, special peptides boost cancer-blocking PIAS3 to neutralize cancer-activating STAT3 in mesothelioma - Science Daily, 9/18/14 - "common Asian spice and cancer-hampering molecules show promise in slowing the progression of mesothelioma, a cancer of the lung's lining often linked to asbestos ... application of curcumin, a derivative of the spice turmeric, and cancer-inhibiting peptides increase levels of a protein inhibitor known to combat the progression of this cancer ... asbestos does not always cause this particular cancer that kills 43,000 people worldwide each year. Many mesothelioma patients were never exposed to asbestos" - See curcumin products at Amazon.com.

Probiotics Cut Autoimmunity 33% in Infants at Risk for Diabetes - Medscape, 9/19/14 - "the results show a definite trend that strongly suggests a positive effect of probiotics in infants under the age of 3 months ... One theory is that the probiotics enhance the maturity of the gut barrier to help defend the body against environmental exposure…[to] viruses and foreign proteins ... [With probiotics], the infant is better prepared to process these, and in this way they may not trigger an adverse autoimmune response"

Artificial Sweeteners May Disrupt Body's Blood Sugar Controls - NYTimes.com, 9/17/14 - "In the initial set of experiments, the scientists added saccharin (the sweetener in the pink packets of Sweet’N Low), sucralose (the yellow packets of Splenda) or aspartame (the blue packets of Equal) to the drinking water of 10-week-old mice. Other mice drank plain water or water supplemented with glucose or with ordinary table sugar. After a week, there was little change in the mice who drank water or sugar water, but the group getting artificial sweeteners developed marked intolerance to glucose ... Glucose intolerance, in which the body is less able to cope with large amounts of sugar, can lead to more serious illnesses like metabolic syndrome and Type 2 diabetes ... When the researchers treated the mice with antibiotics, killing much of the bacteria in the digestive system, the glucose intolerance went away ... It also suggests probiotics — medicines consisting of live bacteria — could be used to shift gut bacteria to a population that reversed the glucose intolerance" - [How Can Diet Sodas Make You Fat? Study May Explain It - NBC News] - [Science Daily] - See probiotic products at Amazon.com.

A heart-felt need for dairy food: Small serving beneficial, large not necessary - Science Daily, 9/16/14 - "A study of nearly 4000 Taiwanese ... a dominantly Chinese food culture, unaccustomed to dairy foods ... Those who ate no dairy had higher blood pressure, higher body mass index and greater body fatness generally than other groups ... For optimal results, the key is daily consumption of dairy foods -- but at the rate of about five servings over a week. One serving is the equivalent to eight grams of protein: a cup of milk, or 45 grams of cheese ... Such quantities rarely cause trouble even for people considered to be lactose intolerant" - See my yogurt recipe.

Consumption of high-fat dairy products associated with lower risk of developing diabetes - Science Daily, 9/15/14 - "replacing saturated fat with monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats might be favourable in the prevention of T2D. In line with this, plant sources of fat have been suggested to be a better choice compared with animal sources ... Nevertheless, several epidemiological studies have indicated that a high intake of dairy products may be protective ... study included 26,930 individuals (60% women), aged 45-74 years, from the population-based Malmö Diet and Cancer cohort ... 14 years of follow up ... high intake of high-fat dairy products was associated with a 23% lower incidence of T2D for the highest consuming 20% of participants (or quintile) (median=8 portions/day) compared with the lowest consuming 20% (median=1 portion/day) ... there was no association found between intakes of low-fat dairy products and risk of developing type 2 diabetes ... High intakes of meat and meat products were, regardless of fat content, associated with increased risk, but the increased risk was higher for lower fat meats (increased risk of type 2 diabetes for high fat meats 9%, for low fat 24%), both referring to the risk in the highest-consuming versus lowest-consuming 20%)"

Abstracts from this week:

The effectiveness of leucine on muscle protein synthesis, lean body mass and leg lean mass accretion in older people: a systematic review and meta-analysis - Br J Nutr. 2014 Sep 19:1-10 - "These findings suggest that leucine supplementation is useful to address the age-related decline in muscle mass in elderly individuals, as it increases the muscle protein fractional synthetic rate" - See leucine products at Amazon.com.

Glutamine supplementation favors weight loss in nondieting obese female patients. A pilot study - Eur J Clin Nutr. 2014 Sep 17 - "Glutamine supplementation improves insulin sensitivity in critically ill patients, and prevents obesity in animals fed a high-fat diet. We hypothesized that glutamine supplementation favors weight loss in humans. Obese and overweight female patients (n=6) were enrolled in a pilot, cross-over study ... patients were randomly assigned to 4-week supplementation with glutamine or isonitrogenous protein supplement (0.5 g/KgBW/day). During supplementation, patients did not change their dietary habits nor lifestyle ... Body weight and waist circumference significantly declined only after glutamine supplementation (85.0±10.4 Kg vs 82.2±10.1 Kg, and 102.7±2.0 cm vs 98.9±2.9 cm, respectively; P=0.01). Insulinemia and HOMA-IR declined by 20% after glutamine, but not significantly so" - See l-glutamine at Amazon.com.

Effects of Pumpkin Seed in Men with Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms due to Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia in the One-Year, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled GRANU Study - Urol Int. 2014 Sep 5 - "A total of 1,431 men (50-80 years) with BPH/LUTS were randomly assigned to either pumpkin seed (5 g b.i.d.), capsules with pumpkin seed extract (500 mg b.i.d.) or matching placebo ... International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) ... In the case of pumpkin seed (responders: 58.5%), the difference compared with placebo (responders: 47.3%) was descriptively significant. The study products were well tolerated. Overall, in men with BPH, 12 months of treatment with pumpkin seed led to a clinically relevant reduction in IPSS compared with placebo" - Related study:

  • Effect of pumpkin seed oil on hair growth in men with androgenetic alopecia: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial - Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2014;2014:549721 - "Pumpkin seed oil (PSO) has been shown to block the action of 5-alpha reductase and to have antiandrogenic effects on rats. This randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study was designed to investigate the efficacy and tolerability of PSO for treatment of hair growth in male patients with mild to moderate androgenetic alopecia (AGA). 76 male patients with AGA received 400 mg of PSO per day or a placebo for 24 weeks ... Mean hair count increases of 40% were observed in PSO-treated men at 24 weeks, whereas increases of 10% were observed in placebo-treated men (P < 0.001). Adverse effects were not different in the two groups" - See pumpkin seed oil at Amazon.com.

Modulation of Radiation-Induced Alterations in Oxidative Stress and Cytokine Expression in Lung Tissue by Panax Ginseng Extract - Phytother Res. 2014 Sep 15 - "We investigated the modulating effect of Panax ginseng extract (PGE) on radiation-induced lung injury (RILI) ... A high pretreatment dose of PGE may be a useful pharmacological approach for protection against RILI" - See ginseng at Amazon.com.

Hesperidin protects testicular and spermatological damages induced by cisplatin in rats - Andrologia. 2014 Sep 13 - "this study clearly demonstrated that hesperidin has protective effects on cisplatin-induced reproductive system toxicity depending on its antioxidant properties. Thus, it is thought that hesperidin may be useful against cisplatin toxicity in patients with cancer in terms of reproductive system" - See hesperidin at Amazon.com.

Fatty Acid Status and Its Relationship to Cognitive Decline and Homocysteine Levels in the Elderly - Nutrients. 2014 Sep 12;6(9):3624-3640 - "Forty-five elderly persons (age ≥60 years) were included and divided into two groups based on their Mini-Mental Status Examination score adjusted for educational level: the case group (n = 12) and the control group (n = 33) ... Cognitive function was positively associated with the 24:1n-9, DHA and total n-3 PUFAs, while 14:0, 16:0 and 16:1n-7 fatty acids, the n-6/n-3 ratio and Hcy were inversely associated. In addition, n-3 PUFAs, particularly DHA, were inversely associated with cardiovascular risk, assessed by Hcy levels in the elderly" - See docosahexaenoic acid at Amazon.com.

Neat Tech Stuff / "How To's":

Blumoo turns your iOS device into the ultimate remote - TAUW, 9/21/14 - "The Blumoo is a capable little gadget that honestly surprised me several times with its capabilities. As a remote replacement, it's virtually flawless, with only the input delay holding it back from being truly perfect. As an audio streaming device it's more than adequate, and can effectively turn any speaker system into a Bluetooth streaming hub with little effort. Combine these two abilities and the Blumoo makes a compelling case for a spot in your entertainment center" - See Blumoo Universal RF Remote Control Plus Music Streaming for iOS and Android at Amazon.com (Amazon gives it 5 stars).

Want the perfect smiley selfie? Carry a big silver stick - CNET, 0/21/14 - "I discovered that these things are called Selfie Sticks. There are 71 pages of them on Amazon. They retail for anything from $10 to quite a lot more ... And why not? More than ever, our pictures are our whole selves. Business or pleasure" - See selfie sticks at Amazon.com.

Health Focus (Hair Loss):

Alternative News:

  • Effect of pumpkin seed oil on hair growth in men with androgenetic alopecia: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial - Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2014;2014:549721 - "Pumpkin seed oil (PSO) has been shown to block the action of 5-alpha reductase and to have antiandrogenic effects on rats. This randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study was designed to investigate the efficacy and tolerability of PSO for treatment of hair growth in male patients with mild to moderate androgenetic alopecia (AGA). 76 male patients with AGA received 400 mg of PSO per day or a placebo for 24 weeks ... Mean hair count increases of 40% were observed in PSO-treated men at 24 weeks, whereas increases of 10% were observed in placebo-treated men (P < 0.001). Adverse effects were not different in the two groups" - See pumpkin seed oil at Amazon.com.
  • Ginsenoside F2 Reduces Hair Loss by Controlling Apoptosis through the Sterol Regulatory Element-Binding Protein Cleavage Activating Protein and Transforming Growth Factor-β Pathways in a Dihydrotestosterone-Induced Mouse Model - Biol Pharm Bull. 2014;37(5):755-763 - "the proliferation rates of DHT-treated human hair dermal papilla cells (HHDPCs) and HaCaTs increased by 48% in the ginsenoside F2-treated group and by 12% in the finasteride-treated group" - See ginseng at Amazon.com.
  • Top 4 Foods for Thicker, Shinier Hair - ABC News, 4/29/14 - "Yogurt ... These good bacteria help balance the community of microorganisms that live in our intestines. And a recent study by MIT researchers suggests that probiotics help produce that “healthy glow” we all want, by making skin more radiant and hair more shiny, thick, and lustrous ... The researchers suggest that probiotics decrease inflammation in the top layers of the skin leading to healthier skin and hair ... Vitamin D is essential for keeping your hair growing strong and preventing breakage—it helps keep the follicles healthy, through the growth, shedding, and regrowth of new hairs ... Zinc is a powerful nutrient for hair growth—it helps accelerate the repair of damaged hair follicles, which keeps your hair healthy through all of its growth phases. Zinc deficiency is also associated with hair loss ... The brassicas (cabbage, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, kale) are packed full of healthy nutrients and have been shown to help decrease the risk of heart disease and cancer. They are also rich in phosphatidic acid, little fatty acid messengers involved in cell creation and survival. A study in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology found that phosphatidic acid also promotes hair growth due to its growth-promoting effects on the cells in our hair follicles"
  • Ginsenoside Rg3 Up-regulates the Expression of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor in Human Dermal Papilla Cells and Mouse Hair Follicles - Phytother Res. 2013 Dec 26 - "Crude Panax ginseng has been documented to possess hair growth activity and is widely used to treat alopecia, but the effects of ginsenoside Rg3 on hair growth have not to our knowledge been determined ... Immunohistochemical analysis showed that expression of VEGF was significantly up-regulated by Rg3 in a dose-dependent manner in human DP cells and in mouse hair follicles. In addition, the CD8 and CD34 were also up-regulated by Rg3 in the mouse hair follicles. It may be concluded that Rg3 might increase hair growth through stimulation of hair follicle stem cells and it has the potential to be used in hair growth products" - See ginseng at Amazon.com.
    • Ginsenoside Rg3 ≥98% (HPLC) - Sigma-Aldrich - "Ginsenoside Rg3 is a natural product isolated from Panax ginseng. Similar to other ginsenosides it exhibits cardio protective effects. Ginsenoside Rg3 enhances cardiac, hERG (IKr) and KCNQ (Iks), channel currents by interaction with the channel pore entryway. It also inhibits the palmitate-induced apoptosis of MIN6N8 mouse insulinoma beta-cells through modulating p44/42 MAPK activation. Ginsenoside Rg3 increases the level of the transcription factor Nrf2 and induces the mRNA levels of multidrug resistance-associated protein (Mrp) 1 and Mrp3.1 Rg3 modulate neuroinflammation by attenuating the activation of microglia in response to systemic LPS treatment.2 It activates AMPK in HepG2 cells and reduces the lipid accumulation thereby decreasing the risk of cardiovascular disease due to dyslipidemia"
  • 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
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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"
  • 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.
  • 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"
  • 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."
  • 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:

  • Autoimmune Drugs May Treat a Form of Baldness - nbcnews.com, 8/17/14 - "The Food and Drug Administration has approved a drug to treat myelofibrosis. It’s called ruxolitinib, or Jakafi. The team tested Jakafi, taken as a pill, in several patients. In three of them, hair grew almost completely back within five months, and the autimmune response was stopped" - Note:  That's the medication that's way out of anyone's price range.  See ruxolitinib at GoodRX.com.
  • Hairless Man Now Hairy, Thanks to Arthritis Drug - WebMD, 6/20/14 - "After three more months taking 15 milligrams a day of the drug, he had a full head of hair and clearly visible eyebrows and eyelashes, as well as facial, armpit and other hair ... Tofacitinib citrate (marketed as Xeljanz) is used to treat rheumatoid arthritis" - NBC News has better pictures of the spectacular results.  It only runs about $42 per 5 mg tablet and you need three per day so about $126 per day.  No problem for the average person.
  • Hair Loss Treatments in the Pipeline - WebMD, 3/31/14 - "Low-level laser light combs and helmets do work, but the devil is in the details, Washenik says. There is not enough evidence to say which product works better. “Convenience and ease of use seem to be the two most important factors,” he says. “The ones that people like best are those where you just sit on the couch and read while wearing a helmet.”" - See laser combs at Amazon.com and iGrow Hand Free Laser LED Light Therapy Hair Regrowth Rejuvenation Brand New - Click here for the press release.
  • 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"
  • 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®.
  • 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 Amazon.com.
  • Drug May Fight Women's Hair Loss, Too - WebMD, 3/20/06 - "Propecia, a drug used to treat male hair loss, may help fix women's hair loss when taken with birth control pills"
  • Cancer Research Leads To Possible Baldness Cure - In Mice - Intelihealth, 2/16/01 - "The VEGF-enhanced mice regrew hair quicker, and, better yet, researchers found that their hair follicles - the structures at the roots of hairs - were 30 percent wider. . . "By overall volume, the hair was about 70 percent thicker" than in the normal mice, Detmar said, adding, "To my knowledge, no one has been able to make hair thicker" previously."
  • Hair Loss and Thyroid Disease - About.com, 6/10/99 - "In a recent study, Dr Hugh Rushton, a professor at Portsmouth University, also found that 90 percent of women with thinning hair were deficient in iron and the amino acid lysine"