Hair loss treatment: Tocotrienol supplementation increases number of hairs on head - study

THERE are numerous factors that underpin hair loss and the best solutions are tailored to specific causes. Using this tried-and-tested methodology, tocotrienol supplementation has been shown to reverse alopecia. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. Correcting hair loss is an onerous endeavour that produces mixed results at best. Efforts to reverse hair loss are often hobbled by a lack of knowledge as to the underlying cause. However, when researchers have done their homework, promising solutions have been found. This winning formula was followed in a study published in the journal Tropical Life Sciences. Researchers built on the knowledge that patients with alopecia generally exhibit lower levels of antioxidants in their scalp area. Antioxidants are man-made or natural substances that may prevent or delay some types of cell damage. They are thought to reduce the risk of developing a host of serious health complications, such as cancer. Specifically, studies have shown an association between oxidative stress and alopecia. READ MORE: Hair loss treatment: Garlic a 'cheap' and 'efficient' treatment for alopecia says study xidative stress is an imbalance between unstable atoms called free radicals and antioxidants in your body. Tocotrienols, which belong to the vitamin E family, are known to be potent antioxidants. Hence, a study was conducted to investigate the effect of tocotrienol supplementation on hair growth in volunteers suffering from hair loss. Twenty one volunteers were randomly assigned to orally receive 100 mg of mixed tocotrienols daily while 17 volunteers were assigned to receive placebo capsule orally. DON'T MISS High blood pressure: The best drink to lower BP [TIPS] Dementia: Two issues involving vision [INSIGHT] Vitamin B12 deficiency: NICE report outlines symptoms [ADVICE] The volunteers were monitored for the number of hairs in a pre-determined scalp area as well as the weight of 20 strands of one centimetre length hair clippings before supplementation, four and eight months. The number of hairs of the volunteers in the tocotrienol supplementation group increased significantly as compared to the placebo group, with the former recording a 34.5 percent increase at the end of the eight-month supplementation as compared to a 0.1 percent decrease for the latter. Nevertheless, the cumulative weight of 20 strands of hair clippings did not differ much from the start of the study for both supplementation groups to the end of the study period. "In conclusion, this trial demonstrated that supplementation with tocotrienol capsules increases hair number in volunteers suffering from hair loss as compared to the placebo group," the researchers wrote. Among other things, "this observed effect was most likely to be due to the antioxidant activity of tocotrienols", they added. There are other things you can try if your hair loss is causing you distress. But most treatments are not available on the NHS, so you'll have to pay for them. It is important to note that no treatment is 100 percent effective. According to the NHS, finasteride and minoxidil are the main treatments for male pattern baldness. Male pattern baldness is a permanent type of hair loss that usually runs in the family. "Minoxidil can also be used to treat female pattern baldness. Women should not use finasteride," warns the NHS.